Forensic Tales

#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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For a complete list of sources used in this episode, please visit our website.
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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This episode examines how a confession, outdated forensic assumptions, and the absence of modern DNA testing combined to produce a devastating wrongful conviction, and how science ultimately helped set the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

You can support the show for as little as $3/month.
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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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