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Forensic Files

ByHLN
319 episodes

Podcast Summary

Dive into the captivating world of "Forensic Files," where cutting-edge forensic science meets riveting storytelling. This podcast takes listeners on a journey through some of the most intriguing cases in criminal history, blending fact-based narratives with high-tech analysis. Each episode unravels the mysteries behind crimes, accidents, and even public health outbreaks, showcasing how forensic experts use science to seek justice. Listeners will hear firsthand accounts from notable guests, including acclaimed forensic scientists and law enforcement professionals, who discuss groundbreaking techniques such as DNA analysis and fingerprinting. Episodes delve into chilling cases like the Massachusetts man's sudden death and the perplexing story of Emelita Villa, who moved from the Philippines to Texas under mysterious circumstances. With a unique focus on the intersection of science and storytelling, "Forensic Files" not only educates but also enthralls its audience, making it a must-listen for true crime enthusiasts and science lovers alike.

#1

Dessert Served Cold

This episode originally aired February 11, 2019. When a Massachusetts man dropped dead of an apparent heart attack, no one thought foul play was a possibility until police looked into his girlfriend's odd behavior in the days before his death. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2025-05-29•23mins
#2

A Vow Of Silence

This episode originally aired February 7, 2019. Emelita Villa came to Arlington, Texas from the Philippines as a shy, impoverished, 18-year-old mail order bride for Jack Reeves, a man almost 30 years her senior. Six and a half years later, Emelita disappeared. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2025-05-22•23mins
#3

Bound For Jail

This episode originally aired February 4, 2019. A woman is found dead in a ravine near a jogging path. Crucial crime scene evidence had been washed away by severe thunderstorms. Then, almost 20 years later, two pieces of newly-discovered evidence brought the killer to justice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2025-05-15•23mins
#4

Within Arms Reach

This episode originally aired January 31, 2019. A man accused of killing his estranged wife insisted she committed suicide. Investigators said it was murder. The evidence was interpreted differently by the defense and prosecution. It was up to the jury to decide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2025-05-08•24mins
#5

Visibility Zero

This episode originally aired January 28, 2019. In 1993, the Amtrak Railroad experienced the deadliest train crash in United States history when the Sunset Limited derailed while crossing Alabama's Bayou Canot bridge. Forty-seven passengers and crew were killed; scores more were injured. The clues to the cause of the crash lay etched in twisted steel and buried in the mud of the Bayou Canot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2025-05-01•23mins
#6

Private Thoughts

This episode originally aired January 24, 2019. Firefighters find an entire family dead inside their burned-out home, and at first glance, it appears to be a case of murder-suicide. But clues found at the scene soon lead investigators to believe otherwise. Forensic science, a time card, a drawing, and an audiotaped diary help prosecutors to build their case, and bring the killer to justice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2025-04-24•21mins
#7

Crash Course

This episode originally aired January 21, 2019. A highway patrolman was dispatched to what he thought would be a routine traffic accident... until he looked in the car. While he had no formal training in forensic science, he had seen hundreds of accidents - but never as much blood as this. He was shocked by the coroner's ruling of "accidental death," and then an anonymous phone call breathed new life into his investigation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2025-04-17•21mins
#8

The Disappearance of Helle Craft

This episode originally aired January 17, 2019. The investigation into the disappearance of Helle Craft led to the murder conviction of her husband. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2025-04-10•22mins

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#9

Sip Of Sins

This episode originally aired January 14, 2019. After eluding police for years, a model citizen in Olney, Texas is fund to be a serial killer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2025-04-03•21mins
#10

Speck Of Evidence

This episode originally aired January 10, 2019. A speck of bicycle paint and a speck nickel tie a suspect to the murder of a 9-year-old. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2025-03-27•22mins
#11

Palm Saturday

This episode originally aired April 16, 2018. A couple is found dead in their Washington home and all signs point to a professional hit. A palm print and two distinct shoe impressions help police separate fantasy from reality and expose a fatal flaw in one state's inmate release procedures. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2025-03-20•21mins
#12

Pet Rock

This episode originally aired April 12, 2018. The woman hadn't shown up for work in two days, and her boss reported her missing. When her body was found, the evidence pointed to suspects who claimed they had nothing to do with the crime. The victim, herself, would help police to prove they were lying. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2025-03-13•21mins
#13

