Episodios

  • Jodine Serrin

    Jodine Serrin
    Nov 3 2025
    It was Valentine’s Day, 2007, when 39-year-old Jodine Serrin’s parents stopped by her Carlsbad, California condo to check on her. Moments after walking into her bedroom, they realized something was terribly wrong. Jodine had been brutally attacked—and the man they’d seen inside her home had vanished. For over a decade, her murder went unsolved. No witnesses. No leads. Just a single piece of DNA left behind. In this episode, we examine how cutting-edge forensic technology—and one company’s groundbreaking use of genetic genealogy—finally revealed the truth about who killed Jodine Serrin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    40 m
  • Linda Slaten

    Linda Slaten
    Oct 27 2025
    #304 - In 1981, 31-year-old single mother Linda Slaten was found murdered in her Lakeland, Florida apartment. Her sons were asleep just down the hall. For decades, detectives chased every lead — a violent ex-husband, a mysterious boyfriend, even a convicted predator who once lived next door. But the trail always went cold. Nearly forty years later, a revolutionary forensic tool — genetic genealogy — finally revealed the truth. And the answer shocked everyone: the killer had been hiding in plain sight the entire time. This is the story of how one preserved palm print, a decades-old rape kit, and the persistence of science brought long-awaited justice to Linda Slaten’s family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    37 m
  • Teresa Solecki

    Teresa Solecki
    Oct 20 2025
    In January 1984, 29-year-old Teresa Solecki walked to a payphone in Vista, California, to make a quick call to her sister. She never came back. Hours later, her body was discovered along a remote stretch of Gopher Canyon Road—brutally beaten and strangled. For decades, investigators held onto the evidence: a bite mark, a drag trail, and an unknown male’s DNA. But without modern technology, Teresa’s case went cold. It would take 35 years, new forensic science, and the power of investigative genetic genealogy to finally reveal the truth—and identify her killer. This is the story of the murder of Teresa Solecki—and how DNA preserved for decades helped bring justice to her family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    42 m
  • Dorothy Donovan

    Dorothy Donovan
    Oct 13 2025
    In June 1991, 70-year-old grandmother Dorothy Donovan was found brutally murdered inside her farmhouse in Harrington, Delaware. The crime stunned the small town—and suspicion immediately turned to the person who discovered her body: her own son. Charles Holden told investigators a strange and terrifying story about a violent hitchhiker he’d picked up earlier that night, a man who threatened him with a screwdriver and chased him through the dark. But detectives weren’t convinced. To them, it sounded like a desperate attempt to cover up something far worse. For years, Dorothy’s family was torn apart by grief and suspicion. Was Charles telling the truth, or had he concocted an elaborate alibi to hide his guilt? This is the story of a brutal crime, a family divided, and the forensic evidence that finally uncovered the truth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    37 m
  • Noreen Boyle

    Noreen Boyle
    Oct 6 2025
    On New Year’s Eve 1989, Mansfield, Ohio was rocked by the disappearance of Noreen Boyle. Her husband, prominent neurosurgeon Dr. John Boyle, insisted she had walked out after an argument. But Noreen’s son, 11-year-old Collier, told a very different story—a scream in the night, suspicious behavior from his father, and threats to stay silent. When investigators dug deeper—literally—they uncovered the truth buried beneath the floor of Boyle’s new home in Pennsylvania. Forensic science, from dental records to a Rolex watch frozen in time, dismantled Boyle’s lies and secured his conviction. This case became one of the most publicized trials in Ohio history, second only to Sam Sheppard. It’s a story of hidden abuse, the power of forensic evidence, and the extraordinary courage of a child who refused to be silenced. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    40 m
  • 300th Episode Special: The Zodiac

    300th Episode Special: The Zodiac
    Sep 29 2025
    For our 300th episode of Forensic Tales, we’re tackling one of the most infamous and puzzling unsolved cases in American history—the Zodiac Killer. Between 1968 and 1969, a mysterious figure terrorized Northern California with a string of murders, chilling phone calls, and cryptic letters sent to local newspapers. Despite decades of investigation, the Zodiac’s identity remains one of the greatest mysteries in true crime. In this milestone special, we’ll retrace the Zodiac’s crimes and focus on the forensic evidence: the ballistics that linked his attacks, the fingerprints and palm prints that led nowhere, the handwriting analysis that divided experts, and the DNA testing that continues to fall short. We’ll also look ahead at how advances in forensic science—like genetic genealogy—could one day solve this case. Thank you for joining me on this journey through 300 episodes. Here’s to the stories we’ve told, the voices we’ve remembered, and the breakthroughs still to come. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    42 m
  • Noelle Russo

    Noelle Russo
    Sep 22 2025
    #299 - In June 1983, 37-year-old Noelle Russo was found beaten to death and left naked in a patch of weeds behind a real estate office in Rohnert Park, California. For decades, her case went cold—suspects were interviewed, rumors circulated, but without forensic evidence, detectives had nowhere to go. Nearly forty years later, modern DNA testing finally identified a suspect: a man who had been on investigators’ radar since the very beginning. His arrest has reignited questions about Noelle’s final night, unresolved leads, and what justice looks like after four decades of waiting. This is the story of the murder of Noelle Russo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    34 m
  • Trial Recap: Donna Adelson

    Trial Recap: Donna Adelson
    Sep 15 2025
    In 2014, Florida State law professor Dan Markel was shot in his driveway in what prosecutors called a calculated murder-for-hire plot. Over the years, three people—including Donna Adelson’s son, Charlie—were convicted for their roles. But investigators always believed the real mastermind was Donna herself. In September 2025, after nearly a decade of speculation, Donna Adelson finally stood trial. Prosecutors leaned on phone records, wiretaps, financial transfers, digital breadcrumbs, and even testimony from jailhouse informants to argue she orchestrated the killing. The defense insisted the evidence was circumstantial and that Donna was nothing more than a grieving grandmother. On September 4, 2025, a jury found Donna Adelson guilty on all counts. She now faces a mandatory life sentence without parole. This special episode of Forensic Tales breaks down the forensic evidence, courtroom drama, and the final verdict that brought the Adelson matriarch to justice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    43 m