Some criminal investigations are so complicated that they require a number of expert witnesses to be involved. This programme examines how forensic evidence from a whole team of scientists turned a missing person case into a hunt for a murderer, and then into an investigation into one of Britain’s most notorious serial killers.\n\nAfter the body of a young Polish woman was discovered in the basement of a church in Glasgow, police observed an element of organisation and methodology behind the killing and became convinced the culprit had murdered before. They launched a huge operation to dig into the killer's life: where he had been living, what he had been doing, and which nearby crimes remained unsolved. Their investigation led them to two cold cases, but only evidence from expert witnesses could reveal if these were the work of the same killer. \n\nThe police enlisted the help of forensic scientists Jennifer Miller, Carol Rodgers and Peter Faulding - experts in a range of different disciplines, from bioarchaeology to forensic biology and ground-penetrating radar testing - to help them gather evidence. And despite the passage of time, the experts ensured that no piece of evidence was overlooked and that the truth was finally discovered.
Source: BBC 1
Series 3: 6. Face Of A Killer And Proof In The Pollen
When a young man is stabbed to death, a facial recognition expert helps Merseyside Police catch the killer. And a specialist palynologist’s help is needed by detectives in ...
03-02-2025
BBC 1
Series 2 (reversions): 8. Late Night Murder / Hounded To Death
Our first case tells the story of a 24-year-old Irish nurse studying in Glasgow, who disappears after a night out with friends. Police focus on the last man she had been seen ch ...
05-12-2024
BBC 1
Series 2 (reversions): 7. Body In The Snow / From The Ashes
This episode takes us to Bristol, where police launch a major missing persons enquiry following the disappearance of 25-year-old Jo Yeates. Days later, the body of the young wom ...
04-12-2024
BBC 1
Series 2 (reversions): 6. Murder In The Car Park / River Of Evidence
This episode travels to Tunbridge Wells to investigate the shocking murder of Terry Edmonds. Seventeen-year-old Terry travelled to Tunbridge to visit friends when she disappeare ...
03-12-2024
BBC 1
Series 2 (reversions): 5. The Kitchen Poisoner / Invisible Evidence
Detectives are always looking for ways to use new areas of forensic science to solve crimes. In Hull, investigators who are trying to solve the murder case of a teenage boy foun ...
02-12-2024
BBC 1
Series 2 (reversions): 4. Body In The Bog / The Bite Of A Killer
We travel to Ayrshire to investigate the murder of 39-year-old Emma Faulds. Emma is reported missing when she fails to turn up to work, and on entering her home, police find her ...
28-11-2024
BBC 1
Series 2 (reversions): Episode 3
Our first case delves into the gripping investigation of the 2004 murder of 37-year-old David Morley, who was brutally attacked by a gang of youths on a chilling spree of random ...
27-11-2024
BBC 1
Series 2 (reversions): Episode 2
We travel to Manchester to investigate the unexplained death of a single mother, Karen Doubleday, found dead in the woods. Investigations reveal she has been strangled and stamp ...
26-11-2024
BBC 1
Series 2 (reversions): Episode 1
In July 1978, the city of Aberdeen was rocked when Dr Brenda Page was found bludgeoned to death in her West End home. Initial police forensic work undertaken by Eric Jenson unco ...
25-11-2024
BBC 1
Series 4: 15. Buried Secrets
A woman’s body is found in a remote location in South Lanarkshire in 2005 by a dog walker. She is identified as Emma Caldwell, a 27-year-old sex worker, who has been missi ...
21-11-2024
BBC 1
Series 2 (reversions): 6. Murder In The Car Park / River Of Evidence
This episode travels to Tunbridge Wells to investigate the shocking murder of Terry Edmonds. Seventeen-year-old Terry travelled to Tunbridge to visit friends when she disappeare ...
03-12-2024
BBC 1
Series 2: 1. Shallow Graves - Unearthing A Serial Killer
Some criminal investigations are so complicated that they require a number of expert witnesses to be involved. This programme examines how forensic evidence from a whole team of ...
11-09-2023
BBC 1
Series 1: 11. Text Messages And Dna
Analysis of text messages reveal a husband’s plot to cover up his wife’s murder, and traces of DNA on decades-old evidence help bring justice to the family of a murd ...
08-11-2021
BBC 1
Series 4: 6. Murderers, Messages And The Breakfast Killer
In this episode, we take a look at how phone data can unlock a case and provide a solid link between the suspects and a horrific murder. \n\nIn early 2023, emergency call handle ...
05-11-2024
BBC 1
Series 1: 6. Dna, Fibres And Bones
In this episode, we reveal how the tenacity of a team of forensic scientists helped finally catch the killer of two children in Brighton. Also, when bones were discovered on moo ...
03-08-2022
BBC 1
Series 4: 4. Cracking The Killer's Code
Our first case concerns a young man, Dolton Powell, fatally stabbed by an armed gang after a party. A group of suspects are arrested and questioned, but they remain tight-lipped ...
31-10-2024
BBC 1
Series 2 (reversions): Episode 3
Our first case delves into the gripping investigation of the 2004 murder of 37-year-old David Morley, who was brutally attacked by a gang of youths on a chilling spree of random ...
27-11-2024
BBC 1
Series 2 (reversions): 4. Body In The Bog / The Bite Of A Killer
We travel to Ayrshire to investigate the murder of 39-year-old Emma Faulds. Emma is reported missing when she fails to turn up to work, and on entering her home, police find her ...
28-11-2024
BBC 1
Series 1 (extended Versions): 7. Suspicious Texts, Dna And Soil Secrets
Text message analysis reveals a shocking crime, and DNA on old evidence catches a killer. Soil science and the first murder case solved using DNA evidence are also explored.
13-12-2022
BBC 1
Series 2 (reversions): Episode 1
In July 1978, the city of Aberdeen was rocked when Dr Brenda Page was found bludgeoned to death in her West End home. Initial police forensic work undertaken by Eric Jenson unco ...
25-11-2024
BBC 1