Cold Case Unsealed

This episode details the legal developments surrounding the 1989 cold case murder of Beverly Wivell following a major forensic breakthrough. After more than thirty-five years, investigators identified Buster Robbins as the suspect by utilizing forensic genetic genealogy to link his DNA to evidence from the original crime scene. The narrative follows the timeline from the victim’s tragic abduction...

The episode examines a collection of notorious cold cases and unresolved disappearances that have impacted Toronto from the mid-20th century to the modern era. It highlights the Sherman double homicide and the wrongful conviction associated with the Christine Jessop investigation to illustrate the complexities of high-profile crimes. The overview details how modern forensic advancements, specifica...

The episode details the decades-long investigation into the disappearance and murder of Melanie Hall, a young woman who vanished from a Bath nightclub in 1996. After her remains were discovered beside a motorway thirteen years later, the case transitioned into a complex forensic search for her killer that has spanned three decades. Despite eleven arrests and extensive DNA profiling, the identity o...

The episode details the 2026 arrest of Warren Masai Pollock for the 2019 cold case murder of seventeen-year-old Rodney Hinds Jr. in Miami Gardens. After years of investigation and public appeals by the victim's family, new evidence linked the suspect—who was already jailed for a different homicide—to the fatal gas station shooting. The narrative explores the emotional toll on the Hinds family and...

This episode details a multi-year investigation into a cold case homicide in Dolan Springs, Arizona, sparked by the 2021 discovery of human remains beneath a residential concrete slab. Through forensic genetic genealogy and public tips, authorities identified the victim as Chester “Chett” Williams III, a musician who vanished in the late 1990s. The investigation revealed a dark narrative of financ...

The episode details the investigation and capture of Paul Dennis Reid, a notorious serial killer known as the Fast Food Killer who terrorized Tennessee in 1997. The narrative follows a series of brutal robbery-homicides at various restaurants, including Shoney’s, Captain D’s, Baskin-Robbins, and McDonald’s. Crucial testimony from Jose Gonzalez, a survivor of the McDonald’s attack, and the quick th...

This episode details the tragic 1986 cold case murder of Sarah Hunter, a respected Vermont golf professional who was abducted and killed after stopping at a gas station. The narrative explores the four-decade pursuit of justice, tracking the investigation from early suspicions of David Allan Morrison to a devastating 2015 legal setback caused by mishandled DNA evidence. It highlights how inter-age...

These transcripts from the television program Cold Case Files detail two separate criminal investigations that were ultimately solved decades after the initial crimes. The first case follows Jeri Elster, a sexual assault survivor who successfully lobbied for California legislative changes to the statute of limitations after DNA evidence identified her attacker too late for prosecution. The second...

This transcript documents the cold case investigation into the 1993 disappearance and murder of Frank McAlister, a nineteen-year-old from Redding, California. After the victim's blood-stained vehicle was discovered abandoned at a local warehouse store, the trail went cold for nearly twenty-five years. The silence finally broke in 2018 when Brian Hawkins approached a news reporter to confess his in...

The provided transcript documents the long-term investigation and eventual legal resolution of the 1995 murder of Catherine Edwards, a beloved schoolteacher in Beaumont, Texas. For over two decades, the case remained a unsolved mystery despite the presence of DNA evidence and the chilling use of police-grade handcuffs. The investigation reached a turning point through the use of forensic genetic g...

After lying unidentified for over five decades, the remains of Nancy Gale Erickson have finally been linked to a 1973 missing persons case through advanced DNA forensics. Erickson was a young nurse from New York who vanished shortly after starting a new life in Vermont, leaving behind a trail of sudden departures and personal struggles. While her discovery in a rural New Hampshire forest initially...

This transcript examines the unsolved murders of three young Indigenous girls in Arizona—Emily Pike, Chalastia Cole, and Malikica Boone—highlighting a persistent crisis of violence within tribal communities. Reporters discuss the systemic failures and investigative gaps that allowed these cases to remain cold, specifically focusing on the delayed implementation of the Turquoise Alert system. While...

