Episode
Forensic Files: Saving Face
Overview
When a woman disappeared without a trace, there were two possible explanations: kidnapping or murder. Concern was heightened when police learned that two other women had vanished under similar circumstances. Careful investigation, the talents of a forensic artist, and DNA profiling enabled police to link the crimes to a single suspect – an immigrant known to prey upon vulnerable women. [also marked as S9:E25]
Details
- Series
- Forensic Files
- Season
- Season 9
- Episode
- Episode 23
- Air date
- 2004-11-17
- Runtime
- 23 min
Episode context
Saving Face is Episode 23 in Season 9 of Forensic Files. It aired on 2004-11-17. The runtime is 23 min.
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Episode 22: Seeds for Doubt
In 2002, a small community in upstate New York was devastated when Patty Wlasiuk died when their truck went into a lake, from which her husband Peter stated he narrowly escaped. Investigators initially thought alcohol was to blame, but blood tests proved the victim was not intoxicated. Burdock seed pods found in her hair and on her clothes would indicate that this was no acciden - it was cold-blooded murder.
Episode 24: Northern Exposure
Hikers near Anchorage, Alaska discovered a body wrapped in sheets edged in orange stitching. Authorities hydrated the fingers and obtained a fingerprint, enabling them to identify the victim. Clinging to the sheet, they also discovered a tuft of red carpet fibers – threads of evidence, which led them straight to the killer. [also marked as S9:E30]
More episodes from this season
Episode 21: Point of Origin
In 1984, California firefighters had battled ten arson fires in three weeks. When cigarettes and a scrap of paper connected the southern California fires to several fires further north, the hunt was on for a dangerous pyromaniac. Investigators finally found a fingerprint, and it pointed to a most unlikely suspect.
Episode 25: Silk Stalkings
The news of a flight attendant's brutal murder prompted the son of a victim who had been killed five years earlier to contact police. The M.O. of both murders was remarkably similar, and analysis of the biological evidence from the crime scenes proved that these were serial killings.
Episode 20: Muddy Waters
A Colorado hunter who'd been shot three times and killed was the victim of a well planned crime, not an accidental shooting. Investigators found a .243 calibre bullet in his lung and a .308 calibre shell casing near his body, and suspected they were looking for two murder weapons, and two killers. But analysis of the forensic evidence pointed them in a different direction one much closer to home.
Episode 26: Fishing for the Truth
A two-man shrimp boat sank when a fast-moving, violent storm struck the Louisiana coast. The captain drowned, and the deckhand was rescued fourteen hours later. He told the Coast Guard that the captain's foot had become entangled in the fishing nets; they tried frantically to free him, but they failed. The deckhand was considered a hero until the captain's body was found. Eventually, the public discovers that he was coerced into confessing to the captain's murder.
Episode 19: Deadly Matrimony
A go-go dancer told her family she needed to get away for a while, and then she simply disappeared. Investigators were suspicious, because she took neither her car nor her clothes. The next twenty years passed slowly, and the family began to think they might never know what happened until they received a phone call which changed everything.
Episode 27: For Love or Money
When a wealthy real estate tycoon went missing, it appeared to be foul play. He had been aware that he was in danger. In his will, he left instructions regarding what was to happen if he died under violent circumstances – instructions which were carried out after a hiker came across a bullet-ridden skull.
Episode 18: Badge of Betrayal
The body of a young California co-ed was found under an isolated ramp of the Interstate, and San Diego police had no idea who would want this girl dead. But their questions would be answered when they discovered a tiny, unique fiber on the victim's clothing, which led them straight to the most unlikely of killers.
Episode 28: South of the Border
The cold-blooded murder of an American tourist in a Mexican resort focused law enforcement resources on both sides of the border. At first glance, the motive appeared to be robbery, but careful analysis of the forensic evidence pointed to something much more sinister.
Episode 17: Buried Treasure
A man disappears one year to the day after beginning an affair with his friend's wife. 15 years later, with the help of a metal detector, police found evidence which would prove what had happened, and who was responsible.
Episode 29: The Stake-Out
The investigation of the kidnapping of a prominent banker's wife led police on a wild goose chase, tracking down disgruntled bank customers and examining computer fonts. An unexpected discovery made by an entomologist resulted in a new suspect, and the realization that ordinary office equipment can leave behind extraordinary clues.