Cold Case Files

1. S01E01Hour 1 - Cold Case FilesJanuary 1, 1999 8.0In the first case in this episode Felicia Prechtl is found raped and murdered in Dallas, Texas/ The only thing the killer left behind was a
2. S01E02The Boy and the Monster/Secret in the CellarJanuary 8, 1999 8.0The Boy and the Monster In Wisconsin in the winter of 1991 a young woman's body was found naked, badly beaten and to make it harder to iden
3. S01E03The Texas Drifter/The Fingerprint FileJanuary 15, 1999 8.0Texas Drifter Two women in two separate towns in Texas who where raped. The rapist uses a knife to threaten these women then rapes them and
4. S01E04Season's bestThe Answer in the Box/Maternal InstinctJanuary 23, 1999 10.0Answer in the Box Alison Parrott was a runner. Not only was she was runner she was a great runner, So much so that she had the local media
5. S01E05The Hunter Homicides / Skulls in Stanley ParkJanuary 29, 1999 10.0DNA tests identify a skull of a 14-year-old boy who went missing 6 years earlier. When a second skull is found, investigators fear they have
6. S01E06Through the Eyes of a Child / Killer Next DoorFebruary 6, 1999 10.0In Missouri, a part-time missionary is convicted, 38 years later, of killing her 5-year-old stepdaughter, and the skeleton of a Michigan boy
7. S01E07One Night on the Bayou / Buckeye MisdemeanorFebruary 12, 1999—Alligators feasting on a human corpse help police to crack a murder investigation. Phoenix police discover that a preacher is the culprit in
8. S01E08The Mark of Cain / Death on the FreewayFebruary 19, 1999 9.0A man in Florida is reported missing and his roommate is the main suspect. Then, at first it looks like L.A.P.D. Sgt. George Arthur died in
9. S01E09Terror in Telluride/Signature of a KillerFebruary 26, 1999 7.0Shoot outside her bedroom, Eva Shoen was shot to death. Living in Telluride, on the mountain side. Eva was married to the son of the billion
10. S01E10Diary Of A Serial Arsonist/The Lost ClueMarch 5, 1999 9.0Every 2 years, a group of fire investigators meet for a conference. While attending the conference in 1987 in Fresno, California, 3 suspicio
11. S01E11Killer on the Strip/The Doll MurderMarch 12, 1999 9.0In the beautiful byways of West Palm Beach, along the canals a woman was fond dead in the canal. After some research they found that the wom
12. S01E12Murder Illustrated/Blood RelationsMarch 19, 1999 9.0Nine years after police had to release the teenage suspect in a woman's murder due to lack of evidence, they find a new lead in the case. Tw
13. S01E13The Burning Secret/Justice DelayedMarch 26, 1999 9.0A rapist is captured seven years after the crime, but when he is released on a technicality his victim is determined to fight back. Fifteen
14. S01E14Reconstructing Murder/Fire FlicksApril 9, 1999 10.0In Wisconsin, advances in forensic clay modeling help investigators identify a murder victim whose skin was stripped from her head, neck, an
15. S01E15Killer in the CountyApril 16, 1999 10.0A serial killer of four women, Faryion Wardrip, is brought to justice in Wichita Falls, Texas after a DNA sample is found on a coffee cup.
16. S01E16Presumed Dead/The Tow Truck KillerApril 23, 1999 10.0One will take 10 years and one will take 17 years to solve but they do get solved. Dedication, science, luck, and even hypnosis is used to m
17. S01E17The Missing Informant/Man's Best FriendApril 30, 1999 10.0Police solve a murder when divers find a skeleton in a car at the bottom of a river, and a dead dog's DNA helps crack open a 6-year-old case
18. S01E18The Tortured Truth/Portrait Of A KillerApril 30, 1999 8.0The accidental discovery of a human scalp leads to the conviction of a man for murder 18 years after the killing. And a teenager who likes t
19. S01E19VanishedMay 7, 1999 9.0The story of serial killer James Rodney Hicks, who left a trail of bodies and kept police, prosecutors, and the FBI quite busy working on hi
20. S01E20The Missing and the DeadMay 14, 1999 9.0When a passing motorist spots a fire along a country road in South Carolina and calls it in, police arrive to discover the badly burned and
21. S01E21Silent Witness/Innocence LostMay 21, 1999 9.0The murder of scientist Helena Greenwood, who was helping to develop DNA forensic technology when she died, is solved 12 years later with th
22. S01E22Frozen in Time/Little Girl LostMay 28, 1999 7.0Using a hair dryer to thaw a frozen corpse, detectives get to the bottom of a grisly murder. And the discovery of a child's skeleton in a Ch
23. S01E23Family Secret/Blood TrailJune 4, 1999 8.0Forty-one years after the crime, a woman implicates her brother and cousin in the murder of a New Jersey policeman. And members of the Vidoc
24. S01E24Bodies In The Bay/Cold HitJune 11, 1999 9.0A sunset boat ride in Florida leads to death for a vacationing woman and her two daughters, and police investigate a Texas man whose three w
25. S01E26Man in the Shadows/The HitchhikerApril 2, 1999 8.0

