If you’ve ever had to wear glasses, you’ll never forget the first time you gave contact lenses a try. Suddenly the whole world feels a little clearer, a little easier to understand. Since their invention in the nineteenth century, hundreds of millions of people have had their lives improved by contact lenses. Janet Abaroa was one of them. The twenty-five year old resident of Durham, North Carolina wore disposable lenses, ones that she took out every night before going to bed. This was part of...

Wetsuits. We all know how they work in theory. By trapping a thin layer of water between the suit and the wearer’s skin, it allows you to stay warm underwater. But get too many holes in them and they’ll start to leak…sometimes more than just water. One wetsuit owner was left metaphorically high and dry by his swimwear when it proved to be the smoking gun that connected him with the murder of his fourth wife. In July 1991, Cynthia Baumgartner died during a family trip to Lake Sammamish in King...

When it comes to law enforcement and animals, most of us immediately think of dogs. They can sniff out bombs, find narcotics and they can even tackle bad guys. Then there’s horses for the mounted divisions and now even eagles are getting in on the action, being trained by police to take out criminal’s drones. But spare a thought for the humble maggot. When the body of missing twelve year old Lynne Harper was discovered on a tractor trail outside the air base in Ontario Canada which she and...

In 2008, the community of Orleans in Ottawa, Canada, became the target of a serial burglar. But it wasn’t money, jewellery or even high end electronics that this thief had their eye on. They spent their five-finger discount on women’s underwear…hundreds upon hundreds of pairs of it. All pulled straight from the launderette drawers of women all across the suburb. Eventually, these cheap thrills weren’t enough and this petty thief graduated to assault and murder. The circumstances which ended...

Flowers. Whether it's birthdays, anniversaries or weddings, they have a way of making a special day all the more special. When 35 year old Lita McLinton opened the front door of her home in Atlanta, Georgia and was greeted by the sight of a delivery man, bouquet of  roses in hand, she didn’t know what the occasion was…Then she looked a little closer and saw the 9mm in his other hand. Lita’s murder sparked an enormous investigation, one that involved contract killers, acrimonious divorce and...

In this bonus episode - Tracy interviews Dr Karl Harrison, Forensic Specialist Advisor for the National Crime Agency. Together they discuss his role in supporting police forces across the country, specialism including forensic archaeology and entomology, and investigations into illegal wildlife crime. This episode is only available to subscribers of What's The Story Crime. Signing up is really easy, if you're listening on Apple Podcasts just search for What's The Story Crime, and all the...

What are toothbrushes good for? Primarily…fighting tooth decay, though they can also help to clean awkwardly shaped items like jewellery or…in a pinch… to get crumbs out of the toaster. But what about solving a murder? When Francisca Perea Dominguez, 42, was found stabbed to death in her apartment in Aurora, Colorado, all they had to go on initially was that the last man to see her alive was wearing a white cowboy hat. Ultimately it wasn’t the murder weapon, or an eyewitness that placed the...

It's the twenty-first century and we can track absolutely anything we want. These days, we’ve got wearables and apps that monitor our calories…our steps…even our ennui. So why not murder? If your apple watch can tell you you’re going up a hill can your Garmin let you know when you’re being stabbed? In December 2015, 39 year old Connecticut resident Connie Dabate was found dead in the basement of her own home. Her husband told the police that he and his wife had been the victim of a home...

Smoking as we all know…has many harmful side effects. Cancer, heart disease, even diabetes. But were you aware that cigarettes can also get you convicted of murder? After renowned American TV director and formidable bridge player Barry Crane was found dead by his housekeeper in his LA apartment, his murder baffled the authorities for years. Until one day, almost three decades later, when a discarded butt, binned during a routine smoke break, finally put the killer behind bars.  If you want to...

Under The Microscope is our series of bonus episodes - revealing more about the world of forensic science and the experts who use it to hep serve justice. In episode one, Tracy is joined by Dr Fiona Jane Wilcox, HM Senior Coroner for Inner West London. Together they discuss the role of the coroner and where they fit in the scene of crime hierarchy. They discuss several of Fiona's high-profile cases, including her work on the site of the 2017 Westminster Bridge terrorist attack and her efforts...

This episode brings us to India, to the Mumbai home of a well heeled family of four and a botched kidnapping attempt that resulted in the death of a thirteen year old boy. Jitendra, the patriarch, worked in the diamond trade and made very good money. Even so, when he received a call at work one day, telling him that his son Adit had been abducted and was now being held for ransom, he was convinced it was a joke at first. Tragically, the mysterious voice on the other end of the phone was...

