When teenagers are driven to kill, their victims are but the first to fall. In three such cases, the families of the killers, as well as their communities, become the victims of violent crime.
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The Great Outdoors may offer great clues to solving brutal murders. But it takes the keen eye of the forensic entomologist and botanist to decipher the clues nature provides.
There's never a good reason for murder, but some killers are particularly brutalchoosing their prey at random or with no apparent motive and then cunningly covering their tracks. Even so, telltale clues remain.
They say that a burden shared is a burden halved, but when partners team up to commit murder, the weight of their guilt remains just as heavy. Investigators must rely on forensic science to capture partners in crime.
The solution to the most heinous crimes often hinge on the smallest of clues. Investigators must have their eyes trained to find the full story of a murder written in a single scrap of evidence.
A good coroner provides what's necessary to solve a crime. A bad one can spoil an otherwise rock-solid case. Cyril Wecht and Henry Lee, two of the country's most respected coroners, share their cases and insights into crime solving.
They know as much about crime as any crime fighter, or any criminal. They're the crime writers, and through their eyes we see murder most foul.
Some of the best clues come from the least likely places. Baffling crimes have been solved and criminals betrayed through evidence provided by insects, beer bottles, and other seemingly meaningless objects.
Forensic Entomology: Bugs have roamed the earth for 250 million years, but their intimate association with death is just now coming to life.
Ballistics: A corpse is found with a gunshot wound to the head the weapon lies next to the victim. It looks like suicide, but could it be murder? It's a question best solved by ballistics experts.
Forensic Photography: Forensic photographers are among the first people at a crime scene, capturing vital clues on film. What do the cameras capture that can't be seen first-hand, and who are the men and women who analyze the camera's clues?
Black Boxes: Little evidence is left after an airplane takes a deadly plunge from the sky. Investigators' best hope for an answer comes from the flight data recorder known as a black box.
DNA Analysis: With the advent of DNA analysis, just a few microscopic cells found at a crime scene can be used to put a murder behind bars.
Identifying Burned Remains: It's difficult to have a murder investigation without a body, and burning up the victim is a time-honored method of destroying physical evidence.
Psychological Profiling: Journey into the dark recesses and calculated madness present only in our worst nightmares, and in the minds of serial killers.
Handwriting Analysis: We've all heard that our handwriting tells more about our personalities than we think. Are we risk-takers, have low-esteem, fun loving, or are we capable of murder?
Fingerprinting: The Identification Division of the FBI relies on fingerprints as one of the most effective ways to identify criminals.
Explosives Investigations: The crime lab is the place where science meets murder. In New York State, Eleanor Fowler opened a small package, which was mailed to her home. When she lifted the lid, the box exploded, killing her instantly.
Identifying Burned Remains: It's difficult to have a murder investigation without a body, and burning up the victim is a time-honored method of destroying physical evidence.
Missing Person: Approximately 1.8 million Americans are reported missing each year. Worldwide, the number of missing persons nearly triples.
Forensic Sculpting: Forensic sculptors retrieve people from oblivion. Using clay and an intricate knowledge of anatomy, forensic arts place a face on an unidentified skull, recreating the victim's likeness, which often leads to his name.
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