This episode details the remarkable identification of Eric "Ricky" Singer, an Ohio man who vanished in 1973 while on a solo bicycle journey toward Canada. After his skeletal remains lay unidentified in Algonquin Provincial Park for over four decades, investigators finally solved the case in 2025 using investigative genetic genealogy. The account describes Singer as a free-spirited youth of the Vie...

The provided transcript details the investigation into the 1980 murders of Tim Hack and Kelly Drew, a young couple who disappeared after a wedding reception in rural Wisconsin. For nearly three decades, the case remained a mystery despite massive manhunts and the false confessions of notorious serial killers Henry Lee Lucas and Otis Toole. The narrative shifts to 2007, when DNA evidence recovered...

This source details a complex criminal investigation into Barton Corbin, a dentist who staged the murder of his wife, Jennifer Corbin, to look like a suicide. Through the meticulous work of a medical examiner, investigators discovered that the physical evidence and blood patterns contradicted the scene's appearance. The probe eventually linked Barton to a nearly identical cold case involving his f...

This episode details the tragic 1999 disappearance and murder of JB Beasley and Tracy Hawlett, two teenagers who vanished after taking a wrong turn in Alabama. Their bodies were discovered in the trunk of a car, leading to a cold case investigation that remained stagnant for over two decades despite the recovery of DNA evidence. The narrative explains how a breakthrough in genetic genealogy finall...

The provided transcript explores the mysterious disappearance and subsequent discovery of Melissa Casillas, an employee at the high-security Los Alamos National Laboratory. Although a hiker found her remains in a remote forest nearly a year after she vanished, her family and their attorney suspect foul play rather than suicide. Private search efforts recently uncovered additional evidence, such as...

Canada faces a severe crisis regarding the disproportionately high rates of violence against Indigenous women and girls, whose murder rates far exceed the national average. Despite a federal inquiry initiated by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, many families and activists remain skeptical of government efforts due to a history of police negligence and systemic failures. Community members in cities l...

In Winnipeg, a volunteer organization called Drag the Red searches the local river for the remains of missing and murdered Indigenous women. The group was established by community members after the discovery of Tina Fontaine, a teenager whose body was discarded in the water. Participants use specialized hooks to dredge the river bottom and receive guidance from forensic anthropologists to identify...

The Robeson County Sheriff’s Office has launched a public appeal to gather fresh information regarding six unsolved cold cases ranging from 1994 to 2022. These investigations involve a variety of tragic events, including mysterious disappearances, a drive-by shooting of a child, and targeted homicides within the local community. A specialized Cold Case Team of experienced volunteers is utilizing m...

This episode examines the arrest and investigation of Australian national Simon Peter Carman, who is accused of murdering seventeen-year-old Thunchanok Donhomla in Pattaya, Thailand. Authorities apprehended the suspect at an airport following the discovery of the victim’s body inside a suitcase abandoned near railway tracks. The narrative highlights how surveillance footage exposed the suspect's m...

The episode details the arrest of Daniel W. Russell in connection with the 2018 homicide of Michael A. Graham, a cold case that remained unsolved for years in rural Missouri. After the victim’s remains were discovered inside a concrete-filled plastic barrel in the Gasconade River, investigators eventually linked the crime to Russell through physical evidence found in his garage and witness testimo...

This episode recounts the forty-two-year journey to justice for Anthony Littler, a London civil servant murdered in a 1984 homophobic ambush. Two brothers, Michael and Anthony Stewart, were finally convicted of the crime in 2026 after decades of remaining free. The investigation was revitalized when a younger sibling’s conscience led to a confession, prompting police to use innovative undercover t...

The Texas Department of Public Safety recently announced a significant expansion of the Texas Rangers' Unsolved Crimes Investigation Program, nearly doubling the number of personnel dedicated to long-dormant cases. This initiative, funded by Senate Bill 1, increases the investigative force to seventeen Rangers who specialize in tackling murders and violent sexual assaults that have remained unreso...

Following a fatal boating accident on June 26, 2026, at Wheatfields Lake in the Navajo Nation, a massive multi-agency search successfully recovered the bodies of two missing individuals. The incident occurred when a vessel carrying three people capsized, leaving only one survivor to reach the shore. Severe weather conditions, specifically high winds and turbulence, delayed the recovery operations...