Forensic Tales

#074 - On December 11th, 2010, a police officer and his trusty dog were on a routine training exercise along Ocean Parkway in Long Island. The dog stopped to sniff a little longer than usual. The police officer also recognized the god-awful smell—the stench of death. A young female’s bare-bones found inside a burlap sack. Within a couple weeks, more female dismembered bodies were found—first one,...

#073 - Hae Min Lee. The murder that started an industry trend. Thousands of listeners, thousands of opinions. One innocent girl dead. One man in jail. Did the forensics get it right? It’s time to find out. Support My Work If you love the show, the easiest way to show your support is by leaving us a positive rating with a review. You can also tell your family and friends about Forensic Tales. Patre...

#072 - On January 13, 2010, 34-year old single mother Jarmecca Yvonne "Nikki" Whitehead was found dead inside her Georgia home. She had been stabbed over 80 times by her killer.  Her murder appeared to be a crime of passion. Could forensic science help identify her killer? Support My Work If you love the show, the easiest way to show your support is by leaving us a positive rating with a...

#071 - July 14, 1984 was just another peaceful summer day in Southern California. The perfect atmosphere for a frosty Mc Donald’s ice cream sundae.  Aww, Micky Dees. America’s classic burger joint. Three little friends cracked their piggy banks open. And rode their bikes to enjoy their favorite treat at their favorite place. As the kids ride into Mc Donald's, three gunshots rang out. The 11-year-o...

#070 - On February 10, 1990, two gunman stormed Las Cruces Bowl in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Once inside, the men shot seven hostages execution style. Following the massacre, five people were dead and two seriously injured. To this day, the Las Cruces Bowling Alley Massacre remains unsolved. If you think you know anything about who these two gunmen are, please contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-847...

#069 - Your phone rings in the middle of the night.. A single drop of cold sweat slides down your back. A yucky feeling in the pit of your stomach tells you. Something’s wrong. Very wrong. Your daughter’s in trouble. You frantically call 9-1-1. The police tell you to calm down and call back? Minutes grow into hours and hours turn into days. Your daughter’s missing. And the police have no interest...

#068 - After a hard day fighting crime,  Michael Franke walked to his car in the night’s shadow. His footsteps echoed in the empty lot. Michael possessed an incredible work ethic. Coupled with a burning desire for positive change. A modern-day superhero. As Michael opened his car door, horror struck.  An attacker pierced a knife through our champion’s heart. The Director of the Department of Corre...

#067 - Christmas time, the most wonderful time of the year. Children laugh. Families bond. Christmas joy lives everywhere. Everywhere, except Fort Worth Texas. Two days before Christmas, three innocent girls went shopping at the mall, then mysteriously disappeared. No clues. No suspects. Nothing. Could forensics give Christmas back to the families? Support My Work If you love the show, the easiest...

#066 - In a Georgetown cemetery, a young, unidentified female was buried. No family, no services, and no speeches. Nobody knew anything about her. Except she was dead. Her grave read: "Tent Girl. Found May 17th, 1968." The horrific tragedy told and retold by the town's community. A determined young man was captivated by this heartbreaking story. How could she be buried with no name? Our...

#065 - In April 2001, Susan married the man of her dreams. A man who gave her two beautiful boys, and her perfect little Mormon home. So why would the faithful Susan run away? Her quick-tongued husband possessed all the answers. She had an affair. She had a mental illness, or maybe, just maybe... she was tired of his lies. A fire erupted in February 2012. The murderous flames filled the sky with t...

#064 - During the 1980’s Los Angeles was the place for glitz, glamour, and terror. A shadow in the night was killing Angelinos with reckless abandon. People feared they would be next. On March 27th, destiny struck an innocent couple. The night stalker performed his evil ritual. The couple lay dead, with the wife missing her two eyes. Her beautiful eyes carved out with a bloody knife and tossed in...

#063 - On January 26, 2013, 21-year-old Elisa Lam rode an Amtrak train to Los Angeles. She dreamt her entire life of visiting LA-LA land. She dreamt of new friends, a happier life, and maybe even love.  Her chance finally arrived. She somehow convinced her protective parents to let her see the iconic city of angels. But, when she arrived in Los Angeles, she found no glamour. Instead, she found her...

#062 - In May 2006, 52-year old American Micki Kanesaki was reported missing while on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean Sea just off Italy's coast. Lonnie Kocontes, her ex-husband, sweet-talked her into a romantic getaway, to fix their broken relationship. Micki trusted Lonnie, and after a romantic wine-filled evening. Micki just disappeared. Two days later, a vessel performing oceanography resea...

