When Genell Plude is found dead in her bathroom, the scene points to suicide. But a coroner's inquest and a unique application of forensic science gave investigators a different explanation for her death.
A young woman is stabbed more than 100 times. The killer leaves DNA behind, but investigators must play a cat-and-mouse game to obtain a suspect's DNA to match.
In 1992, Laura Houghteling disappeared from her Bethesda home and was never seen again. Laura's bedroom was searched and forensic science was used to direct them a to prime suspect.
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.
In 2000, construction manager Darrell North was found dead in his work trailer in Ft. Worth, Texas. When investigators arrived, they found that he had been stabbed 46 times.
They thought the fire would cover their crime. But one tiny clue led to a trio of killers behind bars.
A man's wife took her own life and his college sweetheart killed herself the same way. Was it coincidence?
An investigation into the murder of Katie Poirier is stymied by the lack of a body. Finally, investigators use a single tooth found among some charred remains to identify her.
An investigation of a pediatrician, prompted by the death of one of her patients, leads to a Texas hospital where the pediatric mortality rate is higher than at any hospital in the country.
Ten bodies had been found between May and November 1984 in Florida. A 17-year-old female named Lisa McVey was abducted but released, leading police to the perpetrator, Bobbie Joe Long.
When a decomposed body is found stuffed in a barrel, it's easy to presume murder. One of the few clues was an address book found along with the body.
A woman disappeared and her husband became the prime suspect especially after police found a huge bloodstain on the carpet of their bedroom. Complex DNA testing proved it was the wife's blood. Now all they had to do was find her body.
A drive-by shooting leaves one man dead and another seriously wounded. Cell phone calls and shell casings point to a suspect, but authorities are unable to place him at the crime scene.
Foul play is suspected when Fort Worth factory worker Glenda Furch disappears after completing her shift.
A man who had committed crimes including murder was not caught. Almost 50 years later, advances in technology and handwriting analysis uncovered the criminal.
A suspect's former lover comes forward with a tale of murder, mutilation and cremation, but there's no way to test the story's validity until a plant pathologist and a dendrochronologist conduct tests where the cremation supposedly occurred.
When a popular teacher is found dead of what appears to be an accidental gunshot wound, his family is suspicious. A tape recorded by the victim before his death provides clues to what happened.
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.
In the case of the Center City Rapist and the murder of Shannon Schieber, Philadelphia authorities use an anonymous letter and geographic profiling to hone in on a suspect.
Scott Dunn was missing and when the police sprayed his bedroom with Luminol, a scene of horrific violence emerged. Now investigators faced a daunting task.