
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 1971, John List disappears after murdering his mother, wife and three children; he eludes the law for years until an age-scaled sculpture of the suspect and a true-crime TV program helps lead to his arrest in 1989.

When a 9-year-old girl vanishes on her way to school, the entire community helps with the search; detectives believe her mother may be involved, and a hidden fingerprint seals the case.

An 11-year-old boy comes down with a fever and diarrhea after eating an undercooked burger; when his condition worsens, his mother drives him to a hospital and doctors discover E. coli destroying his body.

Eight years after a man confessed to the murder of a young woman, another man claims that he committed the crime, and investigators must use forensic evidence to determine the true killer.