Forensic Files (season 2)
| Forensic Files (season 2) | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Release | |
| Original network | TLC |
| Original release | October 2 – December 25, 1997 |
Forensic Files is an American documentary-style series which reveals how forensic science is used to solve violent crimes, mysterious accidents, and even outbreaks of illness. The show is broadcast on truTV, narrated by Peter Thomas, and produced by Medstar Television, in association with truTV Original Productions. It has broadcast 400 episodes since its debut on TLC in 1996 as Medical Detectives.
Episodes
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 1 | "The Common Thread" | October 2, 1997 |
| Ten bodies had been found between the months of May and November 1984 in Florida. The police discovered several similarities among these cases. Red carpet fibers had been found on all the bodies, some of the victims were found near tire tracks, and some had hair samples from the perpetrator. It wasn't until November 3, 1984, that the case began to unfold as the perpetrator abducted a 17-year-old female named Lisa McVey, but then released her. McVey went to the police with information, such as interior descriptions of his car and a possible ATM he had been to, that eventually led to the arrest of Bobbie Joe Long. | |||
| 15 | 2 | "The Dirty Deed" | October 9, 1997 |
| On November 18, 1993 friends of Eileen and Derek Severs called and notified the police that the couple had been missing for several days. The police searched the Severs' home and questioned their son Roger who had recently moved in with his parents. Although the bodies had not yet been found, police arrested and detained Roger on suspicion of murdering his parents. Only after finding blood samples in Eileen's car and careful analysis of the mud flaps on Derek's car, were the police able to determine where Roger had buried his parents. Roger had used his mother's car to discard incriminating evidence and used his father's car to transport the bodies to the burial site. | |||
| 16 | 3 | "Killer Fog" | October 16, 1997 |
| One particular stretch of road on Interstate 75 seems to be accident-prone, adding up to seven multi-car accidents in 15 years. Each accident was caused by a sudden and impenetrable fog, which forced drivers to suddenly brake without concern for those behind them. Environmental experts and investigators analysed the elements of nature occurring during this unnatural thick fog and tried to determine possible water sources that could create so many vapors in the air. They found one particular paper plant near the interstate that releases significant water vapours, which react to the weather and create this deadly fog. | |||
| 17 | 4 | "Sex, Lies and DNA" | October 23, 1997 |
| Cindy Morris reported to the police that her mother Ruby was missing after not showing up for a shopping trip. Ruby's husband Earl Morris became a suspect once blood samples were found in the bathroom leading police to believe Ruby had suffered a severe blow to the head. Further investigation led to Earl's boat that had been taken out and never returned. There had been a report of a boat that caught fire and sank. Police were able to determine that the boat belonged to Earl after reviewing footage from a TV crew and photographs from the Coast Guard. Earl claimed his wife had committed suicide, but was quickly indicted by the jury who saw through his lies. | |||
| 18 | 5 | "Bitter Potion" | October 30, 1997 |
| Peggy Carr developed mysterious flu symptoms that no doctor was able to diagnose, until a neurologist noticed her ailments were similar to that of a person poisoned by Thallium. Pye Carr instantly became a prime suspect when the poison eventually killed his wife Peggy. Although there were traces of the poison around Pye's belongings, the FBI did not feel Pye matched the psychological profile of the killer. Instead, they turned their attention to the Carr's next door neighbor George James Trepal, who had an extensive chemistry background and even used Thallium poisoning as a plot device in a MENSA Murder Mystery Weekend that he hosted. | |||
| 19 | 6 | "The Blood Trail" | November 6, 1997 |
| Graham Backhouse was a farmer who wasn't well received by his community. On two occasions, Graham reported death threats. When his wife Margaret went to use Graham's car to run errands, a bomb ignited when she started it which nearly killed her. Police responded to a call from the farm, where they found that Graham had shot and killed his next door neighbor under the guise of self-defense. Using forensic science, investigators found Graham had actually manipulated the crime scene, the death threats and the bomb, all to benefit from his wife's life insurance. | |||
| 20 | 7 | "Fatal Fungus" | November 13, 1997 |
