Overview of 'Forensic Files' Season 7

Episode 1 - The Cheater

Release Date: 2002-10-12

Exploring how an American hit single from 1966 -- the cheater by Bob Kuban And The In-man -- foreshadowed the demise of the group's lead singer, Walter Scott (Walter Notheis Jr.), who disappeared in 1983.

Episode 2 - Forever Hold Your Peace

Release Date: 2002-01-08

In Texas 1988, Nancy DePriest was raped and murdered while working at Pizza Hut. After a suspect confessed and implicated another, they were both imprisoned; the case was considered closed. Eight years later, another man claims that he committed the crime, and investigators must use forensic evidence to determine the true killer.

Episode 3 - Reel Danger

Release Date: 2002-01-15

Although a group of teenage thugs are suspected of attacking two boys on a fishing trip, there is no solid evidence until a murky fishing hole provides some answers.

Episode 4 - Who's Your Daddy

Release Date: 2002-01-22

In 1988, when a young prostitute's body turns up in an Ohio waterway under ice, authorities have one tiny clue which could point to her killer, but face huge challenges due to her policemen clients and DNA evidence being washed away.

Episode 5 - The Alibi

Release Date: 2002-01-29

In a small South Carolina town in 1991, 17-year-old Crystal Faye Todd, a popular high school student, is raped, murdered and dumped in a deserted field, after attending a party. With few leads, authorities test the DNA of several friends and one match shocks everyone.

Episode 6 - A Bite Out of Crime

Release Date: 2002-02-05

In 1997, two years after a series of unsolved kidnappings and sexual assaults in California. One of the victims suddenly recalled an important detail of the crime which she had not told police. She left some forensic evidence in the assailant's vehicle, evidence that left quite an impression.

Episode 7 - Purr-fect Match

Release Date: 2002-02-12

In 1994, on Canada's Prince Edward Island, the body of Douglas Beamish's estranged wife, Shirley Duguay, was discovered. In a groundbreaking case using animal dna, investigators use forensic testing on a cat to help them solve the case.

Episode 8 - Bio-Attack

Release Date: 2002-11-30

A look into the 1984 Oregon food poisonings, we're detectives track down the outbreak to a cult which aims to use germ warfare to take down the government. [also marked as S7:E16]

Episode 9 - A Shot in the Dark

Release Date: 2002-12-07

A woman is found dead from a gunshot wound and police suspect her husband; however, forensic teams prove what really happened and the truth is stranger than fiction. [also marked as S7:E17]

Episode 10 - Without a Prayer

Release Date: 2002-12-14

In 1995, Madalyn Murray O'Hair, the founder of American Atheists, disappears along with one of her sons, her granddaughter, and $500,000 in gold coins. The discovery of a mutilated body helps police catch the culprit.

Episode 11 - A Clutch of Witnesses

Release Date: 2002-12-21

In January 2001, in Duluth, MN, two people witness a truck driving over an unconscious man twice, and they flee into a nearby bar. When the police turn up, the truck, the victim and the witnesses are gone. The eyewitnesses may hold the key to the death of motorcycle gang member, Erik Schrieffer.

Episode 12 - Scout's Honor

Release Date: 2003-03-19

In Pennsylvania 1984, a passer-by finds the torso of a woman in a cardboard box. Investigators rely on insect activity analysis by a forensic entomologist to determine when the murder victim was killed. She remained unknown until a year later, when her sister called to report her missing. Eventually she was identified and a man was convicted of her murder, but would further forensic entomology change the outcome?

Episode 13 - A Touching Recollection

Release Date: 2003-03-26

An 18-year-old Ohio woman, who is abducted and then released soon afterwards, uses her knowledge of forensics to lead police to the kidnapper.

Episode 14 - A Leg to Stand On

Release Date: 2003-01-11

The police investigate when a severed leg is discovered in the garbage. Conventional means of identifying the victim are impossible, leading investigators to rely on DNA, forensic anthropology and toxicology to identify the victim. The victim was identified as Norman Klaas and, through forensic investigation of his home, investigators follow the trail of evidence to his killer.

Episode 15 - Partners in Crime

Release Date: 2003-01-18

How Illinois scientists solved a 1992 murder case involving cremation. It takes a long time and a very hot fire to cremate a human body, and thus destroy all evidence of foul play, but the coroner who performed the autopsy on the badly burned body of Charles "Jack" Lynch found telltale clues. Not only had the victim been burned, he’d also been stabbed -- 24 times, with two different knives. Police knew that a person, acting alone, would probably use only one weapon. So investigators were on the lookout for a couple of killers.

Episode 16 - Within a Hair

Release Date: 2002-08-31

A look back at the case of the River Park Rapist, who sexually assaulted four women in South Bend, IN, during 1996. Law enforcement officers arrested Richard Alexander, who was convicted in 1998 and sentenced to 70 years in prison. In 2001, Michael Murphy confessed to one of the two rapes of which Alexander had been convicted and forensic developments reveal new facts about the case.

Episode 17 - Chief Evidence

Release Date: 2002-07-24

The 1996 Seattle murder of suburban couple Raquel Rivera and Jay Johnson is detailed. Investigators first believe the slayings were 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 Chief, who was also killed, eventually ties one of the murderers to the scene. This is one of the first cases where dog DNA was used to convict.

Episode 18 - A Bitter Pill to Swallow

Release Date: 2002-09-12

Firefighter Michelle Baker became pregnant by her lover, Dr. Maynard Muntzing. After this news, she was ill whenever they were together. The coincidences led her to suspect that he was doing her harm, so she set out to prove it.

