Forensic Tales
by Rockefeller Audio
Latest episode
The Boys on the Tracks: Don Henry & Kevin Ives
The Boys on the Tracks: Don Henry & Kevin Ives
About this podcast
Not all stories have happy endings...
Hosted by Courtney Fretwell, M.S. in Forensic Psychology, Forensic Tales is a weekly true crime podcast with a forensic twist. Each episode features real cases and explores how forensic science, criminal profiling, and investigative techniques were used to uncover the truth—or, in some cases, left more questions than answers.
From fingerprint analysis and DNA evidence to bloodstain pattern analysis and behavioral profiling, every episode breaks down the science behind the headlines. Whether it's a solved murder, a cold case, or a controversial investigation, Forensic Tales takes you beyond the crime scene and into the forensic evidence that shaped the case.
Episodes
The newest 50 of 376 episodes
- The Boys on the Tracks: Don Henry & Kevin Ives · 34 min · Episode 359#359 - In August 1987, a freight train struck 16-year-old Don Henry and 17-year-old Kevin Ives as they lay motionless on railroad tracks in Arkansas. The medical examiner called…
- Introducing The Jordan Harbinger Show · 2 minThe Jordan Harbinger Show is a podcast with incredible guests, from experts speaking on major global topics, to more personal discussions on issues like navigating your career or…
- The Mysterious Death of Jonathan Luna · 29 min · Episode 358#358 - In December 2003, federal prosecutor Jonathan Luna was found dead in a Pennsylvania creek, far from his Baltimore office. He had suffered 36 stab wounds and drowned. Toll…
- The Widower: Thomas Randolph · 31 min · Episode 357#357 - When Sharon Causse was shot and killed inside her Las Vegas home in 2008, her husband, Thomas Randolph, claimed he had killed the intruder responsible. But the physical…
- The Mysterious Death of Alan Abrahamson · 33 min · Episode 356#356 - When 71-year-old Alan Abrahamson was found shot dead near his gated Florida community, the missing weapon pointed investigators toward murder. But unusual purchases, a…
- The Poisoning Death of Mary Yoder · 41 min · Episode 355#355 - In 2015, healthy 60-year-old chiropractor Mary Yoder suddenly became violently ill and died less than 48 hours later. Toxicology revealed that she had been poisoned with…
- The Unsolved Murders of Bill and Peggy Stephenson · 29 min · Episode 354#354 - When 74-year-old Bill and Peggy Stephenson failed to attend church on Memorial Day weekend in 2011, their family immediately knew something was wrong. Inside their…
- The Murder of Colette Aram · 28 min · Episode 353#353 - Five long weeks after a 16-year-old girl is brutally murdered, a chilling letter arrives on a police desk. The arrogant killer boasts about wearing a plastic Halloween…
- Kathleen Folbigg · 36 min · Episode 352#352 - Four children from the same family died suddenly before reaching their second birthdays. To investigators, the pattern seemed too extraordinary to be natural. And when…
- The Woodchipper Murder: Helle Crafts · 30 min#351 - A mother of three suddenly disappears after discovering that her husband has been cheating on her. He insists she simply left—but investigators soon uncover evidence…
- The Wrongful Conviction of David Camm · 43 min · Episode 350#350 - Imagine being accused of a crime you didn’t commit. Now imagine that crime was the brutal murder of your wife and two young children. That became David Camm’s reality…
- The Antifreeze Murders of Stacey Castor · 36 min · Episode 349When two of Stacey Castor’s husbands died under suspicious circumstances, investigators uncovered a chilling pattern involving antifreeze, forged documents, and a daughter who…
- The Identification of Lime Lady | Patreon Bonus Preview · 8 minIn 1980, a young woman was found murdered and covered in quicklime along an Oklahoma riverbank. Nearly 40 years later, forensic genealogy finally uncovered her name—and an even…
- The Murder of April Tinsley · 41 min · Episode 348In 1988, eight-year-old April Tinsley was abducted and murdered in Fort Wayne, Indiana. For thirty years, her killer taunted investigators and threatened other children—until the…
- The Murder of Christine Jessop (Vault) · 33 minNine-year-old Christine Jessop vanished from her small Ontario community in 1984, setting off an investigation that would convict an innocent man before DNA proved he had nothing…
