logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2024
44m 34s

National DNA Day: The First Murder Convi...

SPOTIFY STUDIOS
About this episode

April 25 marks National DNA Day in the US, and if you’ve been following true crime stories for a while you know how important DNA can be for solving even the most complicated of cases. In this episode, we’re exploring the first murder case ever solved using DNA analysis, and how it changed a small English town, and forensic science, forever.

Keep up with us on Instagram @serialkillerspodcast! Have a story to share? Email us at serialkillerstories@spotify.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Up next
Nov 10
Ed Gein Pt. 2
Hi listeners! After this week, we'll be taking a short break for the holiday. We'll be back in December with a special series to close out the year. Until then, here's Ed Gein Pt. 2. After murdering two women, robbing graves, and decorating his home with human body parts, Ed Gein ... Show More
45m 58s
Nov 3
Ed Gein Pt. 1
We explore the twisted mind of Ed Gein, whose gruesome killings inspired horror movies Pyscho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and The Silence of the Lambs. Gein was known for years as the local handyman in Plainfield, until it was uncovered in 1957 that he killed two women and robb ... Show More
36m 6s
Oct 27
Halloween Special: The Candy Lady
For Halloween this year we are bringing back one of your favorites, an urban legend about a terrifying Texas child-killer… and discussing how real-life cases echo the legend. Stay up to date with changes coming to the feed on @serialkillerspodcast! Learn more about your ad choice ... Show More
30m 40s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2024
DNA and Crime
In today's episode we look at how DNA became used in criminal cases and the criminal cases that played a major part in the acceptance and widespread use of DNA fingerprinting. We also look at the evolution from early DNA fingerprinting to modern profiling and finally investigativ ... Show More
1h 4m
Feb 2025
FORENSICS | The Lin Family Murders
DNA has become the gold standard in forensic investigation. As its use is increasing, so is our understanding of its limitations.   Jae Gerhard is the principal forensic scientist at Independent Forensic Services. Starting out as a forensic scientist at the Australian Federal Pol ... Show More
52m 59s
Dec 2021
Episode 7: Bad Science
<p>Major forensics failures in a government-run laboratory seriously compromised the police investigation into Shandee&rsquo;s murder, one of Australia&rsquo;s most respected DNA experts finds. After months examining the case for Shandee&rsquo;s Story, forensic biologist Dr Kirst ... Show More
1h 7m
May 2025
Post Mortem | The Footprint
Host Anne-Marie Green and 48 Hours Correspondent Erin Moriarty discuss the cold case murder of Jeanie Childs, who was stabbed to death in 1993. Almost three decades later, her killer was finally convicted. They discuss the investigative genetic genealogy that led authorities to J ... Show More
22m 55s
Sep 2023
S3 Ep15: DNA and Rex's Arrest
When Rex Heuermann was arrested in connection with the Gilgo 4 murders, Suffolk County Law Enforcement explained how DNA corroborated evidence they'd gathered along Ocean Parkway. One important distinction, in comparison with some cases, was the use of mitochondrial DNA which dif ... Show More
30m 2s
Jul 2025
Message In A Bottle
This episode originally aired March 7, 2019. For twelve years, the murder of a young woman went unsolved, but with the passage of time came the development of technology. Would a used tissue found at the crime scene give police the evidence they needed to crack the case and bring ... Show More
22m 53s
Dec 2018
The Footpath Murders
A 1986 case of sexual assault and serial murder marked the first time DNA was used as evidence in a court of law.To learn more about how HLN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 
21m 41s
Mar 2022
Episode 15: Spin Cycles
<p>Queensland&rsquo;s government-run forensics lab has been using a testing threshold that is preventing it from detecting DNA in many samples, says Dr Kirsty Wright, with potentially catastrophic consequences for victims of violent crime. A t-shirt described as 'blood-soaked' is ... Show More
1h 6m
Nov 2023
NEW: DNA: ID Podcast with Jessica Bettencourt
Check out the "DNA: ID" podcast with host Jessica Bettencourt as she talks with "Mind Over Murder" co-hosts Bill Thomas and Kristin Dilley about her show, which covers true crime casesthat have been solved using Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy.<br /><br />DNA: ID Podcast ... Show More
44m 15s
Mar 2023
The Murder of Rita Curran Part 1 (Vermont)
<p>VERMONT, 1971: After more than 50 years, 24-year Rita Curran's murder finally has closure. In this two part series, you'll hear the details of an investigation spanning over half a century and the DNA evidence that finally revealed a suspect in Vermont's oldest cold case.</p>< ... Show More
30m 7s