Forensic Tales

This week, we’re opening the Forensic Tales Vault and revisiting one of the most controversial cases ever covered on the show—the death of 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson.

On January 11, 2013, Kendrick was found upside down inside a rolled-up gym mat at Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Georgia. Investigators concluded that Kendrick climbed into the mat while trying to retrieve a pair of shoes, became trapped, and died from positional asphyxia.

But Kendrick’s family has never accepted that explanation.

In this completely re-recorded and updated Vault episode, we take a fresh look at the forensic evidence surrounding Kendrick’s death, including:

• The position of Kendrick’s body and the gym mats
• The shoes discovered inside the mat
• Blood found near the scene
• DNA evidence recovered from items inside the gym
• The controversial surveillance footage
• The original autopsy and finding of positional asphyxia
• Subsequent independent autopsies and conflicting conclusions about Kendrick’s cause of death
• Questions surrounding the handling of his remains
• Suspicions raised by Kendrick’s family
• Multiple investigations into whether his death was accidental or the result of foul play

More than a decade later, Kendrick Johnson’s death continues to generate debate.

Was this truly a devastating accident—or does the forensic evidence suggest something else happened inside that gym?

️ This episode has been completely re-recorded and updated from the original Forensic Tales episode.

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On November 2, 2007, 21-year-old British exchange student Meredith Kercher was found murdered inside the apartment she shared with Amanda Knox in Perugia, Italy.

What followed became an international media spectacle. Amanda Knox and her boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were arrested, convicted of Meredith’s murder, acquitted, convicted again—and ultimately cleared by Italy’s highest court.

But what did the forensic evidence actually prove?

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Website: https://forensictales.com/the-murder-of-meredith-kercher

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In this special episode of Forensic Tales, we’re covering a forensic breakthrough announced just days ago.

In June 1978, skeletal remains belonging to a young woman were discovered buried in a shallow grave in a grape vineyard near Arvin, California. Investigators collected what evidence they could, but fingerprints, dental records, and eventually traditional DNA testing failed to reveal her identity.

For nearly 48 years, she was known only as the Arvin Jane Doe.

Then investigators turned to forensic genetic genealogy. With the help of advanced DNA testing and Othram, investigators were eventually led to the family of 15-year-old Michelle Louise Collier, who had disappeared from Fresno in February 1978.

In this episode, we break down the original investigation, the 2007 exhumation and DNA testing, the facial reconstruction created to help identify her, how forensic genetic genealogy finally solved the mystery of her identity, and the questions investigators are now trying to answer about who killed Michelle.

Michelle finally has her name back—but her murder remains unsolved.

Anyone with information about Michelle Louise Collier, her disappearance, or her death is asked to contact the Kern County Sheriff’s Office at 661-861-3110.

Learn more about forensic genetic genealogy and help fund DNA testing for unsolved cases:

https://dnasolves.com

Forensic Tales proudly makes a monthly contribution to support this work.

️Follow Forensic Tales wherever you listen to podcasts, and make sure you’re following the show so you don’t miss future updates in Michelle’s case.

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On the morning of November 6, 2001, a customer arrived at The Hair Gallery in Florence, Montana, expecting nothing more than a routine nail appointment. Instead, she walked into one of the most horrific crime scenes investigators had ever encountered.

Inside the small salon, owner Dorothy Harris, manicurist Brenda Patch, and longtime customer Cynthia Paulus had all been brutally murdered.

In this episode of Forensic Tales, we examine the forensic evidence left behind, including the mysterious black sunglasses, an unidentified palm print, bloodhound tracking, and the unanswered questions that continue to haunt investigators more than twenty years later. We also explore the timeline of the murders, the strange man seen leaving the salon moments before the bodies were discovered, the investigation into Brian Weber and Lincoln Benavides, and why prosecutors ultimately dropped their murder case.

Finally, we discuss the eerie similarities between the Florence Salon Murders and the unsolved Dolly Madison Bakery Murders in Great Bend, Kansas—a case many believe could be connected, despite investigators never finding evidence to prove it.

If you'd like to hear a full deep dive into the Dolly Madison Bakery Murders, I've previously dedicated an entire episode to that case. Check it out. 

If you have any information regarding the Florence Salon Murders, please contact the Ravalli County Sheriff's Office.

Follow Forensic Tales

Instagram: @ForensicTales

TikTok: @ForensicTales

Patreon (ad-free & bonus episodes): https://www.patreon.com/forensictales

Website: https://forensictales.com

If you're enjoying the show, please consider leaving a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It really helps others discover the podcast and supports the show.

Thank you for listening to Forensic Tales.

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In this special episode of Forensic Tales, we examine the forensic case against recording artist D4vd, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, following his five-day preliminary hearing.

Fourteen-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez was found dead inside the front trunk of a Tesla registered to Burke in September 2025. During the hearing, prosecutors presented autopsy findings, DNA evidence, suspected bloodstains, a damaged inflatable pool, chainsaw purchases, Tesla location records and thousands of messages recovered from Burke’s phone and iCloud account.

We also examine the limitations raised by his defense, including questions about evidence collection, DNA transfer, presumptive blood testing, the unidentified murder weapon and whether the digital evidence proves who was driving the Tesla.

A judge ultimately determined that prosecutors presented sufficient probable cause for the case to proceed to trial. Burke has pleaded not guilty and is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

Content warning: This episode discusses the death and alleged sexual abuse of a minor. Some graphic details have been omitted.

 

Episode sources:

Los Angeles County District Attorney:

https://da.lacounty.gov/media/news/d4vd-ordered-stand-trial-murdering-dismembering-14-year-old-girl

Associated Press:

https://apnews.com/article/65647a24c7808bebc0b6ff9040f50615

ABC7 Los Angeles:

https://abc7.com/post/d4vd-murder-case-singers-lawyers-ask-more-dna-testing-wasnt-done-chain-saws-car-celeste-rivas-hernandez-killing/19564190/

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