Forensic Files (season 4)

Forensic Files (season 4)
Country of origin	United States
Release
Original network	TLC
Original release	October 1, 1999 – December 29, 1999

Forensic Files is an American documentary-style series which reveals how forensic science is used to solve violent crimes, mysterious accidents, and even outbreaks of illness. The show is broadcast on truTV, narrated by Peter Thomas, and produced by Medstar Television, in association with truTV Original Productions. It has broadcast 400 episodes since its debut on TLC in 1996 as Medical Detectives.

Episodes

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Original air date
40	1	"Invisible Intruder"	October 6, 1999
In 1996, Police received a call from Darlie Routier telling them of her two sons' murders. However, police were unsure about the validity of Darlie's story and began an intensive search of the crime scene. The police determined who the killer was by analyzing blood spatter, doing behavioral profiling and analyzing Darlie's 911 call. The evidence proved that Darlie killed her two oldest sons with a knife, inflicted wounds on herself, cleaned the evidence and created a story of a crazed intruder who had come in the house. Darlie's motive was to obtain the $5,000 each of her sons had in a bank account.
41	2	"The Killing Room"	October 13, 1999
In 1991, Scott Dunn disappeared. When investigators went through his Lubbock, Texas, apartment, they noticed partial replacement of his bedroom carpeting with a large stain of blood underneath. Scott's father worked closely with investigators and reported his suspicions of Scott's girlfriend, Leisha Hamilton. Together, they fully investigated Leisha's story and uncovered another boyfriend named Timothy Smith. Leisha told Tim that Scott was losing interest in her. Police went to Tim's house and found the exact tape used in the carpet cover-up of Scott's murder. This was enough to indict both Leisha and Tim of murder charges.
42	3	"Ultimate Betrayal"	October 20, 1999
In 1995, Debora Green lost two children in a fire that burnt down her Kansas City, Missouri mansion. Routine procedures occurred and both Debora and her previous husband Michael Farrar were questioned. Suspicions arose when Debora refused to cooperate during questioning. Police then questioned Michael and uncovered disturbing stories proving Debora was dangerous. She had poisoned Michael during their separation and told him he would only get custody of the children over their dead bodies. Debora's singed hair and the initial location of the fire proved her involvement in the arson.
43	4	"Cement the Case"	October 27, 1999
In 1990, Shirley Andronowich's body was found one morning after being brutally murdered and mutilated in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Witnesses told police Shirley and her husband Ed were seen fighting in a bar the night before. Police first suspected Ed and even arrested him after he confessed to the murder. However, all forensic evidence proved that Ed had actually nothing to do with the murder. A year later, police received a call about a man named Mark Jarman, who talked about being connected to Shirley's murder. Once investigated, police found that his identity matched all the evidence found at the crime scene. Jarman stated there was no motive for the murder.
44	5	"Innocence Lost"	November 3, 1999
Details the disappearance of Melissa Brannen, a five-year-old girl who went missing from a Christmas party in 1989. The fibers on her clothes were the only means for police to determine her abductor. Police grew suspicious of Cal Hughes who was washing his clothes at 1am when they came to his home. They searched his car and found several fibers similar to the clothes Melissa had worn to the party. However, there was no way to test the fibers until an investigator's wife remembered seeing Melissa's outfit in a catalog. The same outfit was taken from another customer and tested. The fibers matched and Cal Hughes was convicted of abduction with intent to harm.
45	6	"'Til Death Do Us Part"	November 10, 1999
In 1991, Robert Curley was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome when he arrived at the hospital with excruciating leg pains. However, doctors became suspicious during Robert's second admission and tested him for Thallium poisoning, which proved positive and Robert died shortly thereafter. Autopsy showed that Robert ingested more poison a few days before his death. Investigators also discovered that Robert's wife Joann was waiting to collect her previous husband's life insurance (from his accidental death) and disagreed with the way Robert wanted to spend it. Joann would then collect additional life insurance if Robert suffered from an accidental death. Joann was convicted of Robert's murder six years later.
46	7	"Ties That Bind"	November 17, 1999