Northern Exposure

This episode originally aired April 9, 2018. Hikers near Anchorage, Alaska discovered a body wrapped in sheets which were edged in orange stitching. Authorities hydrated the fingers and obtained a fingerprint, enabling them to identify the victim. Clinging to the sheet, they also discovered a tuft of red carpet fibers -- threads of evidence which led them straight to the killer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2025-03-06•21mins
#14

The List Murders

This episode originally aired April 5, 2018. For 18 years, a man who murdered his entire family eluded the FBI. Investigators used art and forensic science to find the killer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2025-02-27•21mins
#15

Filtered Out

This episode originally aired April 2, 2018. When a teenaged girl goes missing, no one knows if she ran away or if she was the victim of foul play. Everyone's worst fears are confirmed when a body is found at the bottom of an isolated ravine. Police scour the crime scene, hoping to find enough evidence to identify the killer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2025-02-20•21mins
#16

Catch 22

This episode originally aired Mar 29, 2018. A woman was ambushed in her driveway and shot to death. During their investigation, police learned that a co-worker half her age was in love with her, and that she'd spurned his advances. They now had to determine if love had turned into obsession... and a motive for murder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2025-02-13•21mins
#17

Dressed To Kill

This episode originally aired Mar 26, 2018. A possible false confession forces investigators to reopen the case of a missing six year old. A decade later, a fresh look at new evidence leads them to someone hiding in plain sight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2025-02-06•21mins
#18

Water Logged

This episode originally aired Mar 22, 2018. The bodies of three women were found floating in Tampa Bay. The water washed away any evidence, but police hoped a handwritten note found in the victims' car would lead to the killer - so they posted huge copies of the note on five highway billboards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2025-01-30•21mins
#19

A Cinderella Story

This episode originally aired Mar 14, 2018. The victim had been sexually assaulted and stabbed to death on the beach, just ten yards from the hotel where she was staying. A pair of men's tennis shoes was discovered near her body. Police were sure that if they found the man who fit the shoes, they would also find the man who committed the crime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2025-01-23•21mins
#20

Hack Attack

This episode originally aired Mar 13, 2018. A mysterious computer crash pushes a thriving manufacturing company to the brink of collapse, jeopardizing the jobs of hundreds of employees. There is no apparent cause and no obvious clues. Forensic investigators must determine if the crash was the result of a computer defect, human error, or sabotage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2025-01-16•21mins
#21

Sex Lies & DNA

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2020-12-31•20mins
#22

Missing In Time

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2020-12-28•20mins
#23

The Footpath Murders

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2020-12-24•20mins

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#24

Penchant For Poison

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2020-12-21•21mins
#25

Van-ished

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2020-12-17•20mins
#26

Trouble Brewing

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2020-12-14•20mins
#27

Insulated Evidence

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2020-12-10•21mins
#28

Beaten By A Hair

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2020-12-07•20mins
#29

Paintball

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2020-12-03•20mins
#30

Touch Of Evil

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2020-11-30•20mins
#31

Web Of Seduction

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2020-11-26•21mins
#32

Southside Strangler

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2020-11-23•21mins
#33

Purebread Murder

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2020-11-19•20mins
#34

The Gambler

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2020-11-16•20mins
#35

Innocence Lost

A little girl disappears from a Christmas party. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2020-11-12•20mins
#36

Badge Of Deceit

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2020-11-09•20mins
#37

Once Bitten

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2020-11-05•20mins
#38

Nursery Crimes

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2020-11-02•20mins
#39

Mans Best Friend

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2020-10-29•20mins
#40

Kidnapping

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2020-10-26•20mins
#41

Burning Ambition

Arson is suspected when a Seattle policeman's house burns down. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2020-10-22•20mins
#42

A Woman Scorned

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2020-10-19•20mins
#43

News At 11

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2020-10-15•20mins
#44

Home Of The Brave

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2020-10-12•20mins
#45

Out Of Ashes

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2020-10-08•20mins
#46

Deadly Delivery

Several high-powered legal officials are victims of mail bombs. To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2020-10-05•20mins
#47

Dark Waters

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2020-10-01•20mins
#48

Treading Not So Lightly

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2020-09-28•20mins
#49

Ultimate Betrayal

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2020-09-24•20mins
#50

Tooth Or Consequences

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2020-09-21•20mins

Listen to your favourite podcasts.

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