
Eagle-eyed technical experts prove there is no such thing as a perfect crime as they assemble the pieces every criminal leaves behind. Dramatic crime re-creations and, sometimes, part of the investigations are a staple of the series. Some of the re-creations include alternate versions of the crimes, which are disproved by science. The show's episodes follow each case from the initial investigation until it reaches its legal resolution.

When a 6-year-old disappears, her father becomes the prime suspect; he fails a polygraph test and even confesses, but 10 years later, the investigation gets turned on its head.

In Lorton, Va., police attempt to determine who abducted 5-year-old Melissa Brannen after she disappeared from a Christmas party, but cannot be certain until they match hair from a rabbit-fur jacket Brannen wore that day.

Investigators build a makeshift tent around a woman's body and use superglue fumes to lift the killer's palm print from the victim's skin.

A husband confesses to his wife's murder, only to be found not guilty a year later when a phone tip and forensic evidence point to another.