48 Hours

A report on the criminal justice system’s 50-year pursuit of serial killer Rodney James Alcala. From his 1968 abduction, rape and attempted murder of 8-year old Tali Shapiro in Los Angeles; to his 2010 conviction -- with the help of advances in DNA technology -- for the kidnapping, rape and murder of five California women; and to the subsequent discovery of other murders attributed to Alcala in Ne...

Correspondent Natalie Morales and Producers Jenna Jackson and Mary Murphy examine the DNA technology that cracked the cold case of Mary Catherine Edwards’ murder. They discuss a detective and genetic genealogist who sifted through nearly 7,500 names on a family tree to identify a single killer, Clayton Foreman, and how police and a Texas Ranger arrested him. They also discuss how the Smith & W...

A schoolteacher is murdered in her own home. Years later investigators discover she was a bridesmaid at the killer's wedding. Natalie Morales reports.

Patrick Bradford, a married police officer in Evansville, Indiana, was convicted and sentenced to 80 years in prison for stabbing Tammy Lohr, his 24-year-old mistress, to death and then setting her body on fire. Determined to win his acquittal, Deborah Nolan, a close friend and staunch supporter of Bradford’s, quit her teaching job and went to law school in order to be able to take on his defense....

48 Hours Correspondent Erin Moriarty and Producer Paul La Rosa go behind the scenes of their report on the shooting of Leslie Reeves and Chris Smith, who were attacked while on their first date by Leslie’s jealous ex-lover, Bobby Tarr. Erin and Paul delve into Chris’s journey as a survivor, Leslie’s courageous attempts to escape her relationship from Tarr, and the heroic story of Chris’s dog, Tiki...

A couple’s first date ends with an ambush. Both are shot. Can the only survivor identify the shooter? Erin Moriarty reports.

When Vicki Wegerle, the mother of two young children, was strangled in Wichita, Kansas, in 1986, her husband Bill was considered by many to be the prime suspect. For the next 18 years, police lacked evidence to charge Bill, or anyone else with Vicki’s murder. Subsequently, a desire for recognition led Dennis Rader, aka the BTK (bind, torture, kill) killer, to fall into a police trap and supply the...

CBS News Correspondent Natalie Morales and 48 Hours Producer Betsy Shuller go behind their report on the murder of Alex Pennig. When Alex was discovered dead in her bathroom her friend, Matthew Ecker, called 9-1-1 and claimed she shot herself, but detectives uncovered a different story. The team discusses the bodycam footage of first responders interviewing Ecker just minutes after Alex's death, t...

A nurse is found dead in her apartment. Surveillance video captures her coming home for the last time. Can investigators piece together what happened next? Natalie Morales reports.

An updated report on the murder trial of Frederick Mueller, who was charged with the 2008 murder of his wife, Dr. Leslie Mueller. She was killed while the two were out for a walk near their vacation home in Lake City, Colorado. According to what Frederick Mueller told police, while the Muellers were hiking, Mueller stopped to take a photo of his wife near the edge of a cliff. He said his wife lost...

Join 48 Hours Correspondent Peter Van Sant and Producers Lauren White and Richie Fetzer who share their experiences visiting Room 15 where Aileen Seiden was brutally murdered by her two partners, Zach Abell and Christina Araujo. They discuss a never-before-heard interview that reveals Abell’s mother was going to testify on his behalf but she never made it to the courtroom. They also dig into the f...

Three people check into a Florida motel room. Only two walk out alive. Peter Van Sant reports.

In June 2007, Dewayne Barrentine met Tausha Fields, a single mother, and shortly after, they started living together in Marianna, Florida. Tausha told Dewayne some unbelievable stories about herself, including that she had a criminal justice degree and a promised inheritance. Dewayne went online to verify her stories and discovered she had been married to Mitchell Wayne Kemp, who had been missing...

The Menendez Brothers have been serving life sentences for gunning down their parents in 1989, but on October 16, 2024, twenty family members, along with lawyer Mark Geragos addressed new evidence and asked for a resentencing. In this episode from March 2024, "48 Hours" contributor Natalie Morales reported on the new evidence in question.

CBS News Correspondent Michelle Miller and 48 Hours Producer Marcie Spencer discuss the unsolved case of Jermain Charlo, an Indigenous woman from Montana who went missing in 2018. They share why law enforcement released crucial surveillance footage six years after Jermain’s disappearance and the spiritual encounters they had while reporting this case.

Police release last known images of 23-year-old missing mom. Can this security camera video help reveal what happened to her? Michelle Miller reports. 

In 2008, educator and artist, Carol Kennedy, was brutally beaten in her home outside Prescott, Ariz. Carol's ex-husband, stockbroker Steven DeMocker, became the chief suspect when police discovered he was struggling financially and had a toxic relationship with his ex-wife. DeMocker was arrested but court delays and the death of a judge would prolong the case for five years. DeMocker’s girlfriend,...

Join Host Anne-Marie Green and Producer Josh Yager as they discuss the doctor who was charged with depraved heart murder for the death of his girlfriend, Sarah Harris. They break down what this charge means, the challenges of proving it in court, and the incredible detective work by Sarah’s sister, Rachel, that was key in the prosecution’s case.

A surgeon is accused of drugging his girlfriend in order to control her. Nikki Battiste reports.

On May 1, 1999, the adopted son of Paulette and Kelly Welch died at their home in Idaho Falls, ID. Paulette Welch was charged with first-degree murder and took a plea bargain requiring a guilty plea to the lesser charge of injuring a child. Kelly was never charged. This report also includes the cases of Mary Weaver and Denise Rhode, both of whom were charged with causing a child’s death by shaking...

Join 48 Hours correspondent Peter Van Sant and producer Chuck Stevenson for a behind-the-scenes discussion about the murder of Kendy Howard. They discuss the cover-up by Kendy’s husband, Dan, to make her death look like a suicide, Dan’s troubling past as a state trooper, and his shocking drive to the airport during his trial. They also discuss an unaired clip of Dan’s 9-1-1 call that was used as e...

Did a former Idaho state trooper use his law enforcement skills to stage his wife’s death in their bathtub? Peter Van Sant reports.

On September 24, 1988, Brenda Sue Schaefer was sexually tortured and murdered in Louisville, Kentucky. Brenda’s boyfriend Mel Ignatow was tried for the crime. Despite the testimony of his ex-girlfriend Mary Ann Shore, who led police to the spot where Brenda Sue’s body was buried, jurors found Ignatow not guilty for lack of evidence. However, six months later new incriminating evidence — Brenda’s j...

In the Season Two premiere episode of Post Mortem, CBS News Correspondent Anne-Marie Green takes listeners behind the scenes of the disappearance of 12-year-old Sara Anne Wood. 48 Hours Correspondent Erin Moriarty and Producer Chris Ritzen talk about the impact this case continues to have on Sara's family. Lewis Lent, a serial killer, was convicted for her murder, but investigators are still searc...

Investigators are locked in a 30-year cat and mouse game with a child serial killer to find the body of 12-year-old Sara. 48 Hours correspondent Erin Moriarty reports.