#061 - On October 12th, 2012, 28-year old Ryan Poston, a successful attorney from Kentucky was found dead, shot 6 times in his condo. He’d been shot to death by his girlfriend Shayna Hubers. According to Shayna, she wasn't some sort of cold blooded killer. She said she shot him out of self-defense. It was either kill or be killed.  After a bizarre police interrogation, Shayna was arrested and char...

#060 - On the morning of March 12th, 2011, the opening employee to the Lululemon store in Bethesda, Maryland, walked into a bloodbath. Inside the store, 2 of her coworkers were found bound and gagged. One of employees, 30-year old Jayna Murray had been stabbed over 330 times. Her coworker, Brittany Norwood was somehow able to survive the attack. But in the days following the murder, something abou...

#059 - In the early hours of October 6, 2003 Kimberly Long came home and discovered her boyfriend, Oswaldo "Ozzy" Conde's dead body. He'd been bludgeoned to death in the living room. Police questioned Kimberly and a friend she was with the night of the murder, Jeff Dills. Kimberly and Jeff provided conflicting stories about exactly what time she returned home that night. Jeff's story pla...

#058 - On August 30th, 2013, 19-year old Bryce Laspisa went missing. In the days and hours leading up to his disappearance, his friends and family noticed unusual changes in his behavior. His Toyota Highlander was found wrecked near Lake Castaic in southern California, with no sign of Bryce anywhere. Investigators searched the area for weeks, looking for any sign of Bryce. It was as if the 19-year...

#057 - In 1999, a teenager stumbled into the Hong Kong police department telling police officers she’d been having nightmares of a woman who had been kidnapped, tortured, and murdered. The police followed the girl to the apartment and discovered that the place was entirely decorated in Hello Kitty décor. More disturbing than the décor, was what police officer’s found inside one of those Hello Kitt...

#056 - On September 13th, 2006, the body of a female victim washed ashore in the upscale city of Newport Beach, California. The victim had 52 stab wounds across her entire body. The knife was found still plunged into one of her eyes. Unable to identify the victim through fingerprints, police looked to the serial number found on her breast implants to make the identification. Police quickly zeroed...

#055 - Over the course of 48 hours in February 2007, decorated U.S. Astronaut and Navy Officer, Lisa Nowak, destroyed the life she spent 43 years meticulously crafting. Lisa Nowak was accused of driving 900-miles cross country from Texas to Florida to confront a woman, who she saw as her rival. She took with her what many would describe as a “kill kit”. Gloves, a BB-gun, rubber tubing, a knife, an...

#054 - In 2008, 2-year old Caylee Anthony from Orlando, Florida was reported missing by her grandmother, Cindy Anthony.  The missing toddler hadn't been seen for 31 days. Her mother, Casey Anthony, claimed her daughter had been kidnapped by the babysitter. Within hours of the missing persons report, Casey Anthony was arrested in her own daughter's disappearance. What happened next turned Case Anth...

#053 - In 2014, 12-year old Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier were charged with attempted first degree intentional murder. The girls plotted their attack for months. On the day of the attempted murder, Morgan and Anissa lured their friend, Payton Leutner into the Wisconsin woods and stabbed her 19 times with a kitchen knife. Morgan and Anissa said it was "kill or be killed". They claimed th...

#052 - Part 2 - The brutal murder of kid beauty pageant contestant, JonBenet Ramsey inside her Boulder, Colorado home on Christmas 1996 sent shock waves felt around the country. Her killer left behind a  3-page ransom letter demanding $118,000. Quickly into the investigation, her parents, John and Patsy Ramsey came under an umbrella of suspicion as possibly being involved in JonBenet's murder. But...

#051 - Part 1 - The brutal murder of kid beauty pageant contestant, JonBenet Ramsey inside her Boulder, Colorado home on Christmas 1996 sent shock waves felt around the country. Her killer left behind a  3-page ransom letter demanding $118,000. Quickly into the investigation, her parents, John and Patsy Ramsey came under an umbrella of suspicion as possibly being involved in JonBenet's murder. But...

#050 - On May 29, 2016, eyewitnesses watched as a SUV drove off a 200-foot cliff on the winding Hana Highway on the island of Maui. The SUV was seen accelerating towards the cliff with no signs of breaking. Inside the SUV were two identical twin sisters, Alexandria and Anastasia Duval. The terrible crash left one twin injured and one twin dead. The police believed the crime scene evidence pointed...