Forensic Files

Explain Like I'm 5 is a podcast which takes the questions you always wanted to ask, and explains them in a way that is easy to understand. Each question is covered in mini episodes that are easy to digest and less than 10 minutes long. We have been loving this podcast and hope you check it out too.

This episode originally aired September 19, 2019. Orange fibers may link a van and a murdered girl's body. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired September 16, 2019. Three homicides on two continents look like professional executions. Investigators on both sides of the Atlantic needed to find out if they were related and, if they were, who or what they had in common. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired September 12, 2019. The woman was missing for a month. Police find her car but no evidence of foul play... only a fingerprint and a set of keys. There's a code on one of the keys, which they hope will unlock not only a door, but also the mystery of her disappearance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired September 9, 2019. For six years, a serial killer prowled the streets of New York City. He wrote letters to police and "The New York Post," indicating he would kill twelve people, one for each astrological sign. Forensic astronomy, handwriting analysis, and DNA extracted from the flap of an envelope gave investigators a profile of the killer, and a stroke of luck enabled them to find him. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired September 5, 2019. The woman could have lost control of her SUV on the icy road, and plunged down an embankment into a shallow creed, But there were footprints in the snow leading away from the vehicle and bloodstains on both the inside and the outside. Investigators were convinced this was the scene of a crime, not an accident. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired September 2, 2019. When a woman is found dead of a gunshot wound, forensic scientists proved once again that truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired August 29, 2019. A Modesto, California teenager went missing. There was no sign of a struggle in her home, and police suspected she'd simply run away... until her naked, bruised body was discovered in a ditch 20 miles away. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired August 26, 2019. When a gym teacher is found dead of what appears to be an accidental gunshot wound, his family is suspicious. When police find that the wife's previous husband died in questionable circumstances, they re-examine the crime scene Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired August 22, 2019. While in high school, Marie Robards suffered the devastating loss of her father to cardiac arrest but Marie had a secret. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired August 19, 2019. War criminals who moved to the United States are captured many years later thanks to forensic technology. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Explain Like I'm 5 is a podcast which takes the questions you always wanted to ask, and explains them in a way that is easy to understand. Each question is covered in mini episodes that are easy to digest and less than 10 minutes long. We have been loving this podcast and hope you check it out too.

This episode originally aired August 15, 2019. A Canadian scam-artist, Albert J. Walker, assumes the identity of co-worker Ronald Platt as part of a money-laundering scheme. Platt later turns up dead and the only clues to his real identity are a Rolex watch and a maple leaf tattoo. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired August 12, 2019. A brilliant young architect became ill and died just before she was to testify in a criminal trial. The autopsy revealed she'd been poisoned with arsenic; it was a slow and painful death, so suicide was unlikely. Investigators had to determine who among her family, friends and business associates had a motive for murder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired August 8, 2019. A murder mystery theater performance turns into a real life whodunit when a badly burned body is discovered after the performance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired August 5, 2019. The year was 1984, and a serial killer was on the loose in Florida. Eight women had been found dead. At each crime scene, investigators found tiny red fibers, fibers they hoped would lead them to the killer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Explain Like I'm 5 is a podcast which takes the questions you always wanted to ask, and explains them in a way that is easy to understand. Each question is covered in mini episodes that are easy to digest and less than 10 minutes long. We have been loving this podcast and hope you check it out too.