Season 1 ranked & reviewed

1. S02E01Operation Jambalaya/Footprints in the SnowJanuary 1, 2000 9.0A New Orleans police officer goes undercover on a Baton Rouge riverboat to gain a confession from one of the ship's maintenance workers who
2. S02E02The South Side RapistJanuary 8, 2000 9.0A series of brutal rapes in St. Louis goes unsolved for many years until a fluke audit of a license plate number leads police to the culprit
3. S02E03Mark of a Killer/Dead EndsJanuary 15, 2000 9.0A killer's bite marks and a jailhouse snitch lead to a murder conviction in a case gone cold for eight years, and Bill Kurtis joins a group
4. S02E04The Baiting Game/The Killer's TattooJanuary 22, 2000 9.0Investigators in Virginia, probing the murder case of a sailor, seek the help of a forensic anthropologist from the "body farm" in the Great
5. S02E05Ticket to Nowhere/The Paper RouteJanuary 29, 2000 8.0A 13-year-old girl's mother is murdered and 20 years later she helps bring the killer to justice; and a dogged policeman gets to the bottom
6. S02E06Traces of Murder/The Bathtub KillerFebruary 5, 2000 8.0A killer helps convict himself when he boasts about his crime to prison cellmates; and New Hampshire investigators probing the murder of a p
7. S02E07Pride and the Fall/The Nail FileFebruary 12, 2000 8.0A woman's fall from a cliff in the Grand Canyon leads police to uncover a series of grisly murders, and investigators smoke out a killer whe
8. S02E08In the Care of a Killer/Deadly LiesFebruary 19, 2000 9.0The suspicious death of 2-year-old Billy Blankenship is solved when police force his babysitter to re-enact the circumstances of his death.
9. S02E09Lady in the BoxFebruary 26, 2000 9.0The murder of an Ohio woman in 1974 is solved more than 20 years later after police get a crucial clue--the woman's husband was seen buildin
10. S02E10Crimes of the KKKMarch 5, 2000 8.0Klan leader Sam Bowers goes on trial for ordering the murder of an African-American storeowner 32 years prior, and investigators reopen the
11. S02E11Murder On The MenuMarch 12, 2000 8.0A boy's toy Batmobile car provides an important clue for detectives struggling to make a case against a serial killer who stalks and kills w
12. S02E12Season's bestThe Widow and the Wolf/Unicorns and AlligatorsMarch 19, 2000 10.0After the murder of her aunt goes cold, a woman helps launch Citizens Against Homicide, an advocate group that brings awareness to cases tha
13. S02E13Vintage Murder/Trouble in ParadiseMarch 26, 2000 8.0Police doggedly reopen a rape-murder case 25 years after the crime and find enough DNA evidence on the suspect's cigarette butts to bring hi
14. S02E14The Perfect Murder/Death of InnocentsApril 2, 2000 10.0It takes nine years and the work of cutting-edge forensic toxicologists to solve the murder of a medical examiner's wife. Then, a determined
15. S02E15The Unluckiest Man/The Deadly TriangleApril 9, 2000 9.0Fire investigator Jack Malooly helps crack the case of an arsonist and killer who set a series of fires to collect insurance money; and a pr
16. S02E16Cat and Mouse/Cabbie KillerApril 16, 2000 8.0A police investigator discovers a letter written 16 years earlier that provides clues to a woman's murder. And a firearms expert supplies th
17. S02E17The Cuff Link/Graveyard ShiftApril 23, 2000 9.0Police solve an old murder case with a painstaking examination of the tool mark on the plastic flex cuff that bound the victim's hands, and
18. S02E18The Good Samaritan/Gun ShyApril 30, 2000 9.0New DNA technology and the national DNA databank help police hunt down a rapist-killer 11 years after he committed his crimes, and a detecti
19. S02E19A Map To Murder/Life on the RunMay 7, 2000 9.0After a long manhunt, cops finally close in on a serial killer with the help of the Internet and information supplied by a subsidiary of Mic
20. S02E20Soft Kill/UnsolvedMay 14, 2000—Police run down more than 11,000 leads before coming up with a suspect in the murders of three Virginia girls; and the abduction and strangu
21. S02E21License to Kill/The Tell-Tale Mark/The Supermarket MysteryMay 21, 2000 10.0A quarter of a century after the murders of two nurses, Canadian police suspect that a former Toronto cop committed the crimes. A blow to th
22. S02E22The Original Night StalkerMay 28, 2000 9.0In the 1980s, a serial killer prowled the posh streets of Orange County. Police were unaware of the serial attacks until 1996, when DNA reve
23. S02E23Cold Hit/Silent KillJune 4, 2000 10.0A thumbprint connects two separate murders and it is later discovered that the suspect had a strange fetish for women's lingerie. Then, an e
24. S02E24Mommie DearestJune 11, 2000 8.0A mother is suspected in the murders of two of her daughters, when her third daughter finally convinces police to reopen two cold cases.
25. S02E25A Sealed Fate/Deadly DivorceJune 18, 2000 9.0A murderer's saliva, found on envelopes that he sealed, helps seal his doom 37 years after his first killing. And Colorado police crack a co

