Forensic Files
Police increasingly utilize scientific laboratory analysis to solve crimes. This program reviews and re-enacts dramatic cases from around the world in which forensic scientists find and examine previously undetectable evidence. Through their hard work, criminals are brought to justice and the innocent are set free.
- 1996-2011
- 15 seasons
- Court TV
- Documentary, Suspense
- TV-14
Police increasingly utilize scientific laboratory analysis to solve crimes. This program reviews and re-enacts dramatic cases from around the world in which forensic scientists find and examine previously undetectable evidence. Through their hard work, criminals are brought to justice and the innocent are set free.
Season 7 Episode Guide
42 Episodes 2002 - 2003
Episode 1
The Cheater
Sat, Oct 12, 2002
Walter Notheis Jr. was better known to the American public as entertainer Walter Scott, lead singer of the band, "Bob Kuban and the In-Men." Their most popular single was the 1966 hit, "The Cheater." Little did Walter know that the song would foreshadow the events that would lead to his demise. An autopsy on woman who died years earlier in a peculiar car wreck, a backyard hiding space, and years of investigation combine to finally solve the singer's disappearance.
Episode 2
Forever Hold Your Peace
Tue, Jan 8, 2002 22 mins
An examination of the unusual case in Austin, Texas involving the October 24, 1988 rape and murder of Nancy DePriest, while at work at Pizza Hut. After suspect Chris Ochoa confessed and implicated Richard Danzinger and they were imprisoned, the case was considered closed. Eight years later, Achim Marino confessed to the same crime. DNA evidence cleared Ochoa while proving that Marino was the perpetrator.
Episode 3
Reel Danger
Tue, Jan 15, 2002 22 mins
The investigation into a brutal attack on two boys near a pond relies on evidence fished out of the murky water. It was the first case where Diatom evidence was used to place a suspect at the scene of the crime. The evidence helped in the conviction Christopher Green and Brian Davis. Originally aired as Season 7, Episode 3.
Episode 4
Who's Your Daddy
Sat, Nov 2, 2002 22 mins
Hair and fiber evidence help solve the 1988 murder of an Ohio woman whose body was discovered in a frozen river.
Episode 5
The Alibi
Tue, Jan 29, 2002 23 mins
In this classic episode of Forensic Files, the longest running true crime series in television history, we explore the case of 17-year-old Crystal Faye Todd, who was raped and murdered in her small town. When one of Crystal's male acquaintances' DNA matched semen at the crime scene, it raised the question, why would he volunteer for a DNA sample? Originally aired as Season 7, Episode 5.
Episode 6
A Bite Out of Crime
Tue, Feb 5, 2002
1995-1997-A series of unsolved kidnappings and sexual assaults occur in California. A victim says that she left something behind in the assailants vehicle which may send investigators in the right direction.
Episode 7
Purr-Fect Match
Tue, Feb 12, 2002 22 mins
In 1994, on Canada's Prince Edward Island, the body of Douglas Beamish's estranged wife, Shirley Duguay, was discovered. Authorities linked 20 cat hairs found on her jacket to a cat owned by Beamish's parents, with whom Doug Beamish lived. Scientists estimated that chances that the hairs came from another feline were one in 50 million. Originally aired as Season 7, Episode 7.
Episode 8
Bio-Attack
Sat, Nov 30, 2002 22 mins
The 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack: Investigators uncover a plot to overthrow the government, after a unique strain of salmonella makes people ill.
Episode 9
A Shot in the Dark
Sat, Dec 7, 2002 22 mins
Two sets of scientists, probe a woman's death.
Episode 10
Without a Prayer
Sat, Dec 14, 2002 22 mins
Forensic File, episode titled, "Without a Prayer", was created because of atheist, Madalyn Murray-O'Hair's activities in removing daily prayers, from public schools, in the early 1960's. There were three deaths, Madalyn, her second son, Jon Garth Murray, and Robin Murray-O'Hair. Robin was a daughter of Madalyn's Christian son, William J. Murray. All three were killed by a temporary atheistic member she fired, David Roland Waters. Madalyn fired Waters after he stole from the atheist headquarters. When Waters returned the stolen money and police did not jail him, this infuriated Madalyn! Leading her to write a story of Waters, calling him homosexual and claimed Waters even had sexual affairs with animals. After reading O'Hair's newspaper article, Waters' tension was so sharp, that David Roland Waters immediately planned to kill Madalyn Murray-O'Hair (and anyone else that was with her) as his quickest his way of revenge. He and Gary Karr also planned on torturing them so she and anyone else that maybe with her, died in heavy grieving pains! Waters' three murders were at the same time, because they were together, when he was wanting revenge to kill Madalyn O'Hair, for firing him and especially the deeply embarrassing newspaper article she composed, after Austin Police did not jail David Roland Waters, after he immediately paid back the money he had stolen. The three disappearances and deaths was almost five and a half years unsolved, are much like Jimmy Hoffa's disappearance, near Detroit, Michagin, on Wednesday, July 30th, 1975. Hoffa's disappearance is still unsolved, being over forty years. Madalyn's first son, and father of Robin, O'Hair, William J. Murray personally spoke for himself, in this Forensic File. He become a Christian and picked Baptist faith, near Mother's Day weekend, of Sunday, May 11th, 1980. When Madalyn heard this, she never spoke to him anymore. William personally said that he regretted in being a part of taking prayer out of public schools. (March 2016)
Episode 11
A Clutch of Witnesses
Sat, Dec 21, 2002 23 mins
While standing outside of a motorcycle gang's clubhouse, two witnesses watched in horror as a truck intentionally ran over an unconscious man. The truck was finally located, but the forensics lab could not find a single speck of evidence in it. And the body didn't turn up either. Originally aired as Season 7, Episode 11.
