The New Detectives: Case Studies in Forensic Science

- Season 5

(1999)

The solutions to the most atrocious crimes often hinge on the smallest of clues. Even with advanced technology, vision still remains one of the most important tools for forensic investigators. They must train their eyes to find the full story of a murder written in a single scrap of evidence.

There's an old saying that a burden shared is a burden halved. But when people team up to commit murder, the weight of their guilt remains just as heavy. Investigators must rely on forensic science to capture partners in crime.

There's never a good reason for murder but some killers are especially cruel - choosing their victims at random or with no apparent motive and then expertly covering their tracks. These crimes may seem unsolvable, but telling clues remain. It's up to investigators to follow the trail of evidence to capture these deadly killers.

The great outdoors may offer clues to solving heinous crimes. Seed germination and the presence of certain insects provide vital information about the murders. But it takes the skilled eyes of the forensic entomologist and botanist to decipher the clues nature provides.

Poison is the subtlest murder weapon, and poisoners are sometimes the most brutal of killers, gaining their victims' trust and harming them over time to disguise the murder. Investigators must see through the unusual circumstances to bring these murders to light.

What does it take to prove murder if the victim cannot be found? Forensic investigators must go to great lengths to catch the killer when the victim is only presumed dead.

When lovers turn on each other or marriages fail, some coldblooded spouses find a gruesome way to gain an uncontested divorce: murder. Forensic scientists must piece together the mystery of love gone awry to catch these killers.

There's no statue of limitations on murder, so as a case turns cold and clues become scarce, investigators must rely on modern forensic technology to solve the crimes and catch the killers.

Every family has its secrets and sometimes blood relations lead to bloodshed. When murder becomes a family affair, investigators must turn to science to uncover family plots.

Some people murder for love, others murder out of hatred. But sometimes people kill for the money. When greed is the motive, investigators must make every clue pay off in these murder-for-profit cases.

For some killers, once is never enough. Often, cold and calculated serial killings are more difficult to solve than violent crimes of passion. For investigators, the challenge is steep when the killers murder by numbers.

When there's a difficult case to crack, agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms are called in to help. These investigators have the means to tackle crimes involving drugs, arson and weaponry.

Sometimes, arson fires are set to cover a different, more heinous crime - such as murder. But killers are wrong to think that fire destroys all vital clues. Arson investigators can pull evidence from scorched rubble and ashes to ignite the unquenchable flames of justice.