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Mistaken For Dead

Documentary

22

Jul 1, 2001

In 1988, when a patient dies unexpectedly in the office of California neurologist Richard Boggs, police begin what they think will be a routine investigation. Soon they uncover a bizarre story of corpse stealing, fake identity and sexual perversion.

Full Episodes

Season 6, 29 episodes

Missing in Time,

A woman is reported missing after a fight with her husband. Police suspect a man who reported a fire in his car. Two tiny drops of blood are found in the interior. Finally, a tiny clue inside the suspect's watchband helps solve the case.

22m May 20, 2001

In 1991, Maine resident Pearl Smith goes missing after an argument with her husband, Bill Bruns. When investigators find a blood trail that leads to the couple's basement, police are sure they'll find the victim's body.

22m May 27, 2001

Man's Best Friend?,

In 1989, 4-year-old April Loveless was found dead in the backyard of her Texas home. Her parents told police that she was attacked and killed by wild dogs. Investigators did not agree.

22m Jun 3, 2001

Hand Delivered,

In 1995, San Diego police are baffled by a pair of hands found in a dumpster. Through further investigation, they determine that the hands are those of missing person Don Hardin.

23m Jun 10, 2001

In 1993, Marie Robards suffered the loss of her father due to a heart attack — but it was more sinister.

23m Jun 17, 2001

In 1996, a federal agency ruled that Terri Strickland had intentionally set the fire that killed her 17-month-old son, Josh Hinson. Using the then-emerging resources of the internet, Strickland undertook her own investigation.

22m Jun 24, 2001

Mistaken For Dead,

In 1988, when a patient dies unexpectedly in the office of California neurologist Richard Boggs, police begin what they think will be a routine investigation. Soon they uncover a bizarre story of corpse stealing, fake identity and sexual perversion.

22m Jul 1, 2001

Frozen Evidence,

One investigator's quick thinking helps him capture a shoe impression made in snow before the evidence melts away. The shoe leads investigators to Peter Benedict and Frank Lanoue, who are convicted of aggravated assault and robbery.

23m Jul 8, 2001

In 1992, 22-year-old Dawn Bruce is brutally murdered in her Virginia apartment. Investigators notice a blood smear on a pillow case that appears to have been made by one of the killer's fingers.

22m Jul 15, 2001

Church Disappearance,

In 1981, 6-year-old Cassie Hansen disappeared from her Minnesota church during an evening service. After receiving a tip that an older man was seen carrying a small person, police found Cassie's body in a dumpster.

23m Jul 22, 2001

Professional photographer Charles Rathbun claims model Linda Sobek died during a consensual sexual encounter gone wrong, but Sobek's corpse and digital imaging tell a more sinister story.

22m Jul 29, 2001

In 1998, a Maryland murder mystery performance turns into a real whodunit when the badly burned body of Stephen Hricko is discovered in his hotel room.

22m Aug 5, 2001

In 1980, Michigan resident Shannon Mohr died in what her new husband, David Davis, reported to be a horseback riding accident. After her death, Shannon's family reported that Davis seemed far from grief-stricken.

22m Aug 12, 2001

Treads and Threads,

For 15 months, a serial killer was strangling prostitutes in Florida, then taunting police by leaving the bodies in plain sight. The only clues were a tire impression and some threads.

22m Aug 19, 2001

Killer's Cattle Log,

When police in the Great Plains are called about a dead body, a background check on the victim leads them into a bizarre web of homeless drifters, cattle auctions and bad checks — all fronted by elderly couple Ray and Faye Copeland.

22m Aug 26, 2001

Skin of Her Teeth,

In 1994, a human skull retrieved from an Ohio pond reveals a ghastly crime. Markings on the skull indicate that the victim had been stabbed multiple times and that the teeth had been removed with needle-nose pliers.

22m Sep 2, 2001

In 1996, when a fundamentalist group begins robbing banks near Spokane, authorities know immediately that they are dealing with experienced criminals.

22m Sep 9, 2001

In rural Canada, Dr. John Schneeberger is accused of sedating and sexually assaulting one of his female patients and his step daughter. DNA tests demonstrate that the doctor is innocent, but the patient insists that he sedated and raped her.

22m Sep 16, 2001

In the search for the killer of two Texas teenagers, a behavioral profile led to suspect Jason Massey. Hard science proved the profile was correct, and Massey was executed by lethal injection on April 3, 2001.

23m Sep 23, 2001

Root of All Evil,

A suspect's former lover comes forward with a fantastic tale of murder, mutilation and cremation. But there's no way to test the story's validity — until a plant pathologist and a dendrochronologist conduct tests where the cremation supposedly occurred.

22m Sep 30, 2001

Where the Blood Drops,

Susie Mowbray was charged in her husband's death. Her son was so convinced of her innocence that he enrolled in law school, studied all of the evidence and, eventually, discovered the truth of what really happened between his parents.

22m Oct 7, 2001

Sibling Rivalry,

In 1991, San Francisco pornographer Artie Mitchell was murdered in his home. His brother and business partner, who was found near the scene carrying a rifle, later confesses to shooting Artie.The question is whether the shooting was premeditated.

22m Oct 21, 2001

In 1981, New York correctional officer Donna Payant disappeared and was later found in a landfill. The medical examiner not only identified the cause of death, but also found an important clue.

22m Oct 28, 2001

Bagging a Killer,

In 1999, 9-year-old Valiree Jackson vanished on her way to school near Spokane. Her father, Brad Jackson, reported the disappearance and the entire community started searching for her abductor.

22m Nov 4, 2001

Double Trouble,

In 1995, when off-duty Maine State Trooper Vicky Gardner is attacked by Steven Fortin during a routine stop, it triggers a chain of events which jumpstart a stalled murder case in New Jersey.

22m Nov 11, 2001

Cats, Flies & Snapshots,

When 19-year-old Lori Auker left her Pennsylvania home for work and never arrived, it took space-age technology, cat hairs and insects to pinpoint the woman's abductor.

22m Nov 18, 2001

When Leann Fletcher is found dead, investigators use blood spatter analysis and forensic computing to find a motive for her murder: her husband, a prominent lawyer, was having an affair with judge Susan Chrzanowski.

22m Nov 25, 2001

Treading Not So Lightly,

By using techniques she saw on forensic science TV shows, a mother determines who was responsible for the accident that permanently injured her 4-year-old daughter.

22m Dec 2, 2001

Shopping Spree,

When a woman and her daughter didn't return home from shopping, her husband directed police to a nearby mall. The child's body was found, but there was no sign of the wife.

22m Dec 2, 2001