Episode 12
Scout's Honor
Wed, Mar 19, 2003 22 mins
Police determine that the human remains found in a discarded box belong to one Edna Posey. But to find out when the murder took place, and whether the man accused of the crime is guilty, investigators turn to insects and the forensic entomologist who can interpret their behavior.
Episode 13
A Touching Recollection
Wed, Mar 26, 2003 22 mins
A clever Ohio girl remembers to leave fingerprints on her kidnapper's vehicle when she is abducted which aids police in their search along with a tire imprint in the mud.
Episode 14
A Leg to Stand On
Sat, Jan 11, 2003 23 mins
When a severed leg is found in a dumpster, investigators are faced with the challenge of identifying the victim. Using anthropology, toxicology and DNA testing, police are able to determine who the victim was and follow the trail of evidence to his killer. Originally aired as Season 7, Episode 14.
Episode 15
Partners in Crime
Sat, Jan 18, 2003 22 mins
A man well-loved in the community is brutally stabbed to death and cash and valuables are missing. Detectives are stymied until one neighbor begins to show a peculiar obsessive interest. Finally a confession that seems half true.
Episode 16
Within a Hair
Sat, Aug 31, 2002 22 mins
A look at the forensic evidence in the case of the "River Park Rapist," who assaulted four women in South Bend, Indiana during 1996. Three victims identify one man as the perpetrator, however, forensic evidence points to another man.
Episode 17
Chief Evidence
Wed, Jul 24, 2002 22 mins
The murder of couple Raquel Rivera & Jay Johnson was first believed to be the result of a drug deal gone bad. However, no drugs are found in the house and the victims' blood isn't present on the clothing of the suspects. Evidence from the couple's dog eventually ties one of the murderers to the scene. This is one of the first cases where dog DNA was used. Originally aired as Season 7, Episode 17.
Episode 18
A Bitter Pill to Swallow
Thu, Sep 12, 2002
A 33-year old woman meets, falls in love with, and marries a successful young doctor, but an unusual amount of discomfort during her pregnancy arouses her suspicions, prompting a personal investigation that culminates in a startling revelation.
Episode 19
Sip of Sins
Sat, Feb 15, 2003 22 mins
A trio of unsolved murders that occurred in Wichita Falls, Texas during the 1980s, details how a fourth murder from the same time period provided the police with more than they realized. John Little, an investigator for the DA's office, picked up the cold cases years later. He soon connected the fourth crime's confessed killer to the other murders. Originally aired as Season 8, Episode 40.
Episode 20
Telltale Tracks
Tue, Aug 27, 2002 22 mins
The disappearance of Philadelphia college athlete Aimee Willard is investigated after her car was found, still running on the roadside. When her body is found, the police find unusual marks on her body and DNA evidence that eventually lead to her killer, Arthur Bomar. Originally aired as Season 7, Episode 20.
Episode 21
Ghost in the Machine
Sat, Mar 1, 2003 22 mins
A pastor's wife appears to have committed suicide by taking an overdose of sleeping pills. But as the investigation progresses, detectives discover incriminating computer files and learn that the pastor had been having an affair.
Episode 22
Frozen in Time
Sat, Mar 8, 2003 22 mins
A woman disappeared along a California highway in 1991; three years later, the case was solved when a man's refrigerated truck was looked upon with suspicion.
Episode 23
Cold Storage
Sat, Mar 15, 2003 22 mins
Tracy Jo Shine disappeared in 1987, but the investigation went cold until 2000, when a cold case squad learned that the woman's ex-boyfriend Michael Neal had bragged about killing her.
Episode 24
The Metal Business
Thu, Sep 26, 2002 22 mins
A man who runs a car restoration company believes his business partner is trying to kill him.
