Forensic Tales

On November 2, 2007, 21-year-old British exchange student Meredith Kercher was found murdered inside the apartment she shared with Amanda Knox in Perugia, Italy.

What followed became an international media spectacle. Amanda Knox and her boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were arrested, convicted of Meredith’s murder, acquitted, convicted again—and ultimately cleared by Italy’s highest court.

But what did the forensic ...

In this special episode of Forensic Tales, we’re covering a forensic breakthrough announced just days ago.

In June 1978, skeletal remains belonging to a young woman were discovered buried in a shallow grave in a grape vineyard near Arvin, California. Investigators collected what evidence they could, but fingerprints, dental records, and eventually traditional DNA testing failed to reveal her identity.

For nearly 48 years, she...

On the morning of November 6, 2001, a customer arrived at The Hair Gallery in Florence, Montana, expecting nothing more than a routine nail appointment. Instead, she walked into one of the most horrific crime scenes investigators had ever encountered.

Inside the small salon, owner Dorothy Harris, manicurist Brenda Patch, and longtime customer Cynthia Paulus had all been brutally murdered.

In this episode of Forensic Tales, we exami...

In this special episode of Forensic Tales, we examine the forensic case against recording artist D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, following his five-day preliminary hearing.

Fourteen-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez was found dead inside the front trunk of a Tesla registered to Burke in September 2025. During the hearing, prosecutors presented autopsy findings, DNA evidence, suspected bloodstains, a damaged inflatable...

In May 1947, newlywed Christina Kettlewell traveled to a remote cottage in Severn Falls, Ontario, with her husband, Jack, and his close friend Ronald Berry.

Three days later, the cottage was destroyed by fire, Jack was found unconscious, and Christina’s body was discovered face down in only nine inches of water.

An autopsy determined that Christina had drowned, but the forensic evidence raised more questions than answers. Why...

On January 4, 2001, successful Seattle-area real estate agent Mike Emert left to meet a prospective buyer at a vacant home in Woodinville, Washington. Just hours later, he was found stabbed 19 times inside the home's bathtub with the shower and sinks still running in what investigators believed was a calculated attempt to destroy forensic evidence.

In this episode, we examine the meticulous crime scene, the forensic evidence recove...

W

Hey everyone! Courtney here.

I have a little bonus for you today. Since Forensic Tales is part of the Believe Podcast Network, I wanted to introduce you to another podcast on the network that I think some of you might enjoy.

Today's episode is from Til Death Do Us Part, and it's called "The Body in the Clearing: Harry Crawford and Annie Burkett."

To friends and neighbors, he seemed like an ordinary husband. But when his wife, Ann...

For more than four decades, she was known simply as "Orange Socks." Found murdered along Interstate 35 in Georgetown, Texas, in 1979, the young woman remained unidentified despite extensive investigative efforts. Her case appeared to be solved when serial killer Henry Lee Lucas confessed to her murder—but as the years passed, serious doubts emerged about whether his confession could be trusted.

In this episode of Forensic Tal...

When 33-year-old Lina Kaufman was found unresponsive in the bathroom of her Florida home in November 2007, her sudden death left investigators with more questions than answers. She appeared to be a healthy young mother with no known medical conditions, making her death all the more mysterious. But when the medical examiner eventually ruled her death a homicide caused by mechanical asphyxiation, suspicion quickly turned toward her h...

In the early morning hours of August 9, 2013, 26-year-old Brandon Lawson abandoned his pickup truck along a remote stretch of Highway 277 near Bronte, Texas. Moments earlier, he had made several frantic phone calls to family members and a chilling 911 call, claiming he was being chased through a field. Then, he vanished.

For many years, Brandon's disappearance became one of the most debated missing person cases in America. Was he s...

When Crystal McCrory Jones was found dead inside her home on February 9, 2023, investigators quickly ruled her death a suicide.

But after obtaining the autopsy report, investigative records, photographs, and other official documents, Crystal's family began uncovering what they believe are significant inconsistencies in the investigation.

In Part Two of this special two-part series, we take a closer look at the forensic evidence. Fr...

On the afternoon of February 9, 2023, Crystal McCrory Jones failed to show up for a doctor's appointment. Concerned after repeated calls and texts went unanswered, her husband contacted the West Carroll Parish Sheriff's Office and requested a welfare check.

Inside the home, deputies discovered Crystal dead from a single gunshot wound to the head.

Less than two hours later, her death was ruled a suicide.

But for Crystal's family, th...

On November 18, 1987, the small town of Ina, Illinois, was forever changed when Keith and Elaine Dardeen, their 3-year-old son Peter, and their newborn daughter Casey were found murdered in one of the most horrific crime scenes investigators had ever encountered.

Nearly four decades later, the murders remain officially unsolved.

In this episode of Forensic Tales, I take a closer look at the lives of the Dardeen family, the timeline...

The Unsolved Murder of Robert Wone

In this special Patreon Bonus Preview, I share a portion of this month's exclusive episode covering the mysterious and unsolved murder of Robert Wone.

Listen to the FULL episode: http://Patreon.com/ForensicTales

On August 2, 2006, Robert Wone—a successful attorney, devoted husband, and respected friend—arrived at a townhouse on Swann Street in Washington, D.C., where he planned to...

In the early morning hours of May 14, 2008, 19-year-old Brandon Swanson was driving home after celebrating the end of the college semester when his car became stuck in a ditch along a rural Minnesota road.

Unable to free his vehicle, Brandon called his parents for help. For the next 47 minutes, he remained on the phone with his father while walking through fields, fences, and farmland, attempting to meet up with his family. Then, w...

The murder of Rachel Nickell remains one of the most infamous true crime cases in the United Kingdom. In July 1992, Rachel was brutally attacked and murdered on Wimbledon Common in broad daylight while walking with her young son. What followed was a controversial murder investigation that captivated the nation, generated intense media scrutiny, and ultimately led investigators down the wrong path.

In this episode of Forensic Tales,...

Patricia Viola was a devoted wife, mother, and volunteer librarian living in Bogota, New Jersey. On February 13, 2001, she seemingly vanished without a trace after returning home from work. She left behind her purse, wallet, identification, seizure medication, and nearly every indication that she planned to return.

As investigators worked to reconstruct Patricia's final known movements, they uncovered a series of puzzling clues: a ...

The Fox Hollow Farm Murders remain one of the most chilling serial killer cases in American history.

For years, young men disappeared from the Indianapolis area after being seen at local gay bars and nightlife districts. Many were later found strangled and abandoned in rural areas throughout Indiana and Ohio, leading investigators to suspect the existence of the so-called I-70 Strangler.

Everything changed when police searched Fox ...

On July 26, 2009, 36-year-old Diane Schuler drove the wrong way down New York's Taconic State Parkway, causing a devastating head-on collision that killed eight people, including herself, her daughter, and three young nieces. The crash shocked the nation and sparked years of debate, speculation, and investigation.

Toxicology reports revealed shocking findings, but Diane's family strongly disputed the official conclusions. Was this ...