The New Detectives: Case Studies in Forensic Science

Forensic psychologists delve into the minds of serial killers, explaining why, most often, they can be a friendly neighbor or a tenacious co-worker.

It is difficult to convict a murderer if the body can't be found, but forensic science is finding ways to do it. A speck of blood may now be enough evidence to prove a murder and capture a killer.

The tiniest filament can become a mark of distinction in the most remarkable and intimate ways. Investigators have come to rely on forensic evidence as fine as a carpet fiber.

Plants help provide oxygen and nutrients for existence. In criminal investigations, a simple seedpod can provide the missing link by placing a suspect at a crime scene.

While drugs can cure disease and ease pain, they can also be agents of murder. Toxicologists can examine blood and tissue to uncover cases where death is not as natural as it may seem.

A tool used to commit a crime can often be the same tool used to solve it. Even something as innocuous as the shape of a wood chip can lead to a killer.

Advancements in science and technology are encouraging people to revisit the past in hopes of answering questions that have remained unanswered.

Investigators are always on the cutting edge of new forensic techniques that can help them solve cases more accurately.

Insurance torchings, mob burnouts and arson murders: these crimes are designed to take all clues with them. But a case can be built from ashes.

Because of new technologies, terrorism is a growing international threat. With the expertise of bomb squads, chemists and tool mark experts, bombs are deactivated and criminals are caught.