Season 2 ranked & reviewed

1. S03E01Cop Killer/Evil TwinJanuary 1, 2001 8.0Included: Los Angeles detectives solve a 46-year-old murder case; and DNA leads to a suspected killer who has a twin brother. Host: Bill Kur
2. S03E02The Zodiac KillerJanuary 8, 2001 8.0With access to the San Francisco Police Department's work, including saliva samples taken from letters the infamous Zodiac Killer sent 30 ye
3. S03E03Season's bestThe Accidental Killer/Little Sister LostJanuary 15, 2001 9.0While hiking with husband Dennis in Montana, Leslee Larson fell into Wolf Creek. Then Dennis is convicted of murdering his wife, while in Ma
4. S03E04The Merry Widow/The Bad CopJanuary 22, 2001—Included: the case of Douglas J. Wright, a former state trooper whose 1993 murder of his wife brought a conviction in 2003. Also: the murder
5. S03E05Daddy Knows Best/Dawn of the DeadJanuary 29, 2001—A detective works for 15 years to nab a man who murdered his wife and dismembered her body to hide the sexual abuse of his children. Then, 2
6. S03E06The Killer's TattooFebruary 5, 2001—The search for a killer with a distinctive tattoo is recalled. Host: Bill Kurtis.
7. S03E07The Green River KillerFebruary 12, 2001—Cold Case discusses the story of the nearly 20-year hunt for the man responsible for the murders of 49 prostitutes and other women in the Se
8. S03E08A Hitchhike to Murder/Never ForgottenFebruary 19, 2001—Police must wait nearly 30 years before advances in DNA technology give them the chance to convict the killer of a young hitchhiker, and Phi
9. S03E09The DNA Link/The Secret SlideFebruary 26, 2001—Detectives from three different departments in Westchester County, NY team up to track down a serial killer; and a man known as the Bus Stop
10. S03E10Death Before I Do/Hollywood HomicideMarch 5, 2001—Included: the 1988 murder of actress Myra Davis, Janet Leigh's stand-in for “Psycho,” brings a conviction in 2001. Also: a phone tip helps s
11. S03E11Blood Money/Precious DoeMarch 12, 2001—Testimony about the growth of larvae in dead bodies helps convict the man who stabbed a couple to death and strangled their 4-year-old daugh
12. S03E12Unholy Bible/A Daughter's JusticeMarch 19, 2001—A Texas woman's murder is solved when the killer's plan to murder another woman and stuff her into a duffel bag goes awry; and a reporter do
13. S03E13Officer Down/Secret TwinMarch 26, 2001—After 23 years, investigators finally track down the killers of an Atlanta policeman when the ex-wife of one of the killers phones in a tip;
14. S03E14Weepy-Voiced Killer/The Mr. Big StingApril 2, 2001—A prostitute who fights off a screwdriver-wielding man helps police track down a serial killer; and undercover agents acting as mobsters con
15. S03E15Blood on the Badge/Bump in the NightApril 9, 2001—A woman who takes down the license plate number of a car that had been following her helps police solve the murder of another young woman.;
16. S03E16The Lady Killer/A Husband's SecretApril 16, 2001—The testimony of three prison inmates helps convict a man who viciously killed a woman out for a bike ride nearly two decades prior; and a s
17. S03E17Mistaken for a Killer/A Woman ScornedApril 23, 2001—DNA technology that take place over 20 years help police to finally identify the man who brutally stabbed two women to death; and an anonymo
18. S03E18The Missing Hunters/The Flashlight RapistApril 30, 2001—Police suspect brothers J.R. and Coco Duvall beat two Michigan hunters to death, chopped up the bodies, and fed them to pigs; and a serial r
19. S03E19Cowboys on the Case/Office PoliticsMay 7, 2001—Four retired law enforcement officers, known as the Cold Case Cowboys, help track down the killer of a man wanted for rape and robbery; and
20. S03E20The Flaming Gorge Falls/Caught in the MailMay 14, 2001—A man suspected of the cold case murder of his wife and son hatches a new plot to kill his mother and father; and detectives solve the 20-ye
21. S03E21Murder Checks In / Killer in the CityMay 21, 2001—Police hunt for a man who killed three women in three different hotels, not far from one another in Des Moines, Iowa. And police get a kille
22. S03E22The Shopping Cart KillerMay 28, 2001—A dry cleaning tag inside a sweatshirt left at a crime scene helps police track down a serial killer and rapist who had been eluding them fo
23. S03E23The Hit makers/Favor For A FriendJune 4, 2001—A scheme to bribe a country music magazine to manipulate the charts leads to murder in Nashville and a 13-year hunt for the killer; and a mu
24. S03E24Lil' Miss /Skeletons In The ClosetJune 11, 2001—An eerie note left on a grave helps solve a 12-year-old case of murder, and an exhaustive questioning of a mother helps police unravel the m
25. S03E25Innocent Prey/The PunishmentJune 18, 2001—Police play a wild hunch that pays off in the capture of a serial rapist. And after 26 years, investigators finally solve the murder of a 6-

