America's Crime Lab

A trucker calls police to report seeing a body floating in a Mississippi River. When police arrive to investigate, they’re shocked to find a little girl dead in the river brush. They’re even more startled when they find the body of a young man down river a few days later. America’s Crime Lab is a true crime podcast about how science solves cold cases, missing persons, and other unsolved cases. Hosted by journalist and clinical psychologist Elin Lantz Lesser, and powered by Othram’s forensic DNA lab, the show connects the science to the story, revealing what really happens in the lab and why it matters. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Othram began to realize that a lot of unidentified remains cases languishing on shelves in law enforcement offices belonged to children. Children that remained unidentified for decades. Meanwhile, loved ones never gave up hope. There is a solution to this issue, and it’s less of a lift than you would think. In this episode, families finally find answers, and get a chance to say goodbye. America’s Crime Lab is a true crime podcast about how science solves cold cases, missing persons, and other unsolved cases. Hosted by journalist and clinical psychologist Elin Lantz Lesser, and powered by Othram’s forensic DNA lab, the show connects the science to the story, revealing what really happens in the lab and why it matters. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emergency crews responding to a boat fire discovered human remains, but the case quickly went cold. For decades, investigators had no answers. Using advanced forensic DNA, Othram scientists were able to identify the victim and reveal the truth behind the fire, finally giving a family long-delayed closure. America’s Crime Lab is a true crime podcast about how science solves cold cases, missing persons, and other unsolved cases. Hosted by journalist and clinical psychologist Elin Lantz Lesser, and powered by Othram’s forensic DNA lab, the show connects the science to the story, revealing what really happens in the lab and why it matters. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People swept away by Hurricane Katrina, lone travelers who disappeared, and kids who never came home. Where are all of these missing people, and are their unidentified remains sitting in universities and law enforcement offices around the country? America’s Crime Lab is a true crime podcast about how science solves cold cases, missing persons, and other unsolved cases. Hosted by journalist and clinical psychologist Elin Lantz Lesser, and powered by Othram’s forensic DNA lab, the show connects the science to the story, revealing what really happens in the lab and why it matters. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A little girl is kidnapped from her grandmother’s yard. Her family searches for decades, hoping to find her. 62 years later, detectives call with information. But it’s not what anyone expected. America’s Crime Lab is a true crime podcast about how science solves cold cases, missing persons, and other unsolved cases. Hosted by journalist and clinical psychologist Elin Lantz Lesser, and powered by Othram’s forensic DNA lab, the show connects the science to the story, revealing what really happens in the lab and why it matters. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Illinois, a DIY home renovation uncovered a human skull hidden inside a wall. When the case went cold, the remains sat for decades on a museum office shelf, forgotten and unidentified. Years later, a staffer’s rediscovery gave investigators a second chance. Using forensic DNA technology, they finally uncovered the identity of Esther Granger, and the mystery of how her skull ended up in a family home. America’s Crime Lab is a true crime podcast about how science solves cold cases, missing persons, and other unsolved cases. Hosted by journalist and clinical psychologist Elin Lantz Lesser, and powered by Othram’s forensic DNA lab, the show connects the science to the story, revealing what really happens in the lab and why it matters. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Atlanta, the brutal rape and double homicide of siblings left detectives with plenty of evidence but no suspect. For years, the case went cold. Then, a violent crime in Michigan revealed new DNA leads that could finally identify the killer, and deliver long-awaited justice for the Sumpter family while their mother is still alive to see it. America’s Crime Lab is a true crime podcast about how science solves cold cases, missing persons, and other unsolved cases. Hosted by journalist and clinical psychologist Elin Lantz Lesser, and powered by Othram’s forensic DNA lab, the show connects the science to the story, revealing what really happens in the lab and why it matters. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Weeks after the violent murders of four college students, DNA leads detectives from Idaho to Pennsylvania in the hunt for the killer. After a midnight stakeout to link an unsuspecting graduate student to the brutal stabbings, will the victims’ families finally be able to face the murderer in court? America’s Crime Lab is a true crime podcast about how science solves cold cases, missing persons, and other unsolved cases. Hosted by journalist and clinical psychologist Elin Lantz Lesser, and powered by Othram’s forensic DNA lab, the show connects the science to the story, revealing what really happens in the lab and why it matters. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When DNA evidence from the crime scene where four college students were murdered leads police to a dead end, investigators have to start over from scratch. Will a surviving roommate’s eyewitness account reveal new details about the killer? Racing against the clock, detectives turn to new DNA technology to track the murderer in real time. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The brutal murders of four Idaho college students shock a college town and send police on the hunt for a killer. Investigators discover one key piece of evidence at the crime scene. Will it be enough to lead them to the killer? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nearly thirty years after gay men go missing from nightclubs in Indianapolis, one man’s call to the new coroner in town sets off an investigation into what happened at Fox Hollow. Now, there’s a desperate push to excavate the remains of dozens of suspected murder victims whose bodies were burned and crushed beyond recognition. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Young gay men begin disappearing from downtown Indianapolis. One by one, missing persons fliers go up, and rumors spread about a serial killer. Families are frustrated by a lackluster investigation. And then a killing field is discovered in a shocking location. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The search for nine-year-old Candy Rogers became the Mount Everest of cold cases in Spokane. Could the killer’s family hold the final clue to solving the case? And just how far would detectives need to dig for the truth? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When nine-year-old Candy Rogers went missing, the entire city of Spokane went looking for her. A search party tragedy added to the community's grief when Candy’s battered body was discovered. Now, one final piece of evidence is all that’s left to reopen the case. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emergency crews responding to a boat fire discover the badly burned remains of a person onboard. With little evidence and no identification, the remains are buried in an unmarked grave. Years later, DNA gives cold case detectives hope to identify who he was and to track down his family. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For nearly 50 years, Carla Walker’s family hunted for the person who raped and murdered the high school cheerleader. When police finally make an arrest, everyone is left to wonder, how did the killer hide in plain sight? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the first time in decades, detectives have a solid lead on who killed Carla Walker. Forensic DNA testing of her powder blue dress is pointing to a surprising suspect. But authorities need one more DNA sample to close the case. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After 46 years, detectives reopen Carla Walker’s murder, and an investigator who helped find the Golden State Killer wants in on the case. But will DNA testing of the cheerleaders' clothes help solve the case or kill it? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Carla Walker’s brazen abduction after her high school Valentine’s dance shook Fort Worth, TX. Suspicion swirls around her boyfriend, while others are convinced of his innocence. Who could have raped and murdered the cheerleader? Everyone thinks they know. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Introducing the new podcast America’s Crime Lab. Each week, we meet weary detectives and family members as we run through a cold case that had wrecked a community and seemingly hit a dead end… until, in a last-ditch effort, the evidence is mailed to Othram. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.