Too much of a good thing can be bad for you. That’s something the Long Island Serial killer, who took the lives of no less than eleven women in the Gilgo Beach area of New York between 1996 and 2011, learned to his cost. In this first episode of a brand new season of Smoking Gun, we tell of an incredible police investigation. It was sparked by the disappearance of a 23 year old escort, and eventually led to the discovery of four mutilated bodies, all of them petite sex workers in their...

In this final episode we’re in the UK – and the notorious case of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. The disappearance of two young girls had dominated the news headlines for days. Everyone clung on to hope they’d be found, but struggled to explain how they could simply have vanished. But while detectives quizzed the local community in the hope of finding answers – they didn’t expect the smoking gun to emerge from some nettles, and a Ford Fiesta car. Smoking Gun is a What's The Story original...

This episode takes us to Sweden – and an unusual case where the Smoking Gun actually clears the only suspect. In this small town, the death of a woman prompts everyone to point a finger at her husband. The injuries she sustained are brutal – the couple clearly argued – and he went to extraordinary lengths to cover his tracks. But as the investigation unfolds, there’s a problem…no evidence to link him to the crime. In fact – the only evidence is some elk hair, which presents a very different...

When officers in Australia discover an abandoned car, their first thought isn’t murder. But contained within it are the clues which point towards a brutal crime. There’s a bloody fencepost, jewellery, even a steak knife. But it’s not these items which help the detectives to discover what happened. In fact – it’s a shovel, concealed in the trunk, which is the Smoking Gun. Smoking Gun is a What's The Story original series, narrated by Romola Garai and Britain's best known forensic scientist...

The murder of a prostitute in Minneapolis back in 1993 garnered little media attention. And if it wasn’t for the victims mother, the case may have been forgotten altogether. But her insistence that justice be done prompted detectives to look again. DNA left at the scene failed to produce a match. But innovative genealogical investigations threw up a link… and then, a humble ketchup covered napkin provided the smoking gun which proved the identity of a killer.  Learn more about your ad...

In the mid-1980’s DNA science was in its infancy. Crimes were solved thanks to witnesses, confessions, informants… not science. But in a suburb of Glasgow, in Scotland, detectives faced a case with just one witness, and no clue as to the identity of a killer in their midst. The weapon of choice was a dressing gown cord, used as a ligature. And it would prove to be the smoking gun which eventually – 30 years later – revealed a perfectly preserved piece of DNA which led officers to the door of...

Somewhere beyond Jackrabbit Trail Drive and Indian School Road, in the dusty plains of Phoenix, the skeleton of missing 30 year old single mother Denise Johnson is discovered. But it’ll be the Palo Verde tree, or more specifically its unique seed pods, which will eventually pinpoint the killer.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1935 - one of the oldest criminal cases featured in Smoking Gun - the Scottish highlands becomes our crime scene. Body parts, surgically removed and wrapped in newspaper are discovered scattered around the picturesque hillside in glens and rivers. The findings prompt a grisly jigsaw puzzle to identity who the body parts belong to, how the victims met their end, and exactly who was responsible.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A sunny, suburban street in Florida seems the unlikeliest of places for premeditated murder. But in this episode, it’s just the tip of the iceberg as suburban disputes lead to confrontation, death threats and poison. Join us as we find out how forensic experts determine the cause of the victim’s untimely death, and how a criminal profiler helps to identify the perpetrator who took his vendetta from poison pen, to the real thing.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The disappearance of Vicki Hoskinson rocked the very fabric of the village of Flowing Wells in Pima County. The only clue as to what happened in the last carefree moments of life are her bike abandoned on the side of the road, its wheel still spinning. The town and local law enforcement are determined to find out what happened to her, a mission which takes them across state and into the Sonoran Desert. But it’s Vicki’s bike which holds the smoking gun that eventually brings a killer to...

Our opening episode tells the story of the brutal murder of Arlis Perry, a young girl found slain in Stamford University Church. Her killing bears all the hallmarks of a ritualistic sacrifice. But who’s to blame? Arlis’ young husband? The campus security guard? Or renowned serial killer, the Son of Sam? Almost four decades after the fact, Arlis’ blue jeans hold the forensic key to unlock this infamous case.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a long break - Smoking Gun is back for a brand new series! Launching on July 13th, wherever you get your podcasts, we tell ten more stories of how incredible forensic science was able to catch a killer. There's a new episode every week. Or - if you want to binge the series - sign up to Crime Corner, your home for incredible True Crime content. Apple Podcast listeners can find the Crime Corner channel now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the late 80s in picturesque Tampa bay, the bodies of three women were discovered floating in the water. The case gripped the nation; and the hunt for their killer reached fever pitch. In the ultimate cautionary tale, a detective refuses to give up, and turns to the help of the public, and a giant billboard, in a bid to catch the culprit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices