
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.

In a small South Carolina town in 1991, 17-year-old Crystal Faye Todd, a popular high school student, is raped, murdered and dumped in a deserted field; with few leads, authorities test the DNA of several friends, and one match shocks everyone.

A young woman goes missing without leaving many clues, but the advanced technology on offer makes it possible for cat hairs and insects to help build an image of the abductor.

Weeks after a student vanishes, the body of an unknown female is found in the ashes of a fire 700 miles away; an alert policeman realizes the crimes could be connected.

Two people witness a truck driving over an unconscious man and flee into a nearby bar, but when the police turn up, the truck, the man and the witnesses are gone.