Most of us have a dark curiosity with true crime. Piecing together the clues, perhaps it’s the morbid fascination with the gruesome details, or the glimpse inside the mind of a killer. But behind the sensational headlines, there are real people.
Whether it’s analysing the last steps the victim took, or questioning whether the convicted was really guilty (Steven Avery, anyone?), this grim curiosity drives our collective obsession with the macabre. And perhaps, leaves us feeling a little more prepared.
But when traditional methods fail and the evidence dries up, advances in science can step in and turn the tide on some of the most perplexing cases.
Here are five of the most surprising true crime cases where cutting-edge techniques have uncovered the truth.
1. Soham Murders
Caught by: Palynology
In August 2002, the town of Soham, Cambridgeshire, was rocked by the disappearance of two 10-year-old girls, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. It became one of the most intense and extensive searches in British history.
When the spotlight fell on local school caretaker Ian Huntley, botany provided the critical breakthrough. Investigators discovered microscopic pollen grains and spores on Huntley’s clothing and inside his car. They were identical to those found at the remote location where the girls’ bodies were discovered 13 days later.
In an apparent attempt to destroy forensic evidence, Huntley had tried to burn both the bodies at the scene. But the pollen didn’t lie. Further evidence revealed 13-day regrowth on some recently trampled nettles that led to where the bodies were found, providing a pivotal timeline and obliterating Huntley’s alibi.
In December 2003, Huntley pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two life sentences.
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2. Vampire of Sacramento
Caught by: Psychological profiling
Psychological profiling, where authorities attempt to get inside the mind of the criminal, has been around since at least the late 1800s. But the science has grown considerably since its inception, and with every advancement is creating more accurate criminal profiles.
Take, for example, the ‘Vampire of Sacramento.’ Following a series of vile massacres in Sacramento, California, in the 1970s, traditional detective work was drawing a blank. Enter, psychological profiling.
It was impossible to ignore the disorganised crime scenes or the extreme grotesque violence. The victims were found disembowelled, their organs removed, and bodies drained of blood. The FBI surmised the killer to be a socially isolated white male with a slovenly and unkempt appearance, tall but malnourished, and one who had a history of severe mental illness and drug usage.
This profile led them to Richard Chase, a diagnosed schizophrenic who had a fascination with blood since childhood.
Chase was given the death penalty but died from intentional overdose in prison at the age of 30.
3. The BTK Killer
Caught by: Digital forensics
The self-proclaimed ‘bind, torture, kill’ killer demanded attention. He craved recognition, taunted authorities and boasted of his crimes to the media. But his desperate bid for acknowledgement ultimately backfired when digital forensics, a science that was still in relative infancy, revealed direct evidence of his identity.
He had haunted the city of Wichita, Kansas for over three decades. His meticulous killings seemed untraceable, and authorities were baffled. Murdering 10 people between 1974 and 1991, he suddenly went quiet. That is, until 2004 when he abruptly resurfaced after speculation from the media that he was either dead or in prison.
Unable to resist the temptation to set the record straight, he sent a 1.44-megabyte floppy disk to a local TV station. And it was here he slipped up. Digital forensic experts traced the metadata embedded in a deleted document to a computer at a local church, and to Dennis Rader – a member of the congregation.
Rader later pleaded guilty to all charges, and used his courtroom testimony to detail some of the more gruesome aspects of his murders, seemingly without remorse. He is currently serving 10 consecutive life sentences in isolation, in a maximum-security prison.
4. The Butcher Baker murders
Conviction secured by: Ballistics, forensic geology
The Butcher Baker murders were some of the most chilling and monstrous murders in American history. A seemingly ordinary baker had turned the Alaskan wilderness into his personal hunting ground, a real-life Hunger Games.
Between 1971 and 1983, at least 17 women, many of whom were exotic dancers or prostitutes, were discovered brutally murdered near Anchorage.
One of his intended victims managed to escape, and alerted the authorities to her ordeal at the hands of Robert Hansen. They needed more evidence – after all, she was accusing a mild-mannered baker and family man. But it was enough to prompt further investigation, and shell casings found at crime scenes matched those in Hansen’s rifle, directly linking him to the murders.
It was a vast, rugged landscape, and forensic geology played a key role in tracing specific murder scenes. Analysing soil samples from Hansen’s vehicle alongside those taken from the burial sites, investigators identified a unique mineral composition; a geological signature that acted like a fingerprint. From there, they could map out where Hansen had been and buried his victims, and crucially - placing Hansen at the scene of the crime.
Hansen was sentenced to 461 years without parole. He died aged 75 in 2014 from natural causes.
5. The Golden State Killer
Caught by: Genetic genealogy
Between 1974 and 1986, California was in the grip of the masked ‘Golden State Killer.’ His crimes were meticulously planned – and he left behind no fingerprints. Stalking his victims in advance, he would break into their homes in the dead of night.
But after his last attack in 1986, the case went cold. For more than four decades, neither the police nor the FBI were able to identify a DNA match and he evaded capture. It wasn’t until April 2018 that he was finally identified as former police officer Joseph James DeAngelo; his identity revealed through genetic genealogy. Yes – those at-home ancestry tests, like Ancestry DNA or 23 and Me, used to uncover family history.
Uploading stored DNA evidence to the public genealogy database GEDmatch, results hinted at a distant relative who shared a segment of DNA. Meticulously reconstructing and tracing his family tree narrowed the suspect pool, eventually leading investigators to DeAngelo. A positive DNA match was made, and the case was a watershed moment for the technology.
In June 2020, DeAngelo pleaded guilty to 13 counts of first-degree murder, and was sentenced to life in prison, without parole.
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