#293 - In the early 1970s, two young women from Stanford University—Leslie Perlov and Janet Taylor—were strangled and left in remote areas just miles apart. Despite extensive investigations, both cases remained unsolved for decades.

Nearly 50 years later, a stunning breakthrough in forensic genealogy revealed their killer: John Getreu, a seemingly ordinary man with a violent past. Hidden behind the mask of a family man and community volunteer was a predator who had escaped justice for far too long.

This episode explores how preserved DNA evidence, advanced technology, and determined investigators finally brought long-overdue answers to two grieving families—and exposed a serial killer hiding in plain sight.

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Credits:

Written and produced by Courtney Fretwell

Rockefeller Audio production

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#292 - In 1974, 19-year-old Arlis Perry was brutally murdered inside Stanford University’s Memorial Church. Her body was discovered posed in a ritualistic manner, surrounded by religious objects—fueling decades of rumors about satanic cults and ritual sacrifice. Despite the collection of physical evidence, the case would remain unsolved for over 40 years.

Arlis’s murder became one of Northern California’s most haunting cold cases. But behind the layers of myth and speculation, forensic science quietly held the answers. Decades later, advancements in DNA and fingerprint analysis would expose the killer—someone who had been involved in the case from the very beginning.

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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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#291 - In 2005, chemist Geetha Angara vanished during her shift at a New Jersey water treatment plant. A day later, her body was found floating inside one of the facility’s massive water tanks—along with more questions than answers. Was it a tragic accident? Or a calculated murder perfectly concealed by the very environment she worked to protect?

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If you love the show, the easiest way to show your support is by leaving us a positive rating with a review. You can also tell your family and friends about Forensic Tales.

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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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#290 - On a cold December night in 2014, first responders in Courtland, Mississippi, arrived at the scene of a car fire—only to discover something far more horrifying. Nineteen-year-old Jessica Chambers was found walking down a rural road, covered in burns and barely clinging to life. Before succumbing to her injuries, she tried to name her attacker. But what exactly did she say? And why has her case remained unsolved for nearly a decade?

Support

If you love the show, the easiest way to show your support is by leaving us a positive rating with a review. You can also tell your family and friends about Forensic Tales.

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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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#289 - Torrey Pines State Beach in California is a place where many come to find peace. But for two young women, it became the backdrop of unspeakable tragedy.

In August 1978, police officers responded to the beach, where they found the body of 15-year-old Barbara Nantais lying on the sand. She had been strangled and beaten to death, and one of her breasts had been severed.

Her boyfriend was also discovered nearby, suffering from a severe head injury that left him with no memory of the attack. 

Six years later, 14-year-old Claire Hough was found just yards away from where Barbara had been killed. 

Like Barbara, she had been beaten, strangled, and had her breast mutilated. The similarities between the two cases were undeniable. 

For decades, these cases remained unsolved. But advancements in forensic science have reopened the investigation, leading to new suspects and questions about the true identity of the killer.

Support

If you love the show, the easiest way to show your support is by leaving us a positive rating with a review. You can also tell your family and friends about Forensic Tales.

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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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#288 - It was Valentine’s Day, 1988, in Wales. While couples exchanged roses and love notes, in a small flat above a betting shop, a young woman lay brutally murdered. Her name was Lynette White. She was just 20 years old.

What followed her death wasn’t just a murder investigation—it was a legal and forensic nightmare. Five innocent men were accused, imprisoned, and publicly vilified for a crime they didn’t commit. And it would take 15 years—and one tiny fragment of DNA—to reveal the true killer hiding in plain sight.

This isn’t just a story of a violent crime. It’s a story about the failure of justice... and how forensic science became the key to unraveling a decades-old lie.

Support

If you love the show, the easiest way to show your support is by leaving us a positive rating with a review. You can also tell your family and friends about Forensic Tales.

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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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#287 - Imagine waking up to find your entire world shattered—and being told you’re the one who destroyed it. In 1997, Phoenix, Arizona, was rocked by a gruesome and baffling crime. Yarmila Falater, a devoted wife and mother, was found stabbed over 40 times and drowned in her own backyard pool. The suspect? Her husband, Scott Falater—a devout Mormon with no history of violence, who claimed he had no memory of the attack. His defense? He was sleepwalking.

Could someone really commit such a brutal murder while unconscious? Or was this a calculated cover-up cloaked in pseudoscience?

This is the story of Yarmila Falater. A case that would challenge the limits of forensic psychology and force a jury to decide whether sleepwalking can be deadly.

Support

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Support the show for as low as $3/month.

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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#286 - In January 2022, Boston police officer John O’Keefe was found dead in the snow outside the home of another police officer. The case quickly captured national attention—not just because of the tragedy itself, but because of the woman accused of killing him: Karen Read.

If you’ve been following Forensic Tales, you might remember that we covered the full story of this case in a previous episode—walking through the timeline, the key players, and the strange twists that led to Karen’s arrest.

But today’s episode is different.

Now that the second trial has concluded and the jury has delivered their verdict, we’re breaking down what happened inside that courtroom. We’re focusing on the forensic evidence presented—what helped the prosecution, what raised questions for the defense, and how science played a central role in one of the most controversial trials in recent memory.

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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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#285 - It was supposed to be a fun night.A group of moms—neighbors and friends—gathered for an adult slumber party. Alcohol, games, laughter… the kind of night where you let loose, take off your responsibilities, and just be yourself.

But by the next morning, one of them was dead.

Her name was Tamla Horsford. A 40-year-old mother of five.She was found face down in the backyard of the home where the party took place—cold, lifeless, and alone.The official story?

 She was drunk. She slipped. She fell off a second-story deck and died.

But that explanation didn’t sit right with Tamla’s family. Or with a growing number of people who started asking hard questions.

Why were there so many injuries—far more than you'd expect from a simple fall? Why did no one hear or see what happened? And why, in a house full of people, was there so little forensic evidence to go on?

This is the story of what happens when the science raises more questions than answers… When families are forced to fight for investigations they believe never truly happened… And when the absence of evidence becomes its own kind of clue.

Support

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Support the show for as low as $3/month.

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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In the heat of Maryland summer in 1979, a young woman’s life was brutally cut short — and for over four decades, the case went cold. Vicki Lynn Belk was just 28 years old when she vanished, her vibrant future stolen in an instant. For years, investigators pored over evidence, haunted by the lack of answers. But it wasn’t until the power of modern forensic science — DNA technology that didn’t even exist when Vicki was murdered — that the truth began to surface. In this episode, we dive deep into how cutting-edge forensic breakthroughs finally gave Vicki a voice and how a persistent pursuit of justice turned silence into revelation. This is a story of tragedy, of perseverance, and of science catching up to a crime that thought it could outrun time. 

Support

If you love the show, the easiest way to show your support is by leaving us a positive rating with a review. You can also tell your family and friends about Forensic Tales.

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Support the show for as low as $3/month.

Credits:

Written and produced by Courtney Fretwell

Rockefeller Audio production

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