
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 1976, 182 war veterans in Philadelphia become hospitalized with pneumonia-like symptoms and 29 die; the disease resurfaces every few years.

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.

Police believe they have a serial rapist and murderer, but DNA testing and research leads to another arrest and conviction.