The BEST Episodes of Forensic Files
Every episode ever - ranked by fan votes!
Last Updated: Jan 7, 2022
Network: truTV
American reportage-style crime series that zooms in on startling true crimes and, in particular, how these crimes are solved.
#1 - Frozen in Time
Season 7 - Episode 22 - Aired Mar 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.
9.27 
#2 - Badge of Betrayal
Season 9 - Episode 18 - Aired Sep 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.
8.97 
#3 - Shoe-in for Murder
Season 13 - Episode 42 - Aired Mar 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.
8.94 
#4 - Bad Blood
Season 6 - Episode 18 - Aired Sep 17, 2001
Does it mean it didn't happen when the DNA doesn't match? Not necessarily. If the offender is smart and knows how to fool the test.
8.83 
#5 - Sphere of Influence
Season 8 - Episode 23 - Aired Jun 11, 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.
8.79 
#6 - No Corpus Delicti
Season 9 - Episode 4 - Aired Jul 7, 2004
It took 20 years to solve the case involving the memeber ot "NecroSearch" helping to seatch for clues. Watch Forensic Files to get the answer.
8.77 
#7 - Moss, Not Grass
Season 10 - Episode 29 - Aired Dec 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.
8.73 
#8 - Dinner and a Movie
Season 8 - Episode 10 - Aired Mar 12, 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.
8.72 
#9 - With Every Breath
Season 4 - Episode 12 - Aired Dec 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.
8.64 
#10 - Plastic Fire
Season 7 - Episode 41 - Aired Oct 8, 2002
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?
8.62 
#11 - Needle in a Haystack
Season 13 - Episode 28 - Aired Sep 4, 2009
There was no apparent reason for a young, healthy college student to be dead. But when the medical examiner found a tiny clue during the autopsy, investigators were able to unravel a mystery of betrayal and revenge.
8.61 
#12 - Family Interrupted
Season 13 - Episode 43 - Aired Apr 2, 2010
The gunman opened fire as the family of four entered their home, killing two and wounding the others. He’d pulled open a few drawers to make it look like a robbery, but the scene was clearly staged. When police pieced together the clues, they discovered an unlikely suspect and a carefully orchestrated plot. Originally aired as Season 13, Episode 42.
8.58 
#13 - Saving Face
Season 9 - Episode 23 - Aired Oct 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.
8.57 
#14 - Chief Suspect
Season 11 - Episode 23 - Aired Dec 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.
8.52 
#15 - Family Ties
Season 13 - Episode 25 - Aired Jul 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?
8.50 
#16 - Financial Downfall
Season 9 - Episode 12 - Aired Aug 11, 2004
Could a fall from a cliff be an accident or cold blooded murder? What appears as the first turn out to be the second when investigators dig into photos and evidence of the crime scene.
8.44 
#17 - X Marks the Spot
Season 7 - Episode 35 - Aired Jun 7, 2003
The local police and the FBI are stumped when a serial killer sends them a map to his latest victim. There is no way to find who sent the map until an Illinois State Trooper traces the map to Microsoft. WorldCom helps investigators map the killers' digital trail to his real name address, where police uncover a sickening dungeon where Maury Travis filmed himself murdering several of his victims.
8.40 
#18 - Hair of the Dog
Season 8 - Episode 18 - Aired May 7, 2003
With no forensic evidence found at a murder scene, investigators were baffled. But they suspected that the victom's dog had witnessed the crime. If she had, forensic scientists needed some way to find out what the dog had seen.
8.40 
#19 - Room with a View
Season 13 - Episode 29 - Aired Sep 11, 2009
A college student is found stabbed more than a hundred times; her bedroom blood-soaked. While her body was positioned in a suggestive way, she hadn't been sexually assaulted. Was this a sex crime, or the random act of a man with an intense hatred of women?
8.38 
#20 - Brotherhoods
Season 8 - Episode 17 - Aired Jul 4, 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.
8.37 
#21 - Grounds for Indictment
Season 8 - Episode 35 - Aired Sep 2, 2003
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.
8.37 
#22 - Fishing for the Truth
Season 9 - Episode 26 - Aired Oct 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.
8.36 
#23 - Northern Exposure
Season 9 - Episode 24 - Aired Dec 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.
8.34 
#24 - A Voice from Beyond
Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired Oct 3, 2000
When a decomposed body is discovered inside a barrel, police immediately suspect foul play. But the body had been placed there 30 years earlier. One of the few clues was an address book found along with the body but years of moisture had washed away the ink. Scientists desperately searched for a way to unlock the secrets of that address book.
8.33 
#25 - Screen Pass
Season 12 - Episode 12 - Aired Jan 7, 2008
A thirteen year old girl went missing from her Colorado home with little evidence to explain what happened. The investigation dragged on for two long years until an alert finger print examiner found a serious flaw in the system.
8.30