Forensic Files

In the aftermath of violent crimes, unexplainable accidents and other strange occurrences, authorities search for answers in what was left behind. Listen as detectives, scientists and other experts sift through the clues, analyze the evidence and piece together data — all in hopes of finding the truth. Listen to Forensic Files II wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

After Ron DeFeo Jr. finds his parents and younger siblings dead in their Amityville, New York, home, police begin to search for the killer. Host Donnie Wahlberg and local journalist Joel Martin revisit that horrific evening in 1974, the crime scene and the investigation — all in hopes of answering a question heavy on residents' minds: “Who would murder an entire family in the dead of night?” To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

While Earl Morris was vacationing in California, he learned that his wife had gone missing from their home in Arizona.  The search for Ruby Morris involved dozens of investigators, scientists, and even the coast guard.  To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

A woman was reported missing, presumed dead. A clue inside the suspect’s watchband and a popular television show helped solve the case. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

A 1986 case of sexual assault and serial murder marked the first time DNA was used as evidence in a court of law. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Three seemingly unrelated deaths proved to be serial murders.   The killer had been careful; he used poison which has no taste or odor.  Fortunately for investigators, it also had a unique chemical signature.    To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

A twelve-year-old girl claimed she had been abducted and sexually assaulted.  She recounted what happened in such a flat, unemotional voice that police found it difficult to  believe her.  Fibers on her clothing would prove she was telling the truth, and help police to find her attacker. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Two suspects living in the same apartment were linked to a murder by a gun and a pair of bloodstained boots – items that belonged to the one who claimed he'd never even met the victim. Investigators hoped the manufacturing code stamped on six beer bottles would be distinctive enough to prove who was telling the truth, and who was a cold-blooded killer. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

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. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Early one morning, a woman went missing on her way to work.  A strand of hair in her hairbrush led investigators to unravel the mystery. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Twenty-four years after the death of a 15-year-old in California, forensic scientists discover enough microscopic evidence to finally bring the killer to justice. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

The media dubbed him the “Last Call Killer” because he targeted men in gay bars who were obviously intoxicated.  His MO involved dismembering the bodies and wrapping the parts in plastic bags, which he then carefully washed to remove all incriminating evidence.  He eluded capture for almost ten years... and then new technology revealed fingerprints no one knew were there. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Bruce Miller was shot to death in the office of the business he owned. When a computer expert examined the computers owned by the victim’s wife and by her lover, he found the evidence needed to convict the person responsible for the crime. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

A serial killer in Arlington, Va., leaves the same clues behind at each crime scene. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

A young mother is murdered after years of domestic abuse.  There are clues at the scene:  bloody footprints and DNA from the victim’s rape kit.  But the evidence which will  conclusively tie the killer to the crime is on a freshly baked hamburger bun.  To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

One warm summer afternoon, the town of Verona, Wisconsin, faced its first triple homicide. To solve the case, investigators had to delve into the world of high rollers and offshore betting. With the help of forensics, they were able to bring down a killer who gambled, and lost. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

A little girl disappears from a Christmas party. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Women in a small Louisiana city live in fear of a rapist who leaves no clues to his identity.  But computer technology and behavioral science combine to give police a new forensic tool: geographical profiling. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

When a woman is found murdered in a bar. Investigators believe the best evidence is the bite mark found on the victim. A postman is convicted of murder, but he maintains his innocence. Ten years later, improved technology yields new information. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Children at a Texas hospital seem to be dying at a higher rate than at any other US hospital.  Investigators look to a suspicious nurse. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

A girl was found dead in her backyard. Her parents claimed she was attacked and killed by the family dogs, but police disagreed. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

When a mother and her child are abducted during a carjacking, the crime is reported within minutes. Police know they have a small window of opportunity to find them... and the clock is ticking. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Arson is suspected when a Seattle policeman's house burns down. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

When a young mother and her infant son are found dead in a cornfield, the obvious suspect is the husband and father of the victims.  But some insects found on the bodies reveal a vital clue, as does a long, blonde hair found on the victims. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

A talented television news anchor was shot to death outside her home; it appeared to be a crime of passion, perpetrated by an obsessed fan. A police dog tracked the scent of the killer through the adjacent woods and back to the crime scene. Could the murderer be one of the onlookers, watching the police conduct their investigation? To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

When their trailer catches fire, the young husband heroically rescues his wife and infant son.  A month later, his wife is beaten to death in a bedroom of his parents’ home.  The cut window screen points to an intruder, but the lack of supporting evidence compels investigators to look beyond the obvious.  To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Two years after a girl was murdered, a tiny drop of blood and burned bones lead police to her murderers. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Several high-powered legal officials are victims of mail bombs. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

When a hit-and-run boating accident caused the death of a popular young man, investigators faced the daunting task of searching for one boat among 1,200 others. They asked anyone who had seen the accident to come forward. The man who responded did much more than witness the crash; he was a passenger in that other boat. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