Episode 19 - Sip of Sins

Release Date: 2003-02-15

A look back at 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 and made a connection to the other murders.

Episode 20 - Telltale Tracks

Release Date: 2002-08-27

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.

Episode 21 - Ghost in the Machine

Release Date: 2003-03-01

The investigation into the apparent overdose suicide of Reverend Bill Guthrie's wife Sharon. Detectives suspect foul play after they recover incriminating files from Bill's computer and learn of his infidelity.

Episode 22 - Frozen in Time

Release Date: 2003-03-08

The 1991 disappearance of Newport Beach, CA, resident Denise Huber stumps investigators. Three years later, Arizona residents call police to report John Famalaro, who has kept a Ryder rental truck in his driveway, which they suspect is stolen. Upon further investigation, police find a body within a freezer inside the truck, which they conclude is Denise Huber.

Episode 23 - Cold Storage

Release Date: 2003-03-15

The 1987 disappearance of Houston resident Tracy Jo Shine is recalled. 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

Release Date: 2002-09-26

When a 62-year-old man opens a car restoration business and becomes seriously ill, his doctors cannot find the cause, but forensics can; identification of a highly toxic metal in the victim's blood leads to his poisoner.

Episode 25 - Dressed to Kill

Release Date: 2003-03-29

The disappearance of 6-year-old Michelle Lee Dorr is detailed. Although her father confessed to murdering her, the police soon poked holes in his story, leaving the case unsolved for 14 years. New suspect Hadden Clark was heard talking to himself, which gave investigators a clue where Michelle was killed.

Episode 26 - Palm Print Conviction

Release Date: 2002-06-25

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 who her murderer was.

Episode 27 - A Vow of Silence

Release Date: 2002-10-10

n 1994, friends reported that Jack Reeves' mail-order bride Emelita Villa had disappeared. The police centered their suspicions on Reeves and, while pursuing leads, uncovered information linking him to the deaths of two former wives.

Episode 28 - Elephant Tracks

Release Date: 2002-10-17

The murders of an elderly couple, Edward Kowalzck and Gertrude Thompson, leave detectives stumped until, two years later, they receive a major break. A jeweler looking through old newspaper clippings recognizes a necklace the female victim wore as having been pawned in her own shop. [also marked as S7:E14]

Episode 29 - A Bag of Evidence

Release Date: 2003-04-26

The tragic murder of 9-year-old Jessica Knott is investigated; a garbage bag leads investigators to her killer. [also marked as S7:E34]

Episode 30 - Tooth or Consequences

Release Date: 2003-05-03

An investigation into the disappearance of Katie Poirier is stymied, but they find a few charred remains including a tooth. The unique properties of the filling in the tooth helps investigators identify her remains.

Episode 31 - The Sniffing Revenge

Release Date: 2003-05-10

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. [also marked as S7:E38]

Episode 32 - Sleight of Hand

Release Date: 2003-05-17

On March 13, 1981, 86-year-old Enid Whittlesey is found murdered in her Los Angeles home. The suspect eludes arrest for 16 years but that changes; however, when investigators learn the culprit is left-handed, putting a new spin on old facts. [also marked as S7:E39]

Episode 33 - Scratching the Surface

Release Date: 2003-05-24

Forensic scientists work with the only clue recovered from a multiple-victim shooting: a 12-gauge shotgun. Scientists use unique methods to lift the serial number from the weapon in order to trace it to its owner. [also marked as S7:E40]

Episode 34 - Fire Proof

Release Date: 2003-05-31

A serial arsonist is responsible for numerous fires that caused millions of dollars worth of property damage and the deaths of three people - described as the worst arson spree in US history. More than 75 Seattle-area arsons are probed before he was discovered, partly through the use of forensic hypnosis.

Episode 35 - X Marks the Spot

Release Date: 2003-06-07

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. (also marked as S7:E44)

Episode 36 - All Charged Up

Release Date: 2002-12-10

Using an anonymous letter and geographic profiling, investigators in Philadelphia close in on a serial rapist who attacks victims who live on upper floors of apartment buildings. When they hear of similar cases in Colorado, a cleverly obtained DNA sample confirms their suspicions. [also marked as S7:E18]

Episode 37 - Breaking the Mold

Release Date: 2002-12-11

In Dripping Springs, TX, March 1999, a 3-year-old boy develops serious respiratory problems and then his father later shows signs of early Alzheimer's disease. A chance encounter with a stranger kicks off an investigation into the cause. [also marked as S7:E19]

Episode 38 - House Call

Release Date: 2003-06-28

A murder investigation in St. Petersburg, Florida, crosses jurisdictions from New York to Jamaica. The police use cell phone mapping, wiretapping and a host of forensic evidence to find a surgeon's killer. [also marked as S7:E47]

Episode 39 - Marathon Man

Release Date: 2003-07-05

After a man's body is discovered a few miles from his home, authorities trace the crime back to his house and question his wife. (also shown as S7:E48)

Episode 40 - The Sniper's Trail

Release Date: 2003-07-12

Details the case of the Beltway sniper attacks, a 3-week shooting spree which left 10 people dead in the Washington, D.C. area.

Episode 41 - Plastic Fire

Release Date: 2003-07-19

Georgia resident Sheila Bryan, who was convicted of killing her mother in a car fire, is granted a new trial. An expert fire witness shares an opinion on how the fire ignited which differs from the prosecution's theory and, if verified, would clear Bryan of any culpability. [also marked as S7:E50]

Episode 42 - Last Will

Release Date: 2003-07-26

Authorities are able to apprehend a kidnapper because he allowed his victim, 17-year-old Shari Smith, to write a will on a telltale pad of paper. [also marked as S7:E52]