Killing Spree: The rapes and murders of ten women near Tampa, Florida in 1984 had the authorities puzzled and the community scared. Since the beginning, the FBI had been analyzing the crime scene evidence and had found a common link: red trilobal carpet fibers. But there was no suspect, until one of the killer’s potential victims survived. Through her interviews and the cooperation of local authorities and the FBI, 31-year-old Bobby Joe Long emerged as the prime suspect. Fibers from his car and those found on the lone survivor matched those at the crime scenes. Long was convicted of eight of the murders and rapes.
Melissa Brannen: Missing: When five-year-old Melissa Brannen disappeared from a Christmas party in December 1989, the only probable suspect was 24-year-old Caleb Hughes. Hughes reportedly left the party around the time Melissa vanished, but no one saw him with the girl. Fifty blue acrylic fibers collected during a search of Hughes’ car, however, became the major piece of evidence in the case. FBI fiber analysis determined that those fibers were identical to the ones that made up the sweater Melissa was wearing. Although Melissa’s body was never found, the evidence was enough to convict Hughes of abduction with intent to defile.
The Unabomber: He was a recluse who spread terror through the mail for 18 years. Two men died and more than a dozen were injured, but Ted Kaczynski wasn’t known as the Unabomber until his brother tipped off the FBI. Kaczynski’s “Unabomber Manifesto,” published in major newspapers, set off a flurry of activity for the FBI: writing analysis and comparisons, DNA gleaned from a single postage stamp and finally, Kaczynski’s arrest at his tiny cabin. The agents collected enough evidence, including the “Manifesto” itself, to convict Kaczynski. He is serving four life sentences plus 30 years with no chance of parole.
The FBI Files is an American docudrama that takes a look behind the scenes of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s crime laboratory.
Real FBI cases are recounted through reenactments and interviews, due to the sensitive nature of the show, viewer discretion is advised.
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