Episode 25
Dressed to Kill
Sat, Mar 29, 2003 23 mins
When 6-year-old Michelle Door disappeared, her father became the prime suspect, having failed a polygraph. Years later, police learned that a man who'd been convicted of another murder lived just two doors away from Michelle when she disappeared. This discovery, and tiny drops of blood shed a decade earlier, helped police to solve the crime. Originally aired as Season 7, Episode 25.
Episode 26
Palm Print Conviction
Tue, Jun 25, 2002 22 mins
The 1996 investigation into 48-year-old Martha Hansen's murder in Anchorage is helped by a legal requirement that bars have video cameras installed on the premises. Using video, hair and blood evidence, investigators determine that Evans Lee Curtis was the murderer. Originally aired as Season 7, Episode 26.
Episode 27
A Vow of Silence
Thu, Oct 10, 2002 22 mins
When the mail-order bride of a former army sergeant goes missing, investigators look into the deaths of the man's previous two wives.
Episode 28
Elephant Tracks
Thu, Oct 17, 2002 22 mins
The murders of an elderly couple leave police stumped. That is, until two years later when they get a huge break. A jeweler looking through old newspaper clippings recognizes a necklace the female victim wore as having been pawned in her own shop. Originally aired as Season 7, Episode 28.
Episode 29
A Bag of Evidence
Sat, Apr 26, 2003 22 mins
A plastic garbage bag leads authorities to the killer of a nine-year-old Florida girl.
Episode 30
Tooth or Consequences
Sat, May 3, 2003 22 mins
An investigation into the murder of Katie Poirier is stymied by the lack of a body, but they find a few charred remains including a tooth. The unique properties of the filling in the tooth helps investigators identify her remains. Further forensic evidence is then used to convict Donald Blom of her murder. Originally aired as Season 7, Episode 30.
Episode 31
The Sniffing Revenge
Sat, May 10, 2003
The Janet Overton Case. The investigation into a suspicious death hits a dead end when the autopsy indicates that no foul play was involved. But a telephone tip and the sensitive nose of a forensic examiner indicate otherwise.
Episode 32
Sleight of Hand
Sat, May 17, 2003
In 1981, an 86-year-old California woman was murdered and her house was ransacked. The crime would remain unsolved for sixteen years, until DNA profiling and new fingerprint technology helped identify the killer.
Episode 33
Scratching the Surface
Sat, May 24, 2003 23 mins
In Miami, Florida, a sniper opened fire from the rooftop of a manufacturing plant, killing one employee and injuring two others in the parking lot below. When the gun was found, the police discovered that the shooter had scratched the serial number off of it to make it untraceable. But forensic scientists had a way to make the number reappear. Originally aired as Season 7, Episode 33.
Episode 34
Fire Proof
Sat, May 31, 2003 22 mins
A mysterious arsonist sets dozens of fires in Seattle in the early 1990s.
Episode 35
X Marks the Spot
Sat, Jun 7, 2003
The use of the computers by law enforcement is detailed in this look at a series of crimes in St. Louis that stumped the local police and the FBI.
Episode 36
All Charged Up
Tue, Dec 10, 2002 22 mins
The case of the Center City Rapist and the murder of Shannon Schieber. Philadelphia authorities use an anonymous letter and geographic profiling to hone in on a suspect who attacks victims who live on upper floors of apartment buildings.
Episode 37
Breaking the Mold
Wed, Dec 11, 2002 22 mins
Investigators look into what is making a family unwell.
Episode 38
House Call
Sat, Jun 28, 2003 22 mins
A murder investigation in St. Petersburg, Florida, crosses jurisdictions from New York and Jamaica. The police rely heavily on cell phone mapping, wiretapping and a host of forensic evidence to reveal a suspect to the crime. Originally aired as Season 7, Episode 38.
Episode 39
Marathon Man
Sat, Jul 5, 2003 22 mins
The wife of a murdered horse rancher explains that the last time she saw her husband was when he was leaving the house to go jogging, but police become suspicious when forensic evidence eventually leads investigators back to the ranch.
Episode 40
The Sniper's Trail
Sat, Jul 12, 2003 21 mins
An examination of the 2002 DC-area shooting spree that resulted in ten murders.
Episode 41
Plastic Fire
Sat, Jul 19, 2003 22 mins
An elderly Georgia woman dies in a car fire. Police claim the woman was murdered by her daughter, but an expert witness believes otherwise.
Episode 42
Last Will
Sat, Jul 26, 2003 22 mins
Sharon ("Shari") Smith, kidnapped and murdered in South Carolina in 1985, died about two hours after writing her last will which her killer sent to her parents. The document itself enabled police to identify and convict Larry Gene Bell.