| Doctors in Cleveland became extremely concerned when they had an increase of infants brought to the emergency room with bleeding of the lungs. Doctors quickly called on the Centers for Disease Control and had them investigate the matter. The CDC found that all babies were from the same area and all of their houses had suffered from water damage. After further investigation and research a black fungus was determined the killer of three infants. The fungus develops in moist conditions, becomes airborne and threatens developing organs, much like the fast growing lungs of babies. | |||
| 21 | 8 | "Charred Remains" | November 20, 1997 |
| Police were investigating a charred body found in a dumpster that had first been shot in the head and then set on fire when a missing person report was filed for a Mary-Lynn Breeden. Police investigated Mary-Lynne's disappearance and found a woman had attempted to withdraw money from Mary-Lynne's account. The woman was identified on the bank camera and was questioned by police. The woman then led police to Christian Cruz. Police found traces of blood in Cruz' car and were able to match it to the charred body through DNA testing of the body's tooth pulp and Breeden's family members. | |||
| 22 | 9 | "Something's Fishy" | November 27, 1997 |
| Excedrin bottles were investigated by police after Susan Snow died from taking pills poisoned with cyanide. Investigators later found a chemical used to clean the algae in fish tanks mixed in with the cyanide and, through pet store records, traced the chemical to suspect Stella Nickell. Stella's husband Bruce died from poisoning and, with this new information, they re-opened the investigation of his death. Stella had increased Bruce's life insurance shortly before his death. Because the death had to be accidental in order to receive the insurance pay out, she poisoned several other bottles, waiting for a second case to occur. | |||
| 23 | 10 | "Sealed with a Kiss" | December 4, 1997 |
| Police were baffled when teacher Joanne Chambers received mass death threats and questionable packages. Chambers reported every incident to the police, who in turn found a resemblance in the letters to statements a fellow teacher, Paula Nawrocki, would say. However, the police were unable to supply information directly leading Nawrocki to the threats. Nawrocki's defence sent the letters and envelopes to be tested for DNA. The lab was able to determine that the saliva found on the stamp and envelope did not match Paula's but rather matched Joanne Chambers. It was then determined that Chambers was framing Nawrocki because she disliked the teacher and wanted her out of the school. | |||
| 24 | 11 | "Postal Mortem" | December 11, 1997 |
| In the course of one day, police in Utah were called to two bombings. Businessman and Mormon bishop Steve Christensen was killed by bomb left in front of his office door. Kathy Sheets, wife of Gary Sheets, who was Christensen's former business partner, was killed by a similar bomb left on the doorstep of their residence. Police had difficulty determining the motive for the killings until a third bomb went off, injuring Mark Hofmann. After careful analysis, it was determined that Hofmann was actually the bomber and that the bomb had gone off accidentally while he was moving it into his car. The motive for the killings was a mixture of fraudulent historical documents and not having enough time to create promised documents. | |||
| 25 | 12 | "Micro-Clues" | December 18, 1997 |
| When the body of teenage boy Dario Cicolecchia was found in a Swiss cornfield, sexual abuse was first considered. When swab samples from the boy's body were analysed, investigators found microscopic one-cell organisms called diatoms. A diatom is only found in water, so police began collecting samples from different bodies of water. Analysis of diatoms from a nearby creek matched those found on the boy's body and supplied police with the location of the murder. Months later, Roland Kubler was convicted of sexual assault and the attempted murder of another child, which brought him to the attention of investigators. Analysis of the Kubler's car led to a match of diatoms found on Dario's body, which led to his arrest and conviction. | |||
| 26 | 13 | "Deadly Parasites" | December 25, 1997 |
| The Commissioner of Health was astonished when businesses in Milwaukee were closing down due to mass people reporting symptoms of diarrhea and gastrointestinal illnesses. A water-borne parasite was identified as the culprit after analysis of stools and water supplies. The mayor quickly issued a boil water advisory that seemed to help prevent future outbreaks. The April 1993 outbreak is the largest water-borne disease outbreak ever documented in the US. More than 400,000 of the city's 1.6 million people became ill and several people died. | |||
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