- The Murder of Betsy Faria and The Lies of Pam Hupp · 60 min · Episode 347When Betsy Faria was found stabbed 55 times inside her Missouri home, investigators quickly focused on her husband—even though he had four alibi witnesses and no blood on his…
- The Suspicious Death of Kendrick Johnson (Vault) · 30 minIn 2013, 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson was found dead inside a rolled-up gym mat at his Georgia high school. Authorities ruled his death a tragic accident—but conflicting…
- The Murder of Meredith Kercher: Did DNA Wrongfully Implicate Amanda Knox? · 51 min · Episode 346When 21-year-old Meredith Kercher was murdered in Perugia, Italy, the investigation quickly became one of the most controversial criminal cases in modern history. This episode…
- Identified After 48 Years: The Michelle Louise Collier Case (BREAKING NEWS) · 24 minFor nearly 48 years, the teenage girl found buried in a California vineyard was known only as Jane Doe. Now, forensic genetic genealogy has finally given her a name: 15-year-old…
- The Florence Salon Murders · 39 min · Episode 345On November 6, 2001, three women were brutally murdered inside a small hair salon in Florence, Montana. More than two decades later, despite physical evidence, eyewitnesses, and…
- SPECIAL EPISODE: The Forensic Evidence Against D4vd · 34 minAfter five days of testimony, a judge ordered recording artist D4vd to stand trial in the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. This special episode examines the forensic…
- The Mysterious Death of Christina Kettlewell (The 8 Day Bride) | Patreon Bonus Preview · 7 minEight days after marrying Jack Kettlewell, 22-year-old Christina Kettlewell was found drowned in nine inches of water while her honeymoon cottage burned nearby. This special…
- The Unsolved Murder of Mike Emert · 43 min · Episode 344When successful Washington realtor Mike Emert was lured to a secluded home for what appeared to be a routine showing, he was brutally murdered in a crime that looked carefully…
- The Murder of Debra Jackson (Orange Socks Doe) · 34 min · Episode 343For more than 40 years, she was known only as "Orange Socks." In this episode, we examine the murder of Debra Jackson, the infamous confession of Henry Lee Lucas, and how modern…
- The Spray Tan Defense: The Death of Lina Kaufman · 40 minA healthy 33-year-old mother is found dead on her bathroom floor, leaving investigators searching for answers. When prosecutors accuse her husband of murder, the defense offers…
- The Mysterious Death of Brandon Lawson · 40 min · Episode 342In August 2013, Brandon Lawson vanished after making a series of frantic phone calls, including a mysterious 911 call that has puzzled investigators and true crime followers for…
- The Suspicious Death of Crystal McCrory Jones (Part 2) · 36 min · Episode 341In Part Two of The Suspicious Death of Crystal McCrory Jones, we examine the autopsy, forensic evidence, and investigative decisions that continue to fuel questions about…
- The Suspicious Death of Crystal McCrory Jones (Part 1) · 43 min · Episode 340On February 9, 2023, 43-year-old Crystal McCrory Jones was found dead inside her Louisiana home from a single gunshot wound to the head. Within hours, investigators ruled her…
- The Dardeen Family Murders · 46 min · Episode 339In 1987, the quiet town of Ina, Illinois became the scene of one of the most brutal family murders in American history. This week on Forensic Tales, we examine the forensic…
- The Unsolved Murder of Robert Wone | Patreon Bonus Preview · 6 minThis month on Patreon, we're examining one of the most baffling unsolved murders in recent memory. In 2006, attorney Robert Wone was stabbed to death while staying at a friend's…
- The Disappearance of Brandon Swanson · 43 min · Episode 338In May 2008, 19-year-old Brandon Swanson called his parents after driving into a ditch on a rural Minnesota road. During a 47-minute phone call, he tried to guide them to his…
- The Murder of Rachel Nickell (Archive) · 36 minIn this replay from the Forensic Tales archive, we revisit the murder of Rachel Nickell, one of the most controversial criminal investigations in British history. From the…
