The Murder of Fred Engel How Cell Phone Forensics Exposed a Carefully Planned Crime In 2008, a quiet Myrtle Beach community became the setting for a murder that would ultimately be solved not by eyewitnesses or confessions—but by digital forensic evidence. Fred and Sherry Engel met the way many modern couples do: online. Their relationship…

The West Memphis Three: When Fear Replaced Evidence In May of 1993, a small Arkansas town was forever changed. On the evening of May 5th, Stevie Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers, all just eight years old, disappeared while riding their bikes in West Memphis, Arkansas. By the following afternoon, their bodies were discovered submerged…

In February 2005, an Ohio woman suddenly collapsed and died while driving to a local movie theater. At first, her death was thought to be the result of a minor car accident. But as the forensic evidence started to reveal itself, the thought that this woman died in a car accident seemed impossible. And the…

When a pattern emerges in criminal investigations, it often becomes the strongest lead.In Southern California, that pattern pointed to a serial sexual offender who used a knife to control his victims and left DNA behind at multiple scenes. For years, the DNA sat unmatched. Today’s episode examines the San Diego Knifepoint Rapist case, the forensic…

The Wrongful Conviction of Marvin Grimm Jr. In 1975, a three-year-old boy disappeared in Richmond, Virginia. Four days later, his body was found in the James River — and the case immediately drew intense public attention. With few leads and enormous pressure to solve the crime, investigators focused on a 20-year-old neighbor: Marvin Grimm Jr….

Robert Eugene Brashers: The Serial Killer Forensic Science Finally Exposed For decades, Robert Eugene Brashers lived in obscurity. His name didn’t appear in headlines. He wasn’t the subject of nationwide manhunts. And for years, law enforcement agencies investigating violent crimes across multiple states had no idea they were all searching for the same person. That…

The Wrongful Conviction of John Kunco In 1991, a brutal assault inside a Pennsylvania apartment set off an investigation that would ultimately expose deep flaws in forensic science — and leave lasting questions about justice. John Kunco, a former maintenance worker at the victim’s apartment building, was convicted of raping and torturing a 55-year-old woman….

The Unsolved Murder of Arpana Jinaga: A Case Complicated by DNA On Halloween night in 2008, 24-year-old software engineer Arpana Jinaga attended a multi-apartment party in her Redmond, Washington complex. Bright, ambitious, and deeply involved in her new community, Arpana had already built a promising life after moving to the United States from India to…

The Murder of Juliana Redding: When Forensic Evidence Isn’t Enough On March 16, 2008, 21-year-old Juliana Redding was found murdered inside her Santa Monica apartment. Juliana had moved to Los Angeles after graduating from Salpointe Catholic High School in Tucson, Arizona, to study communications at Santa Monica College. She was signed with a national modeling…

The Unsolved Death of Dr. Robert Stonebreaker In January 2010, the quiet community of Rancho Santa Fe, California, was shaken by the mysterious death of Dr. Robert “Robbie” Stonebreaker, a well-known veterinarian and founder of the Animal & Bird Hospital of Del Mar. What initially appeared to be a tragic accident quickly turned into a…