The First 48 — Season 1, Episode 9: Desert Bones/Party's Over

Episode synopsis

Detectives Sallie Dillian and Cliff Jewell investigate a female skeleton found in the desert. Along with forensic anthropologist Laura Fulginiti, they work to determine who the mystery woman is. At first, they don't even know if she was murdered. But they use the scattered forensic and physical evidence to determine her identity and crack the case; an 18-year-old is shot in the head as a party of hundreds of high school students is breaking up. Because the teen is not expected to survive, homicide detectives Sandy Rodriguez and Tom Kulesa are called to the scene. Witnesses describe the shooter as a black male in a ski mask. In an intriguing development, there is a report of another non-fatal shooting that took place nearby, where the victim also described the shooter as a black male in a ski mask. Rodriguez and Kulesa must determine if the two events are related, who would have been after the victim and why.

About The First 48

The First 48 follows detectives from around the country during these first critical hours as they race against time to find the suspect. Gritty and fast-paced, it takes viewers behind the scenes of real-life investigations with unprecedented access to crime scenes, autopsies, forensic processing, and interrogations.

More episodes from Season 1

• E1Gangs of Little Havana/Execution in Coconut Grove
• E2Overkill/Left for Dead
• E3Blood in the Snow/Swope Park Killing
• E4Double Shooting on Haskell; Back Alley Revenge
• E5Body in the Park / Ruby Street Shooting
• E6Killing Spree
• E7On Ice/Body in the Canal
• E8Fire in the Rain/Family Feud
• E10Wrong Side of the Tracks / At Death's Door
• E11Stripper's Revenge/Dead on Arrival
• E12At Close Range/Murder in Motor City
• E13Silent Witness/Halley Street Slayings