This episode originally aired August 1, 2019. A woman disappears without a trace; even though foul play is suspected, the leads don't pan out and the trail turns cold. Twenty years would pass before police are able to link a clump of hair discovered in an isolated area with the missing woman. Members of "NecroSearch," a group of volunteer forensic scientists, searched a remote area of Colorado a meter at a time, found the victim's body, and gave authorities the evidence they needed to bring the killer to justice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired July 29, 2019. Police find an abandoned car on a busy Philadelphia highway; later, strange marks on the driver's body lead police to her killer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired July 25, 2019. A young woman was killed in a senseless act of revenge. Could police identify the killer through a fingerprint on cloth? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired July 22, 2019. The huge amount of blood at the crime scene spoke of the violence of the attack; investigators describe it as "overkill," and it's usually an indication that the victim knew the attacker. Police hoped that, during the struggle, the killer had left some of his own blood - and his DNA - behind. Their challenge was to find it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired July 18, 2019. When hunters reported finding a skull in a Texas canyon, police immediately began an investigation. At the scene, they found bits of clothing, a woman's shoe, some small bones and a strand of hair. An anthropologist determined the victim was a Caucasian woman, and that she'd been stabbed repeatedly. A forensic artist reconstructed her face, and the image was released to media. Eventually, police learned who she was. Now all they had to do was find her killer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired July 15, 2019. After the rape and murder of a popular high school student, authorities ask the males in her social circles to volunteer DNA. When a match is found, the community is stunned. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired July 11, 2019. While staying at a hotel in St. Louis, Missouri, a Louisiana woman drowns in a bathtub. Her husband claims it was an accident, but detectives are skeptical as they discover evidence of foul play. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired July 8, 2019. The story of nurse Tanya Reid who may have murdered her own baby and was planning to murder her son. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired July 4, 2019. A retired police officer is discovered dead in his bed. Examination of the evidence at the crime scene, the tape from a bank surveillance camera, and forensic textbooks found in the victim's home are used to solve the murder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired July 1, 2019. A fire erupted in the Kings Cross Underground Station in London, killing 31 people and injuring dozens more. Arson investigators were able to pinpoint the cause of the fire, but it would take state-of-the-art computer technology and experts in the field of fluid dynamics to explain why it became a deadly inferno. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired June 27, 2019. The victim had ingested a massive amount of cyanide. An unlikely clue - a flaw on a mailing envelope -- exposed a murderer who was willing to kill innocent people to get the one person he wanted. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired June 24, 2019. A series of murders near Sacramento, Calif., where prostitutes were gagged and molested, their clothes cut off in random patterns and their hair cut off. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired June 20, 2019. A man confesses to killing his wife but forensic evidence may lead to another suspect. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired June 17, 2019. When the body of a female prison guard shows up in a landfill, investigators suspect the prisoners in the facility where she worked. The medical examiner found an important clue, a "signature" element, which figured in two other murders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired June 13, 2019. When someone dies under mysterious circumstances, the spouse almost always is a suspect -- especially if they are in bed, sleeping beside the individual at the time of their death. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired June 10, 2019. A 29-year-old pregnant wife is found dead in her home of a gunshot wound to the head. Blood spatter analysis led police to the truth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired June 6, 2019. A gas station employee was shot at point blank range. Police find the entire murder was caught on the station's security camera. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired June 3, 2019. A man considered unstable by his neighbors is accused of killing his wife. But a medical detective holds a different view. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired May 30, 2019. It looked like sixty-two-year-old Phillip Rouss, Jr. had it all: family, friends, and a new business which was the culmination of a life-long dream. Then his health began to deteriorate. Doctors couldn't pinpoint the cause of the illness and Phil began to suspect his condition was no accident. Toxicologists and investigators identified the real problem just in time to save Phil's life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired May 27, 2019. When the once called America's most hated woman and her top two lieutenants disappeared, there was no shortage of suspects. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired May 23, 2019. Just weeks before a witness is to testify against the man accused of sexually assaulting her, she is murdered in the front yard of her own home. Investigators immediately suspect her attacker, but they don't have enough evidence to prove his guilt. It would take fifteen years, and the remarkable advances in forensic science and DNA testing which occurred during that time, to enable police to nail the killer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired May 20, 2019. An employee of a dry-cleaner was raped and murdered in the store, and investigators thought themselves fortunate to have two eyewitnesses. Their descriptions were similar but not identical, and the prime suspect didn't come close to resembling that person. So police turned to forensic science for the answers they needed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired May 16, 2019. When a young fireman died from what appeared to be serious but undiagnosed heart disease, his family and friends were devastated but they had no proof of foul play. Then they learned that, six years earlier in a nearby town, a young police officer died in the same way. The men had one thing in common: At the time of their deaths, they were married to the same woman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired May 13, 2019. A 33-year old woman meets, falls in love with, and marries a successful young doctor, but an unusual amount of discomfort during her pregnancy arouses her suspicions, prompting a personal investigation that culminates in a startling revelation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired May 9, 2019. The murder of an eccentric millionaire was not entirely unexpected; he flaunted his wealth and cared little for personal security. The evidence at the crime seemed to indicate robbery, but investigators wondered if there was something more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired May 6, 2019. The body of a businessman was found in his rental car. Teeth and bone fragments were all that remained of the body; When the victim's wife filed a life insurance claim, investigators sought the help of a forensic anthropologist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired May 2, 2019. The victim was well liked and successful, which made the brutality of the crime even harder to understand. In the final moments of her life, she'd written a name on the wall - presumably that of the killer - in her own blood. But this wasn't an open and shut case and, in order to solve it, investigators would have to read between the lines. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired April 29, 2019. An elderly woman is murdered. Though investigators were able to lift prints from the scene, they failed to find a match and the crime went unsolved. Years later, advances in fingerprint science enable police to identify the print and the killer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired April 25, 2019. A family vacation turns into a nightmare when the wife is found face-down in the lake. There are no witnesses and little conclusive evidence to help police determine if they're dealing with a suicide, an accident, or something more sinister... until a forensic pathologist uses a groundbreaking technique to discover the truth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired April 22, 2019. When a young dancer who got involved with the wrong crowd disappeared, her family immediately suspected her new friends. When a young dancer who got involved with the wrong crowd disappeared, her family immediately suspected her new friends. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired April 18, 2019. A brutal murder, lots of suspects, and conflicting evidence... but the forensics were clear on one thing: The killer knew his victim. And that alone gave investigators a head start. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired April 15, 2019. A serial bomber was on the loose in Illinois. Two churches had been bombed and one person was killed. Investigators had to stop the perpetrator before he struck again... and they hoped to find him by following a thin copper wire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired April 11, 2019. In a tragic twist of fate, just days after the woman sold her home and moved to a modest trailer, a fire took both the trailer and her life. But the autopsy proved this was no accident. It was arson and murder. Investigators had to determine who wanted the woman dead... and why. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.