Forensic Files
In 1987, the death of Crystal Purcell was considered an accident. Then in 2001, Barbara Purcell called police to suggest that her estranged husband had killed Crystal.
In 1987, the death of Crystal Purcell was considered an accident. Then in 2001, Barbara Purcell called police to suggest that her estranged husband had killed Crystal.
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James Kenneth Elmen Jr. abducted Julie Estes, then 21, from the Southside convenience store where she worked in 1985.
A bullet-riddled car, a missing driver, and no witnesses, an ambush or a random attack the clue was something so tiny, it was measured in millionths of a meter.
When a woman went missing, friends and family were determined to find her. Their worst fears were confirmed weeks later when her body was discovered.
A Michigan State University grad student disappeared and was presumed dead. With the help of a professor of geological sciences, police hoped to get the "dirt" on her killer.
In 2003, St. Cloud teenager Jason MacLennan returned home after a night out with friends and discovered his father Ken's body lying in a pool of blood.
It's usually easy to determine how a criminal entered the crime scene. But in this case, it was far from clear. It looked like the killer vanished into thin air...and perhaps he had.
On Halloween night 2004, Adriane Insogna and Leslie Mazzara were brutally murdered in their Napa home.
When a college student is reported missing, police believe their investigation will be like countless others.
After shooting his victims in the head, the killer staged the scene, placed the incriminating evidence into a plastic bag and tossed it into the river.
Tracey Frame, 35, was convicted of killing David Nixon in April 2002 after he planned to end their relationship.
Two suspects are linked to a murder by bloodstained boots and a gun, but the owner of the items says he has never met the victim.
An aspiring model turned up dead and the prime suspect was her boyfriend. When he was eventually cleared, investigators had to dig deeper to find the perpetrator.
When DNA proves that a man who practically admits to a brutal attack is innocent, police wonder why he is willing to take the blame.
In 2003, Tiffany Rowell and three of her friends were brutally murdered in affluent Clear Lake, Texas.
In 2006, Darlene VanderGiesen received threatening emails and then disappeared. Tracking the source of the emails led police to the home of Daphne Wright, where they believe a murder was committed.
The victim had ingested a massive amount of cyanide. An unlikely clue - a flaw on a mailing envelope - exposed a murderer who was willing to kill innocent people.
A woman who was known to have suffered from depression took her own life. But her sister told police that she said if anything were to happen to her there would be a note in the china cabinet.
An investigation into the murder of a World War II veteran slowed to a halt when the prime suspect had a solid alibi. But a lucky break led to a shady character who wore distinctive boots.
A brutal murder, lots of suspects and conflicting evidence but the forensics were clear on one thing: The killer knew his victim. And that alone gave investigators a head start.
Two suspects are linked to a murder by bloodstained boots and a gun, but the owner of the items says he has never met the victim.
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