The New Detectives

In the mind of an obsessive killer, raw desire replaces all reason and murder becomes an opportune means to an end. While forensic investigators follow the physical evidence, psychologists study the jumbled inner-workings of the criminal mind.

The smallest of clues can solve even the biggest cases. Often the scales of justice are balanced by just a few milligrams of evidence – a couple of fibers, a smudge of blood or a strand of hair. Never underestimate the weight of these tiny clues.

As technology becomes a bigger part of our lives, it’s becoming difficult to do anything without leaving behind an electronic trace. Cell phones and ATMs track our every move. When it comes to solving murders, this isn’t necessarily such a bad thing.

Often, murderers will change or stage a crime scene, turning murder into suicide, pinning blame, or hiding the body completely. However, forensic investigators can detect masterful disguises and the truth can be found from clues at the scene.

No crime scene is absent of clues. No matter how chaotic or how clean it may appear to be, the culprit is bound to leave something telling behind. Sometimes it’s nothing more than a fingerprint or shoe tread. Sometimes that’s all that’s needed.

Men aren’t the only ones who kill. Though female killers usually choose less violent methods than their male counterparts, they’re equally as deadly and often more calculating. But thanks to forensics, they’re no more likely to get away with it.

Contract killings allow someone to establish the perfect alibi. By hiring someone else to do his or her dirty work, a person can deflect guilt or twist the truth. Forensics is changing that, leading investigators to the employers of killers.

Some people do get away with murder, at least for a while. Flush with their success, they murder again and again. But with each kill, they get sloppier, leaving investigators more and more clues, which eventually lead to their undoing.

Poisoners are the most dangerous culprits in the crime world: smart assassins. They rely on their devious stealth and must put their victims at ease to earn their trust. And, usually, they don’t stop at just one victim.

Some cases can’t be solved immediately. The passage of time can convince people to talk and new technologies can discover overlooked clues. Forensic scientists often reevaluate unsolved crimes and apply new means to solve them.

The Texas Rangers were established in the 1800s to protect settlers from Native Americans. That role has evolved greatly over time to keep up with a changing society. Today, their job includes solving murders with advanced forensics labs.

Forensics is not only used to solve murders. Drug trafficking has created a deadly criminal underworld and many forensic investigators are devoted to cracking these violent drug rings.

Some of the best clues come from the least likely places. Seemingly meaningless objects – beer bottles, insects, doormats – have been used by forensics scientists to solve the most baffling of crimes. The murders of Virginia Russell, Hye-Yon Smith and Janet Overton are evidence of this.

Some crime writers know just as much about crime as a police officer, investigator or any criminal. Using combined perspectives from law enforcement, journalism and criminal psychology, writers provide new and exciting first-hand accounts of murder.

A good coroner can deliver what is necessary to solve a crime, while a bad one can destroy an otherwise solid case. Two of the country’s most respected coroners provide an inside look into their jobs, sharing their insights into crime solving.