In 1983, two young boys were found tied and murdered with similar wounds within three months of each other in two Nebraska towns. The rope used to tie the boys was unique. Another clue turned up when one of the boy's brother was hypnotized and remembered a uniformed man in a tan car. Shortly after, someone noticed a strange car and gave the licence plate number to police. This vital information led to the conviction of John Joubert, an air force-enlisted man who carried the same exact rope used to bind the two boys. He later confessed to the murder of an 11-year-old boy in Portland, Maine.
47	8	"Body of Evidence"	November 24, 1999
In 1978, Mark Fair left for work and his fiancée Karla Brown remained at home. When Mark and a friend returned home that evening, they found Karla dead. The condition of Karla's body told investigators that she was a victim of sexual assault; she had resisted, struggled and was killed. The police questioned neighbors Paul Main and John Prante, but they were considered low-level suspects. During autopsy, they were able to re-examine bite marks found on her body. A computer enhancement gave a better view of the bite marks and the science of forensic odontology identified John Prante. On July 15, 1983, five years after the murder, Prante was found guilty and sentenced to 75 years in prison.
48	9	"Accident or Murder?"	December 1, 1999
In 1989, Nova Scotia schoolteacher Clayton Johnson left for work. Later that morning, Mrs. Molloy arrived to drop off her child at the Johnson home. She found Clayton's wife Janice Johnson lying at the bottom of the basement stairs in a pool of blood and it was determined to be an accident. Later on, Clayton Johnson married a 22-year-old member of his Pentecostal congregation. When homicide investigator Brian Oldford heard this, he became suspicious and decided to reinvestigate. He learned that Clayton had taken out a $125,000 life insurance policy on Janice shortly before she died. Clayton Johnson was charged with first-degree murder. By examining the photos and nature of the injuries, they were convinced that she had fallen backwards. The accidental fall scenario would also account for the complete lack of defensive wounds on Mrs. Johnson or Mr. Johnson. Testimony was presented to the Canadian high courts and a decision is pending.
49	10	"Core Evidence"	December 8, 1999
In 1996, 16-month-old Anne Grace Gimmenstad became very ill, was rushed to the hospital and died within two weeks. Following extensive medical examinations, it was determined that Anna had been the victim of the deadly bacteria E.coli. Anna'a mother recalled a trip to the grocery store when Anna pointed excitedly at her favorite drink, Odwalla apple juice. As early as 1993, tests on samples of Odwalla juices found high levels of general bacteria. Federal and state inspections reports confirm that the company used two loads of apples with relatively high defect levels on the day the juice was made. The genetic markings on the E.coli in the victims matched the bacteria found in the product bottled that day. Odwalla pled guilty to violating Federal food safety laws and agreed to pay a $1.5 million fine for the outbreak of E.coli in its juices.
50	11	"Haunting Vision"	December 15, 1999
In 1967, Lori Keidel, her two sisters and her brother were left home alone while their father went to a nearby laundromat. Suddenly, a large blaze engulfed their brick ranch home. Only a few months earlier, the children's mother disappeared, and had made no effort to contact them. In 1993, Lori found the courage to tell police the vision that had possessed her for 29 years: that Lori had witnessed her mother's death. In 1994, an eight by nine foot square of concrete was removed from the side yard, and a skeleton was found in the exact spot her youngest daughter remembered as being her grave. Gene Keidel was arrested for his wife's murder nearly 30 years after her death. Gene was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.
51	12	"With Every Breath"	December 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. In 1993, Florena started complaining of muscle aches in her back and shoulders and 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 Hantavirus. 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.
52	13	"Slippery Motives"	December 29, 1999
In 1986, Edward Post left the Omni Hotel in St. Louis and went for a 40-minute jog. Before leaving, he said that he drew a bath for his wife Julie Thigpen-Post. Ed returned and called the front desk, stating that his wife had fallen in the bathtub and was not breathing and she was dead when emergency response arrived. Investigators considered accidental death, until they discovered that Ed had a $700,000 life insurance policy on Julie. A second autopsy found 36 areas of bruising, not noted during the original autopsy. The death was ruled a homicide and Ed Post was charged with the first-degree murder of his wife. The trial ended in 1989, and Ed was found guilty of first-degree murder. After serving six and a half years, Ed admitted to the drowning of his wife.

External links

• Forensic Files episodes on TV Guide