#317 - When a pattern emerges in criminal investigations, it often becomes the strongest lead. In Southern California, that pattern pointed to a serial sexual offender who used a knife to control his victims and left DNA behind at multiple scenes.

For years, the DNA sat unmatched.

Today’s episode examines the San Diego Knifepoint Rapist case, the forensic evidence that connected the assaults, and how modern genetic genealogy transformed a cold case into a solved one.

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From the Archives: The Mysterious Death of Tiffany Valiante

In 2015, 18-year-old Tiffany Valiante was struck and killed by a train in New Jersey. Authorities quickly ruled her death a suicide but from the very beginning, her family has insisted that explanation doesn’t make sense.

Tiffany had made plans for the future. She had no known history of depression. And crucial pieces of evidence, including her phone, shoes, and the circumstances surrounding how she ended up on the tracks, raised troubling questions that were never fully answered.

In this episode, we take a closer look at Tiffany’s final hours, the investigation that followed, and the inconsistencies that continue to fuel doubt years later. Was this truly a suicide… or was something else overlooked?

This is a case that has haunted listeners since it first aired and one that deserves another careful listen.

Forensic Tales is a Rockefeller Audio production. The show is written and produced my Courtney Fretwell.

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#315 - In 1975, a three-year-old boy disappeared in Richmond, Virginia. Days later, his body was found in the James River, and a young neighbor, Marvin Grimm Jr., became the focus of the investigation.

After hours of interrogation, Marvin confessed and later pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to life in prison.

But decades later, advances in forensic science told a very different story.

DNA testing excluded Marvin from every piece of biological evidence in the case. Experts identified clear red flags in his confession. And toxicology analysis made the prosecution’s timeline impossible.

In 2024, nearly fifty years after his conviction, the courts ruled that Marvin Grimm Jr. was innocent.

This episode examines how a confession, outdated forensic assumptions, and the absence of modern DNA testing combined to produce a devastating wrongful conviction, and how science ultimately helped set the record straight.

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#314 - For decades, Robert Eugene Brashers lived in near-total obscurity.

While investigators across multiple states worked unsolved cases involving sexual assault and murder, his name never surfaced. Not because evidence was missing, but because the science needed to connect it all didn’t yet exist.

In this episode of Forensic Tales, we trace the full scope of Brashers’ crimes: from a brutal attempted murder in Florida, to a series of sexual assaults and homicides stretching across the South and Midwest and finally, to the forensic breakthroughs that would link him to at least eight murders.

Most people know Brashers’ name today because of one case: the 1991 Austin Yogurt Shop Murders. But that case is only part of a much larger story.

Through advances in DNA analysis, ballistics, and investigative genetic genealogy, investigators were able to uncover a serial offender who had operated for years across state lines, evading detection and living an ordinary life in between acts of extreme violence.

This episode focuses not just on one infamous crime, but on the many victims whose cases were finally connected and on how forensic science exposed a serial killer who had been hiding in plain sight.

Forensic Tales is a Rockefeller Audio production. The show is written and produced by Courtney Fretwell.

If you'd like to support the show & get access to exclusive content, early ad-free episodes, and merchandise, consider joining the show's Patreon. To learn more: https://www.patreon.com/c/forensictales

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#313 - This week, we’re revisiting one of the most downloaded episodes of 2025.

The death of UK spy Gareth Williams in 2010 has become one of the most high-profile unsolved mysteries in years after his naked body was discovered padlocked inside a duffel bag. Described as a genius mathematician who the intelligence service had recruited, Gareth’s exact cause of death remains unknown, and people can’t agree whether he could have locked himself in there on his own or whether someone else was responsible. 

There have been a number of theories over the years, including sex games gone wrong and Russian spies. But even today, there are still so many unanswered questions about his death.

What happened to Gareth Williams, and how can forensic science help us find those answers?

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Credits:

Written and produced by Courtney Fretwell

Rockefeller Audio production

For a complete list of sources used in this episode, please visit forensictales.com.

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#312 - In 1991, John Kunco was convicted in Pennsylvania of raping and torturing a 55-year-old woman inside her apartment. There was no DNA evidence tying him to the crime. Instead, the case against him relied heavily on an alleged bite mark and a delayed voice identification.

Kunco spent nearly 28 years in prison before advances in forensic science began to unravel the evidence used to convict him. DNA testing excluded him from key physical evidence, and the forensic dentists who testified at his trial later withdrew their conclusions, acknowledging that bite mark analysis is not a reliable forensic method.

In 2018, Kunco’s conviction was vacated — but the case did not end there. Subsequent legal developments, including guilty pleas to reduced charges, complicated public understanding of whether Kunco was wrongfully convicted, raising difficult questions about how forensic failure, legal strategy, and justice intersect.

Forensic Tales is a Rockefeller Audio production.

The show is written and produced by Courtney Fretwell.

To listen to new episode early & ad-free, please consider joining the show's Patreon at patreon.com/forensictales

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#311 - In November 2008, 24-year-old Arpana Jinaga was found murdered in her Redmond, Washington apartment—just hours after attending a Halloween party with neighbors in her building. Arpana was a bright, accomplished software engineer with no known enemies, yet the crime scene was chaotic and filled with conflicting forensic clues.

Despite multiple suspects, extensive DNA testing, and even a criminal trial, her killer has never been identified.

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In March 2008, 21-year-old Juliana Redding was found murdered inside her Santa Monica apartment. Juliana had moved to Los Angeles to study communications and pursue modeling, building a life close to the beach and staying closely connected to her family in Arizona.

When she stopped responding to calls and messages, police conducted a welfare check and discovered signs of a violent struggle — along with attempts to start a fire inside the home. Investigators collected a significant amount of forensic evidence, but the case would take an unexpected turn in court.

This episode examines Juliana’s life, the investigation into her death, and the questions that remain today. Despite the volume of forensic evidence, no one has ever been convicted of her murder. A stark reminder that even strong forensics don’t always lead to a clear resolution.

For a complete list of sources, visit ForensicTales.com.

To support the show and access early, ad-free episodes, join us on Patreon.

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Forensic Tales is written and produced by Courtney Fretwell.

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A respected veterinarian is found dead under mysterious circumstances in an upscale Rancho Santa Fe neighborhood. What first looked like a car accident quickly turned into a homicide investigation filled with unanswered questions — a wrecked vehicle, blunt-force trauma, and no clear explanation of how Dr. Robert Stonebreaker ended up in a nearby driveway. Nearly 15 years later, the case remains unsolved. In this episode, we break down the timeline, the forensic inconsistencies, and the theories that still surround his death.

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In this episode, we revisit the shocking murder of 23-year-old law student Jane Mixer, long believed to be a victim of Michigan’s “Co-Ed Killer.” When modern DNA testing finally pointed to an unexpected suspect, Gary Leiterman, the case was reopened, re-examined, and fiercely debated.

Was the forensic evidence clear-cut? Or did lab contamination muddy the truth?

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