Season 3 ranked & reviewed

1. S04E01Love Triangle/2nd Story RapistJanuary 1, 2002—
2. S04E02The Calling Card/Carol's Diary—
3. S04E03Beauty Queen Killer/The Fingerprint—
4. S04E04Friend of the Family/Remains of Murder—
5. S04E05Under a Spell/Justice for Lisa—
6. S04E06A Man Scorned/The Dungeon—
7. S04E07A Killer Named Korn/The Night Watchman—
8. S04E08The Bedroom BasherFebruary 19, 2002—
9. S04E09Baby for Sale/The BarrelFebruary 26, 2002—
10. S04E10The Bitemark/Justice for EglenaMarch 5, 2002—
11. S04E11Sex, Lies and MurderMarch 12, 2002—
12. S04E12The Monster/A Cousin's Promise—
13. S04E13A Brother's Burden/The Midnight Attacker—
14. S04E14The Well/The Deadly Ex—
15. S04E15Deja Vu/Secret In The Well—A new fingerprint identification system known as I-AFIS helps Texas detectives track down a killer after three years of searching. And a Geo
16. S04E16The Tourniquet/Burning DesireApril 16, 2002—
17. S04E17Manhunt—
18. S04E18The Family / The Clue That StuckApril 30, 2002—
19. S04E19Man in the Shadows/The Hitchhiker—
20. S04E20A Confession for Carmen/The GirlsMay 14, 2002—
21. S04E21A Sister Lost/Rumors of Murder—
22. S04E22Smoky Mountain Mystery / A Drop of Blood—
23. S04E23Rear Window / The PeeperJune 4, 2002—Included: the 1998 murder of waitress Corey Parker in Jacksonville Beach, Fla., by Robert Erik Denney. Host: Bill Kurtis.
24. S04E24The Closers/Caught by an Eyelash—A bloody dagger and a phone tap help detectives solve a 20-year-old murder case. And DNA taken from an eyelash found on a dead prostitute's
25. S04E25Kidnapped—A kidnapper grabs 8-year-old Chad Choice from his home in Texas, then torments his parents with two ransom demands. The case goes cold until

