The BEST episodes of Forensic Files
Every episode of Forensic Files ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Forensic Files!
American reportage-style crime series that zooms in on startling true crimes and, in particular, how these crimes are solved.
#1 - Badge of Betrayal
Season 9 - Episode 18 - Aired 9/22/2004
The body of a young California co-ed was found under an isolated ramp of the Interstate, and San Diego police had no idea who would want this girl dead. But their questions would be answered when they discovered a tiny, unique fiber on the victim’s clothing, which led them straight to the most unlikely of killers. Originally aired as Season 9, Episode 18.
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#2 - Frozen in Time
Season 7 - Episode 22 - Aired 3/8/2003
A young woman stopped her car along a busy highway in California. She was never seen again. For three years, the search for her where-abouts continued, but the trail eventually turned cold. So cold that forensic scientists needed new techniques to solve it.
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#4 - Sphere of Influence
Season 8 - Episode 23 - Aired 9/20/2003
When a small child disappeared in Alaska, investigators were initially unsure whether the cause of a grizzly bear or an abduction. The discovery of a fiber, a piece of molten steel, and a chip of yellow glossy paint pointed police in the direction of a human. But others weren't so sure.
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#5 - Moss, Not Grass
Season 10 - Episode 29 - Aired 12/21/2005
A young woman was found dead on a golf course in the Bahamas. The grass on that course was so distinctive that it had evidentiary value. The evidence led police to two suspects. Each blamed the other, and they had to find out who the killer was. Originally aired as Season 10, Episode 29.
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#7 - Plastic Fire
Season 7 - Episode 41 - Aired 7/19/2003
Police say that a car crash, which killed an elderly woman, was murder and arson. The driver, the victom's daughter, insisted it was an accident. Two fire investigators came to two entirely different conclusions. Was it an accident... or murder?
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#8 - Dinner and a Movie
Season 8 - Episode 10 - Aired 10/26/2003
Niantic, CT: A woman is found dead in her home while her husband is out on a sailing trip. When investigating, police uncover a lifestyle of sex parties and wife swapping. Forensic investigators begin to solve this crime with a old movie, an overheard phone call, and an air conditioner.
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#10 - With Every Breath
Season 4 - Episode 12 - Aired 12/22/1999
Merril Bahe and Florena Woody grew up in starkly different conditions on an Indian reservation that crossed the borders of New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. The couple soon engaged, and they moved into the Woody family home. On April 29, 1993, Florena started complaining of muscle aches in her back and shoulders. On May 6, her doctor gave her antibiotics for her condition. Florena later died; she simply drowned in the fluid generated by her illness. Doctors had no idea what had killed her. Meanwhile, Merril Bahe started experiencing similar symptoms, and on the day of Florena's funeral he was sent to the hospital, but died on the way there. Investigators found deer mice tested positive for a new form of the hanta virus. They determined that contact with the feces of the deer mice was what had caused the disease, and that when the feces dried, the deadly microbe became airborne.
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#11 - Saving Face
Season 9 - Episode 23 - Aired 10/13/2004
A woman disappeared without a trace, leaving two possible explanations: kidnapping or murder. Concern was heightened when police learned that two other women had similarly vanished. An investigation including DNA profiling and a talented forensic artist enabled police to link the crimes to a single suspect – an immigrant known to prey on vulnerable women. Originally aired as Season 9, Episode 23.
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#12 - Chief Suspect
Season 11 - Episode 23 - Aired 12/20/2006
The wife of a respected police officer was murdered in her own home, but the motive was unclear. The crime went unsolved for more than a decade until a Cold Case Unit took a fresh look and found evidence on the 911 call that had previously been overlooked.
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#14 - Fishing for the Truth
Season 9 - Episode 26 - Aired 10/31/2004
A community mourned the loss of a shrimp boat captain when his boat went down during a storm. However, jaws dropped when a well known crew member was arrested and charged with the captain?s murder. It would take a world renowned pathologist and a forensic psychologist to get to the truth of what happened that fateful night.
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#15 - Northern Exposure
Season 9 - Episode 24 - Aired 12/8/2004
Hikers near Anchorage, Alaska discovered a body wrapped in sheets that were edged in orange stitching. Authorities hydrated the fingers and obtained a fingerprint, enabling them to identify the victim. Clinging to the sheet, they also discovered a tuft of red carpet fibers – threads of evidence that led them straight to the killer. Originally aired as Season 9, Episode 24.
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#16 - Grounds for Indictment
Season 8 - Episode 35 - Aired 12/2/2004
A drive-by shooting leaves one man dead and another seriously wounded. Cell phone calls and shell casings point to a suspect, but authorities are unable to place him at the crime scene. When a forensic geologist compared soil from the crime scene with soil found in the wheel wells of the suspect’s car, he proved that dirt is anything but dumb. Originally aired as Season 8, Episode 35.
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#17 - Shoe-in for Murder
Season 13 - Episode 42 - Aired 3/19/2010
Terrified, the young girl hid in her bedroom while her mother was attacked and stabbed to death. Investigators had a wealth of evidence: shoe impressions, distinctive blood drops, and the killer’s DNA. What they didn’t have was a basis for comparison. Originally aired as Season 13, Episode 41.
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#18 - Bitter Potion
Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/30/1997
The flu-like symptoms of a mother and her children proved to be indicative something much more serious: thallium poisoning. Investigators had to find the source of the poison... and when the mother died, to determine if the exposure was accidental, or if they also needed to find a killer. AKA Medical Detectives, Season 2, Episode 5.
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#19 - Brotherhoods
Season 8 - Episode 17 - Aired 11/29/2004
The double homicide of a gay couple leads investigators into the twisted world of White Supremacists. Shell casings, paint chips and an analysis of glass shards help authorities link their prime suspects to a string of hate crimes in California. Originally aired as Season 8, Episode 17.
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#22 - Scratching the Surface
Season 7 - Episode 33 - Aired 5/24/2003
In Miami, Florida, a sniper opened fire from the rooftop of a manufacturing plant, killing one employee and injuring two others in the parking lot below. When the gun was found, the police discovered that the shooter had scratched the serial number off of it to make it untraceable. But forensic scientists had a way to make the number reappear. Originally aired as Season 7, Episode 33.
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#23 - Once Bitten
Season 8 - Episode 7 - Aired 7/10/2003
Ray Krone was known throughout Arizona as the snaggletooth killer. An unusal bite-mark on a murdered woman resulted in his conviction and death sentence. A forensic expert told the jury that he was 100% certain that it was Krone who bit the victom. But the expert knew he was wrong and confided to a friend ""I'm too commited, and now I'm in too deep.""
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#24 - Separation Anxiety
Season 13 - Episode 39 - Aired 1/8/2010
Attempting to dispose of the body by incinerating it proved to be one of many mistakes... culminating in the killer's grainy image in security video being brought into sharp focus by something ordinary and everywhere: a store discount card.
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#25 - Family Ties
Season 13 - Episode 25 - Aired 7/17/2009
An assailant breaks into a couple's home with an axe; he kills the husband and critically injures his wife. Nothing was taken, so this wasn't a robbery. Can a DNA profile from skin cells collected hundred of miles away reveal the killer's identity and his motive for murder?
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