A mother used her knowledge from murder mystery shows to determine who severely injured her young daughter in a hit-and-run accident. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Fire sweeps through a mansion, killing two children, and all evidence leads to the mother. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

The investigation of the disappearance of a woman leads police to a suspect. But police could not find the victim’s body. Finally, police discover a charred tooth. Superimposed images and a dental filling give investigators the proof they need. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

When a college co-ed vanished without a trace, her fellow students were concerned about her safety… and their own. Weeks later, the body of an unknown female was discovered 700 miles away in the ashes of a barn fire, and an alert police officer realized the two crimes might be connected. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

A young woman is found dead in her apartment.  There’s little evidence at the scene, leads don’t pan out and the case turns cold... until police discover a link between their prime suspect and an unsolved murder committed six years earlier in different state.  To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

How unlucky could one man be?  His wife had taken her own life, and his college sweetheart had killed herself in much the same fashion fourteen years earlier.  Investigators had to determine if this was a bizarre coincidence, or an attempt to get away with murder... twice. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

In 1984, a couple set off for a camping trip but got lost and fell asleep at a scenic overlook in Virginia To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

After he got into the home, the assailant used an axe to kill the husband and critically injure his wife. Nothing was taken, so this wasn't a robbery. A DNA profile from skin cells collected hundreds of miles away would reveal the killer's identity and his motive for murder. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

A chemist suddenly starts to suffer from foot pain, partial numbness, and hair loss, and eventually dies. Could he have been poisoned? To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

The woman in the back of the truck was flailing her arms, screaming. They thought she was doing something dangerous for the fun of it. But when they found a jacket near a pool of blood, they knew what they'd seen wasn't a joy ride; it was an abduction. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Doctors don't know why the young scientist is gravely ill. When tests finally reveal the cause, it's too late to save him. Police hope that lab analysis of his hair - showing when attempts were made on his life and what was used - will lead to the killer. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

When an 11-year-old girl disappeared from a small town in a remote area of Alaska, investigators wondered if she’d been attacked by a bear or become lost in the dense woods.  It turned out neither was true.  Her body was discovered 10 days later;  she’d been shot twice at close range, and sexually assaulted.  A tip from an eyewitness led police to a suspect, and trace evidence found at the crime scene convinced a jury of his guilt. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

A nurse experienced flu-like symptoms. She visited the doctor for a check-up and learned she was HIV-positive. In the end, science was able to determine not only how she had been infected, but also by whom. The worst part: It wasn’t an accident. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

A security guard disappeared from his post without a trace; his remains were found a year later in a remote camp site. More than a decade would pass before a phone call breathed life into the cold case, and a paint smear on the bottom of the victim's boot helped scientists determine what happened during the last hour of his life. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

For years, a woman suffered from what appeared to be the unpleasant side effects of lithium, a drug prescribed to treat bipolar disorder. When she died, investigators had to determine if her death was due to natural causes, suicide, or murder. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Time of death becomes pivotal after a pregnant woman is found murdered in her air-conditioned bedroom. A similarity between her death and an HBO movie gives forensic examiners the clues they need to thaw out the alibi of a cold-blooded killer. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

In 1984, hundreds of people in The Dalles, Oregon became ill with food poisoning.  Local, state and federal disease detectives slowly unraveled the medical mystery.  Along with a unique strain of bacteria, they discovered a religious cult's bizarre plot to overthrow the government -- using germ warfare. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

The man suffered a slow, agonizing death over a period of days.  His wife maintained he killed himself, but police were skeptical... especially when they learned her first husband died when he was only 38-years-old, and she refused to consent to an autopsy. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

When a dedicated, well-respected teacher disappeared, police had to determine if she’d gone on vacation without telling anyone, or if she was the victim of foul play.  Investigators turned to forensic science, hoping to find the answers they needed.  To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Between the years of 1967 and 1972 over 300 commercial airplanes were hijacked worldwide, with over 130 of those happening in the United States alone. This period would become known as "The Golden Age of Hijacking." American Skyjacker is the tale of a small-time crook named Martin 'Mac' McNally, who dreamed of the ultimate mile-high score: hijacking a plane and getting away with $500,000 in cash; but Mac's hijacking is just the beginning of a truly epic and incredibly wild true-crime saga. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

A behavioral profile is helpful in a murder investigation, but it's not a road map to the killer.  One such profile caused the Baton Rouge Police Department to search for the wrong man.  They might not have made an arrest, had it not been for a DNA picture of the suspect, painted by a molecular biologist. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

An Arizona surgeon is found stabbed to death. All signs point to a random attack until investigators uncover an unlikely suspect. Police work to unravel the mystery in a case of jealousy, rage and the almighty dollar. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy