Forensic Files — Season 7

Aired 1 January 2002 • 23 min

Exploring how an American hit single from 1966 -- the cheater by Bob Kuban And The In-man -- foreshadowed the demise of the group's lead singer, Walter Scott (Walter Notheis Jr.), who disappeared in 1983.

Aired 8 January 2002 • 23 min

In Texas 1988, Nancy DePriest was raped and murdered while working at Pizza Hut. After a suspect confessed and implicated another, they were both imprisoned; the case was considered closed. Eight years later, another man claims that he committed the crime, and investigators must use forensic evidence to determine the true killer.

Aired 15 January 2002 • 23 min

Although a group of teenage thugs are suspected of attacking two boys on a fishing trip, there is no solid evidence until a murky fishing hole provides some answers.

Aired 22 January 2002 • 23 min

In 1988, when a young prostitute's body turns up in an Ohio waterway under ice, authorities have one tiny clue which could point to her killer, but face huge challenges due to her policemen clients and DNA evidence being washed away.

Aired 29 January 2002 • 23 min

In a small South Carolina town in 1991, 17-year-old Crystal Faye Todd, a popular high school student, is raped, murdered and dumped in a deserted field, after attending a party. With few leads, authorities test the DNA of several friends and one match shocks everyone.

Aired 5 February 2002 • 23 min

In 1997, two years after a series of unsolved kidnappings and sexual assaults in California. One of the victims suddenly recalled an important detail of the crime which she had not told police. She left some forensic evidence in the assailant's vehicle, evidence that left quite an impression.

Aired 12 February 2002 • 23 min

In 1994, on Canada's Prince Edward Island, the body of Douglas Beamish's estranged wife, Shirley Duguay, was discovered. In a groundbreaking case using animal dna, investigators use forensic testing on a cat to help them solve the case.

Aired 19 February 2002 • 23 min

A look into the 1984 Oregon food poisonings, we're detectives track down the outbreak to a cult which aims to use germ warfare to take down the government. [also marked as S7:E16]

Aired 26 February 2002 • 23 min

A woman is found dead from a gunshot wound and police suspect her husband; however, forensic teams prove what really happened and the truth is stranger than fiction. [also marked as S7:E17]

Aired 5 March 2002 • 23 min

In 1995, Madalyn Murray O'Hair, the founder of American Atheists, disappears along with one of her sons, her granddaughter, and $500,000 in gold coins. The discovery of a mutilated body helps police catch the culprit.

Aired 12 March 2002 • 23 min

In January 2001, in Duluth, MN, two people witness a truck driving over an unconscious man twice, and they flee into a nearby bar. When the police turn up, the truck, the victim and the witnesses are gone. The eyewitnesses may hold the key to the death of motorcycle gang member, Erik Schrieffer.

Aired 19 March 2002 • 23 min

In Pennsylvania 1984, a passer-by finds the torso of a woman in a cardboard box. Investigators rely on insect activity analysis by a forensic entomologist to determine when the murder victim was killed. She remained unknown until a year later, when her sister called to report her missing. Eventually she was identified and a man was convicted of her murder, but would further forensic entomology change the outcome?

Aired 26 March 2002 • 23 min

An 18-year-old Ohio woman, who is abducted and then released soon afterwards, uses her knowledge of forensics to lead police to the kidnapper.

Aired 10 July 2002 • 23 min

The police investigate when a severed leg is discovered in the garbage. Conventional means of identifying the victim are impossible, leading investigators to rely on DNA, forensic anthropology and toxicology to identify the victim. The victim was identified as Norman Klaas and, through forensic investigation of his home, investigators follow the trail of evidence to his killer.

Aired 17 July 2002 • 23 min

How Illinois scientists solved a 1992 murder case involving cremation. It takes a long time and a very hot fire to cremate a human body, and thus destroy all evidence of foul play, but the coroner who performed the autopsy on the badly burned body of Charles "Jack" Lynch found telltale clues. Not only had the victim been burned, he’d also been stabbed -- 24 times, with two different knives. Police knew that a person, acting alone, would probably use only one weapon. So investigators were on the lookout for a couple of killers.

Aired 31 July 2002 • 23 min

A look back at the case of the River Park Rapist, who sexually assaulted four women in South Bend, IN, during 1996. Law enforcement officers arrested Richard Alexander, who was convicted in 1998 and sentenced to 70 years in prison. In 2001, Michael Murphy confessed to one of the two rapes of which Alexander had been convicted and forensic developments reveal new facts about the case.

Aired 24 July 2002 • 23 min

The 1996 Seattle murder of suburban couple Raquel Rivera and Jay Johnson is detailed. Investigators first believe the slayings were the result of a drug deal gone bad. However, no drugs are found in the house and the victims' blood isn't present on the clothing of the suspects. Evidence from the couple's dog Chief, who was also killed, eventually ties one of the murderers to the scene. This is one of the first cases where dog DNA was used to convict.

Aired 12 September 2002 • 23 min

Firefighter Michelle Baker became pregnant by her lover, Dr. Maynard Muntzing. After this news, she was ill whenever they were together. The coincidences led her to suspect that he was doing her harm, so she set out to prove it.

Aired 26 August 2002 • 23 min

A look back at a trio of unsolved murders that occurred in Wichita Falls, Texas during the 1980s, details how a fourth murder from the same time period provided the police with more than they realized. John Little, an investigator for the DA's office, picked up the cold cases years later and made a connection to the other murders.

Aired 27 August 2002 • 23 min

The disappearance of Philadelphia college athlete Aimee Willard is investigated after her car was found, still running on the roadside. When her body is found, the police find unusual marks on her body and DNA evidence that eventually lead to her killer.

