The New Detectives: Case Studies in Forensic Science

Journey into the dark recesses and calculated madness present only in our worst nightmares…and in the minds of serial killers.

Forensic photographers are among the first people at a crime scene, capturing vital clues on film.

With the advent of DNA analysis, just a few microscopic cells found at a crime scene can be used to put a murderer behind bars.

Bugs have roamed the Earth for 250 million years, but their intimate association with death is just now coming to life.

Forensic sculptors retrieve people from oblivion. Using clay and an intricate knowledge of anatomy, forensic arts place a face on an unidentified skull, recreating the victim's likeness.

In addition to pictures on milk cartons, store windows and in mass mailings, authorities use computer databases to help locate missing persons.

It's difficult to investigate a murder when burning up the victim is a time-honored method of destroying evidence. The Smithsonian faced these challenges while identifying remains of American journalists.

In New York State, Eleanor Fowler opened a small package mailed to her home. The box exploded, killing her instantly. Within minutes, five other bombs exploded, as fatal as the first.

The FBI relies on fingerprints to identify criminals. With computerization, the old ink pad and print identification method that used to take months now takes just minutes.

While our handwriting may not reveal the nuances of our personalities, handwriting analysis is important in criminal investigation.

Little is left after a plane crashes. Investigators' best hope for an answer comes from the flight data recorder known as a "black box."

O.J. Simpson was found not guilty of murder. Forensic scientists reconstructed events that took place on the night Nicole Brown Simpson was murdered.

A corpse is found with a gunshot wound to the head; the weapon lies next to the victim. Ballistic experts examine gunshot residues, the pathways of the bullet, shells and the guns themselves.