Season 4 ranked & reviewed

1. S05E01Obsession: Dave Reichert and the Green River KillerDecember 15, 2005—In this special 100th edition of Cold Case Files, we look at the biggest serial murder case in U.S. history - the 20-year hunt for the Green
2. S05E02Finding BTKDecember 22, 2005—The story of the hunt for one of the most notorious serial killers in recent American history--the BTK killer, who terrorized the Wichita, K
3. S05E03Death of a Deacon/A Wife's MissionJanuary 14, 2006—When an adulterous church deacon is found shot to death in the back seat of his car, it looks like police may have stumbled upon a multi-par
4. S05E04Snatched/A Detective's PromiseJanuary 21, 2006—The dogged work of an Alberta, Canada, detective finally pays off when he tracks down the man who raped and murdered a 6-year-old girl 10 ye
5. S05E05The Sunday Morning SlasherFebruary 4, 2006—Law enforcement officials fear they may have to release a serial killer from prison until a 24-year-old murder case gives them a chance to l
6. S05E06Caught on Tape/A Son RemembersFebruary 18, 2006—A video tape made at an ATM machine helps police in Louisville, KY, to nab a man suspected of raping 13 women. And a DA investigator in Geor
7. S05E07On the Case: Nacole's KillerMarch 11, 2006—This special edition of Cold Case Files offers an inside look, rarely seen, at an active cold case investigation. We follow Det. Vince Velaz
8. S05E08Killer on Campus/Bow HunterApril 2, 2006—Thirty-two years after the killing of University of Michigan law student Jane Mixer, police use DNA found on her pantyhose to finally track
9. S05E09Something Snapped/A Killer's DreamApril 9, 2006—On a summer night in 1987 a mother worries and waits for her 19-year-old daughter to come home. But Diana never comes home and she's found r
10. S05E10Daddy Dearest/A Pastor's WifeMay 6, 2006—Nine years after the murders of a mother and her teenage daughters, a wiretapped conversation between the suspected killer and his sister he
11. S05E11A Killer's Skin / Where's Peggy?June 3, 2006—Police in Albany, N.Y., get a surprise when a killer they think targets only older women is suspected in the murder of an elderly man. And t
12. S05E12Innocence Stolen/Danger at the DoorJuly 8, 2006—A district attorney uses a clever technique--a "John Doe indictment"--to give law enforcement officials the time they need to track down the
13. S05E13The Interrogation/The SlideJuly 15, 2006—A 14-year-old boy is charged with the murder of his sister, but his public defender believes the police coerced the boy's confession and tha
14. S05E14The Taunt / Death in DeadwoodJuly 29, 2006—A serial rapist seals his own fate when he sends a taunting letter to police, who use the DNA extracted from the saliva in the envelope's se
15. S05E15A Child RemembersAugust 12, 2006—Our cameras follow Detective Manny Reyes as he investigates the 1990 murder of a Fort Worth, Texas woman. Reyes talks to the woman's two son
16. S05E16The Black DahliaSeptember 9, 2006—Bill Kurtis examines one of the most infamous cold cases in Los Angeles history -- the 1947 murder of actress Elizabeth Short, who was found
17. S05E17The Deadly Stroll / Unholy SecretSeptember 23, 2006—In Rhode Island, policewomen go undercover in as street walkers to nab the man suspected of murdering three prostitutes. And a dagger-shaped
18. S05E18A Deadly Affair / The Sting OperationSeptember 30, 2006—After 19 years, Kansas detectives reopen the case of a banker found beaten to death in his bed--and the chief suspect is his cheating wife.
19. S05E19NCIS / Exhuming the TruthOctober 7, 2006—After U.S. Navy sailor Andrew Muns disappears in 1968, the Navy claims that Muns went AWOL from his ship. But his sister works tirelessly fo
20. S05E20Cross Country Connection / Eyes at the WindowOctober 21, 2006—DNA found on a marijuana joint in Florida in 2005 helps to solve the 1988 rape and murder of a California woman. And a cold case of murder i
21. S05E21Abandoned Houses / A Son's MemoryOctober 28, 2006—Detectives are baffled when two young girls are raped, murdered, and dumped in an abandoned house in Akron, Ohio. And a 26-year-old mother o
22. S05E22A Knock at the Door / ShatteredNovember 18, 2006—The killing of a woman in a Virginia hotel room goes unsolved for a quarter of a century before investigators are finally able to zero in on
23. S05E23A Deadly Pattern / A Desperate HousewifeNovember 23, 2006—When a woman is found murdered in her mobile home, police make two shocking discoveries--her husband may not only have been the killer, but
24. S05E24Murder He Wrote / Caught By the PastDecember 31, 2006—Guns found dumped in a pond outside of Atlantic City, N.J., help police to solve the 15-year-old murder of Detroit cab company owner. And th
25. S05E25Left for Dead / On the CaseDecember 31, 2006—A detective in California tracks down a prostitute's killer with the help of a key piece of evidence--fingerprints lifted off two beer bottl
26. S05E26The Execution of Michael JohnsonJuly 24, 2007—Michael Johnson was convicted of the senseless killing of Jeff Wetterman, 11 years earlier. While being interviewed in his last days, camera
27. S05E27Innocence FilesSeptember 18, 2007—Students of the University of Cincinnati and Texas Tech University Innocence Project take on the cases of jailed murderers who claim they're
28. S05E28Evidence KitOctober 12, 2007—The Chicago Police Department launches the Women's DNA initiative to fund the testing of backlogged rape evidence kits and help rape victims

Season 5 ranked & reviewed