The best episodes of Cold Case
Ranked by viewer rating, highs first. Vote on a placement to back it or contest it.
- 01
Lilly tracks a serial killer who eluded her months earlier. The chase begins after nine human skulls are found in the backyard of an abandoned house where a blind woman, whose killer was never found, was murdered in 1972. The woman's 12-year-old son witnessed the crime, and now is believed to be a mass murderer. Making the case more eerie is the fact that the killer knows intimate details about Lilly's life, which he tries to use against her.
- 02
Lilly investigates a 1995 shooting spree at a mall in which two teen boys killed 15 people before committing suicide. The case is reopened when a video of the crimes is found and it suggests that a third shooter was involved. Elsewhere, Stillman asks Valens to investigate whether Valens' brother may have been molested by a boxing coach in the 1980s.
- 03
The 1984 murder of an emergency-room doctor who was shot in the chest in an alley is reinvestigated after a former junkie comes forward with new information. The woman claims she saw a white man shoot the victim, but a homeless black man was arrested for the crime after he was found wearing the dead man's shoes. The probe reveals that the doctor had a gambling problem and was broke. Also, Valens takes action when a suspected child molester is spotted in a park.
- 04
Lilly reopens the 2005 murder of a man who was a counselor to troubled teens at a rehab house. The victim was killed by a shotgun blast through his front door just two weeks before he was to testify in court about a murder he witnessed at the rehab house. During the probe, Lilly feels a strange connection to the dead man, and it clouds her judgment in the case to the point of perhaps compromising the investigation.
- 05
The parents of an autistic boy are gunned down in their car while on their way to get takeout. The 2003 case is reopened when Joseph informs Lilly that the boy, now in a state institution, blurts out a specific number whenever the parents are mentioned. It's soon learned the boy was in the car when the murders occurred, but he's unable to identify the killer. In a more personal matter, Ray tells Lilly he's leaving for California and wants her to come with him.
- 06
The team searches for Vera when he goes missing, and they reinvestigate a 2006 arson-homicide case that Vera obsessed over in recent weeks.
- 07
Lilly tries to solve a 2001 case in which a woman and her 6-year-old daughter mysteriously fell from an apartment window. The girl died, and the mother survived but lapsed into a coma. When the woman suddenly wakes up, she remembers little of that night except that someone was out to hurt them.
- 08
Lilly investigates the deaths of a married couple who perished in 1981 when a supposedly accidental gas-leak explosion set their house on fire. The case is reopened when fragments of a bomb are discovered at the house during renovations. The investigation reveals the victims were involved in violent antiwar activities during the Vietnam War. Back at headquarters, Stillman takes care of his 4-year-old grandson.
- 09
Lilly investigates the 1964 murder of a 17-year-old girl who was sent by her parents to a home for unwed mothers, where she gave birth to a girl. The next day the teen was killed. The case is reopened when the victim's daughter comes forward, having just learned that she was adopted and that her biological mother was slain. The probe reveals the girl died in a field near the home after being hit on the head with a blunt object.
- 10
The sixth season ends with the investigation of a female cadet's 2005 murder at a local military academy, where she was resented for being the first female cadet. The case dredges up unpleasant memories for Lilly, who recalls her own difficult journey to become the first female homicide detective in Philadelphia.
- 11
Lilly and the team attend a colleague's wedding and are persuaded by Jeffries to investigate whether the bride killed her former fiancé two years earlier---just hours after he called off their nuptials.
- 12
The 1999 drowning death of a military academy's swim coach, which was originally ruled as accidental, is reinvestigated after the homicide division receives a note that suggests it was murder. Back at the office, Valens searches for Elisa after she goes missing.
- 13
As the first season ends, Lilly reopens a 1986 case in which a 15-year-old girl was killed at a popular lovers lane: DNA evidence has revealed that an innocent man was convicted of the crime. The new investigation turns the spotlight on several men who were attracted to the teen and may have had motive to kill her.
- 14
The 1994 rape and murder of a 16-year-old girl is reinvestigated after a death-row inmate convicted of the crimes who is scheduled to be executed in three days calls Jeffries claiming that he's innocent. His statement is given weight by the fact that the arresting officer in the case just committed suicide because he was about to be exposed as a dirty cop. The convict claims the officer framed him.
- 15
The 1975 disappearance of an 8-year-old girl who was never found is reinvestigated after a note written by the girl shortly before she vanished turns up. The probe reveals the white victim was best friends with a black girl who had recently moved into the neighborhood. Their friendship rattled many in the predominantly white neighborhood and the girls quickly became targets of hatred.
- 16
A suicidal killer takes the entire cold-case team hostage while they investigate the murder of a family.
- 17
The 1963 death of a teen girl who dressed and acted like a boy is investigated to determine if she committed suicide or was murdered. Meanwhile, the consequences of Internal Affairs' probe of Valens are revealed.
- 18
In the fifth-season finale, a former drug addict claims to have seen her son---who supposedly perished in an apartment fire three years earlier---playing in a park.
- 19
The headless torso of a woman who disappeared in 1985, on the same day she filed domestic-abuse charges against her husband, is found by hikers in a wildlife preserve. The investigation quickly leads to the grisly discovery of eight more decapitated bodies, the victims of a serial killer.
- 20
Jeffries reopens the 1963 murder of a black 16-year-old boy whose severely beaten body was found by the then 12-year-old Jeffries in a local park. The veteran detective believes the killing was racially motivated and may be linked to the fact that the boy's father supervised several white men who resented him at a nearby plant. Elsewhere, Valens' drinking becomes a problem on the job.
- 21
Lilly investigates the 1996 murder of a wealthy divorced woman who was found dead in her ex-husband's indoor swimming pool. The original investigation ruled the death accidental, but new evidence suggests it was a homicide. It's also learned that the victim died during a citywide blackout and that she was terrified of the dark. In addition, the victim was a bitter woman and hated by most of her family members.
- 22
The team take a break from digging up past crimes when Agent Jeffries is shot. Can they put their emotions aside and catch the escaped gunman?
- 23
A murder is linked to a serial killer who has apparently been inactive for 27 years. Involved in the investigation is an FBI agent who has been tracking the killer for 30 years and who was responsible for breaking up Stillman's marriage years ago.
- 24
The 1989 murder of a young mother is reopened when the woman's teenage son, who witnessed the crime when he was 3 years old, is brought in for petty theft and starts talking. The investigation reveals that the boy's slain mom may not have been who she claimed to be.
- 25
A serial rapist who terrorized the city five years earlier, leaving one woman dead, sends a letter to the detective squad letting them know that he is back and ready to strike again.
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