- The Disappearance of Patricia "Pat" Viola · 39 min · Episode 337In February 2001, Patricia Viola disappeared from her home in Bogota, New Jersey without her purse, medication, or any indication of where she was going. More than a decade…
- Herb Baumeister and the Fox Hollow Farm Murders · 35 min · Episode 336In this episode of Forensic Tales, we examine the Fox Hollow Farm Murders and the crimes of suspected serial killer Herb Baumeister. From missing men linked to Indianapolis gay…
- Diane Schuler: The Wrong-Way Crash Mystery (Archive) · 40 minFrom the Forensic Tales Archive: In this episode, we revisit the tragic and mysterious case of Diane Schuler and the 2009 Taconic State Parkway crash. What caused a seemingly…
- The Murder of Oakey “Al” Kite · 39 min · Episode 335#335 - When 53-year-old Oakey Kite, who went by Al, failed to show up for work on May 24th, 2004, his coworkers immediately knew something was wrong. Concerned, they went to his…
- The Abduction of Angela Hammond · 38 min · Episode 334#334 - In April 1991, 20-year-old Angela Hammond stood alone outside a grocery store in Clinton, Missouri, talking to her fiancé on a payphone late at night. She mentioned seeing…
- The Murder of Michelle O’Keefe: Convicted Without Evidence · 47 min · Episode 333#333 - In February 2000, 18-year-old college student Michelle O’Keefe was on her way home from appearing in a Kid Rock music video when she was gunned down inside her car. A…
- The Murder of Stacey Stites: Does DNA Prove Murder? · 41 min · Episode 332#332 - In April 1996, a motorist traveling along a rural road in Bastrop County, Texas, made a disturbing discovery. Lying in a grassy ditch along the roadside was the body of a…
- The Disappearance of Lauren Spierer · 36 min · Episode 331#331 - On the early morning of June 3, 2011, 20-year-old Indiana University student Lauren Spierer disappeared after a night out with friends in downtown Bloomington, Indiana…
- “Is Dorothy Home?” - The Murder of Dorothy Jane Scott · 48 min · Episode 330For months, Dorothy Jane Scott received anonymous phone calls from a man who said he was watching her. He knew where she worked. He knew where she went at night. Sometimes he…
- Lauren Agee: The Mysterious Death at WakeFest · 50 min · Episode 329#329 - In July of 2015, thousands of people gathered along the river for a weekend of music, camping, and wakeboarding. The annual event known as WakeFest was supposed to be a…
- The Oklahoma Peeping Tom Killer: The Murder of Gary Larson · 38 min · Episode 328#328 - When police in Oklahoma got a call from a woman saying a man wearing only gloves and a pair of underwear broke into her house, killed her boyfriend, and tortured her for…
- The Gerhardt Konig Trial: The Verdict · 29 min · Episode 332The verdict is in. In this special episode of Forensic Tales, we take a closer look at the trial of Gerhardt Konig, the Hawaii doctor accused of violently attacking his wife…
- Robert Roberson · 40 min · Episode 331#327 - For years, prosecutors across the United States relied on a diagnosis known as Shaken Baby Syndrome to explain the sudden deaths of infants and toddlers. In many cases…
- Mackenzie Cowell · 37 min · Episode 326#326 - When a 17-year-old beauty school student went missing in February 2010, the residents of a small Washington town were left stunned. Then just days later, the teen's body…
- BREAKING: Arrest Made in the Lovers Lane Murders · 15 min · Episode 329Five years ago, I covered the murders of Cheryl Henry and Andy Atkinson, the case often referred to as the Lovers Lane Murders. At the time, the case remained unsolved and was…
- Cathy Swartz · 45 min · Episode 328#325 - When the body of a 19-year-old mother was discovered murdered inside her apartment in 1988, the residents of Three Rivers, Michigan, were shocked. But the brutal details…
- SPECIAL EPISODE: A Forensic Breakdown of the Kouri Richins Trial · 32 min · Episode 327In March 2022, 39-year-old Eric Richins was found unresponsive in his Utah home. His death was initially believed to be the result of a fentanyl overdose, a tragic loss for his…
- Shirley Ramey · 39 min · Episode 324#324 - It was supposed to be a normal night for 78-year-old Shirley Ramey and her husband of 57 years, Daryl, from Hope, Idaho. Daryl went to play cards with friends while…