Aired 28 August 2002 • 23 min

The investigation into the apparent overdose suicide of Reverend Bill Guthrie's wife Sharon. Detectives suspect foul play after they recover incriminating files from Bill's computer and learn of his infidelity.

Aired 29 August 2002 • 23 min

The 1991 disappearance of Newport Beach, CA, resident Denise Huber stumps investigators. Three years later, Arizona residents call police to report John Famalaro, who has kept a Ryder rental truck in his driveway, which they suspect is stolen. Upon further investigation, police find a body within a freezer inside the truck, which they conclude is Denise Huber.

Aired 30 August 2002 • 23 min

The 1987 disappearance of Houston resident Tracy Jo Shine is recalled. The investigation went cold until 2000, when a "cold case squad" learned that the woman's ex-boyfriend Michael Neal had bragged about killing her.

Aired 26 September 2002 • 23 min

When a 62-year-old man opens a car restoration business and becomes seriously ill, his doctors cannot find the cause, but forensics can; identification of a highly toxic metal in the victim's blood leads to his poisoner.

Aired 4 September 2002 • 23 min

The disappearance of 6-year-old Michelle Lee Dorr is detailed. Although her father confessed to murdering her, the police soon poked holes in his story, leaving the case unsolved for 14 years. New suspect Hadden Clark was heard talking to himself, which gave investigators a clue where Michelle was killed.

Aired 3 October 2002 • 23 min

The 1996 investigation into 48-year-old Martha Hansen's murder in Anchorage is helped by a legal requirement that bars have video cameras installed on the premises. Using video, hair and blood evidence, investigators determine who her murderer was.

Aired 10 October 2002 • 23 min

n 1994, friends reported that Jack Reeves' mail-order bride Emelita Villa had disappeared. The police centered their suspicions on Reeves and, while pursuing leads, uncovered information linking him to the deaths of two former wives.

Aired 17 October 2002 • 23 min

The murders of an elderly couple, Edward Kowalzck and Gertrude Thompson, leave detectives stumped until, two years later, they receive a major break. A jeweler looking through old newspaper clippings recognizes a necklace the female victim wore as having been pawned in her own shop. [also marked as S7:E14]

Aired 31 October 2002 • 23 min

The tragic murder of 9-year-old Jessica Knott is investigated; a garbage bag leads investigators to her killer. [also marked as S7:E34]

Aired 7 November 2002 • 23 min

An investigation into the disappearance of Katie Poirier is stymied, but they find a few charred remains including a tooth. The unique properties of the filling in the tooth helps investigators identify her remains.

Aired 14 November 2002 • 23 min

The investigation into a suspicious death hits a dead end when the autopsy indicates that no foul play was involved. But a telephone tip and the sensitive nose of a forensic examiner indicate otherwise. [also marked as S7:E38]

Aired 21 November 2002 • 23 min

On March 13, 1981, 86-year-old Enid Whittlesey is found murdered in her Los Angeles home. The suspect eludes arrest for 16 years but that changes; however, when investigators learn the culprit is left-handed, putting a new spin on old facts. [also marked as S7:E39]

Aired 28 November 2002 • 23 min

Forensic scientists work with the only clue recovered from a multiple-victim shooting: a 12-gauge shotgun. Scientists use unique methods to lift the serial number from the weapon in order to trace it to its owner. [also marked as S7:E40]

Aired 5 December 2002 • 23 min

A serial arsonist is responsible for numerous fires that caused millions of dollars worth of property damage and the deaths of three people - described as the worst arson spree in US history. More than 75 Seattle-area arsons are probed before he was discovered, partly through the use of forensic hypnosis.

Aired 9 December 2002 • 23 min

The use of the computers by law enforcement is detailed in this look at a series of crimes in St. Louis that stumped the local police and the FBI. (also marked as S7:E44)

Aired 10 December 2002 • 23 min

Using an anonymous letter and geographic profiling, investigators in Philadelphia close in on a serial rapist who attacks victims who live on upper floors of apartment buildings. When they hear of similar cases in Colorado, a cleverly obtained DNA sample confirms their suspicions. [also marked as S7:E18]

Aired 11 December 2002 • 23 min

In Dripping Springs, TX, March 1999, a 3-year-old boy develops serious respiratory problems and then his father later shows signs of early Alzheimer's disease. A chance encounter with a stranger kicks off an investigation into the cause. [also marked as S7:E19]

Aired 12 December 2002 • 23 min

A murder investigation in St. Petersburg, Florida, crosses jurisdictions from New York to Jamaica. The police use cell phone mapping, wiretapping and a host of forensic evidence to find a surgeon's killer. [also marked as S7:E47]

Aired 13 December 2002 • 23 min

After a man's body is discovered a few miles from his home, authorities trace the crime back to his house and question his wife. (also shown as S7:E48)

Aired 19 December 2002 • 23 min

Details the case of the Beltway sniper attacks, a 3-week shooting spree which left 10 people dead in the Washington, D.C. area.

Aired 22 January 2003 • 23 min

Georgia resident Sheila Bryan, who was convicted of killing her mother in a car fire, is granted a new trial. An expert fire witness shares an opinion on how the fire ignited which differs from the prosecution's theory and, if verified, would clear Bryan of any culpability. [also marked as S7:E50]

Aired 29 January 2003 • 23 min

Authorities are able to apprehend a kidnapper because he allowed his victim, 17-year-old Shari Smith, to write a will on a telltale pad of paper. [also marked as S7:E52]