Watch Cold Case Files

Name: Cold Case Files
Genre: Documentary & Biography
Released: 2003-06-30
Cast: Bill Kurtis

TV-MA
2003
10 Seasons
8.0 (1,798)

The true crime series Cold Case Files takes a look at unsolved cases that have stymied investigators for a long time. The show documents the investigation of many long-unsolved murders (referred to as "cold cases" in detectives' parlance) through the use of modern forensic science (especially recent advances in DNA techniques), and criminal psychology, in addition to recent breakthroughs in the case(s) involving previously silent witnesses. Cold Case Files first aired as a sub-series of another A&E crime documentary program, Investigative Reports, also hosted by Bill Kurtis, which ran from 1991

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33. Taken In Tacoma

September 24, 2022

When 13-year-old Jennifer Bastian is abducted and murdered in August of 1986, residents of Tacoma panic. This is the second young girl killed in five months. Convinced a predator is loose, Police embark on a 32-year enquiry to catch the killer.

32. Vanished In Virginia

September 17, 2022

When a 30-year-old mother, Lisa Gaudenzi, fails to report for duty in Virginia, the Army lists her as AWOL. Her family immediately suspects foul play. They embark on a 13-year quest for answers before an eyewitness blows the case wide open.

31. Death Of A Hero

September 10, 2022

A fire in January 2007 claims the life of WWII vet Bennie Angelo. A closer look at the crime scene reveals Bennie was dead before the fire, bumping an arson case up to homicide. Leads are few and the case sits on ice - until a witness comes forward.

30. Gone In a New York Minute

September 3, 2022

Summary is not available.

29. Murder In The Midwest

August 27, 2022

The body of Lori Nesson is found in a ditch in 1974, yet her death is not ruled a homicide. But Lori's sister knows this has to be murder. After 4 decades, the cause of death is changed to homicide.

28. Killer in the Storm

August 20, 2022

After a young mother's death in 1988 goes unsolved, her older sister promises to solve the crime, no matter how long it takes, so she sets about on a quest for answers to determine who killed the victim in her own home and why.

27. Lone Survivor

May 13, 2022

In early 1984, three-year-old Vanessa Bennett becomes the lone survivor of her family's brutal murder. Initial investigators suspect a serial killer is at large, but decades pass before DNA narrows the suspect pool to one man.

26. Missing And Murdered

May 6, 2022

In Cree culture, a promise is sacred. When Cree woman Shirley Soosay goes missing in 1980, her niece Violet promises her grandmother that she will bring Shirley home. But Violet never dreamed the search for Shirley--and justice--would take a lifetime.

25. The Lost Patient

April 29, 2022

In 1979, Janie Landers disappears from a home for the impaired; when Janie's body is found, there are many suspects but it is years before the killer and the atrocities in the facility are revealed.

24. 'til Death Do Us Part

April 22, 2022

Just two years into their marriage, Chuck and Cheryl Hall are torn apart when Chuck finds Cheryl murdered. Though Cheryl's family is certain they know her killer, the law isn't as sure. After several decades, a DNA match erases all doubt.

23. A Is For Arson

April 15, 2022

When firefighter Gary Parks is killed in a fire ruled arson, the investigation into his death shifts to homicide. A serial arsonist is thought to be the culprit; but it will take a dogged detective following his gut to track down the real killer.

22. The Bone Keeper

April 8, 2022

When human bones are discovered in the woods in December 1985, it puts an end to the search for missing teen David Reed; skull fractures point to murder, but it will be decades before investigators can find David's killer.

21. Queen of the Ozarks

April 1, 2022

In June 1985, a 20-year-old Sucker Day Festival Queen is found brutalized. The small community of Nixa, Missouri, is certain her blood is on the hands of a local wealthy businessman, but after 25 years DNA reveals the true killer.

20. Cold Ashes

March 25, 2022

When a deadly house fire claims the life of a family in rural Oklahoma, investigators suspect foul play and it sends a mother on a decades-long crusade to find out what happened to her missing teenage daughter and best friend.

19. Written In Blood

March 18, 2022

In July of 1970, the brutal murder of single mom Loretta Jones leaves four-year-old Heidi Jones motherless. Nearly 40 years later, Heidi vows to solve her mother's cold case and calls on an old high school friend to help her find justice for Loretta.

18. One Tough Mother

March 11, 2022

In July 1997, the brutal murder of 19-year-old Tiffany Johnston rocks the small town of Bethany, Oklahoma. DNA points to her killer over a decade later and leads investigators across state lines to Texas--to the buried bodies of two other missing women.

17. Sisters In Death

March 4, 2022

March 1984. Jack Kennedy discovers his daughters brutally murdered. Their mother and niece spend their lives keeping the case alive. DNA leads nowhere. Thirty years later, an informant gives up a name. But the family's ordeal is far from over.

16. The Clock Strikes Murder

February 25, 2022

When 23-year-old Tonya McKinley is found brutally murdered on New Years Day 1985, a little boy is left motherless. A family must wait 35 years for advancements in forensic science to finally catch a killer using familial DNA.

15. Friday Night Ghosts

February 18, 2022

In late 1983, the bodies of five people abducted from a local fast food restaurant are found brutally murdered in an oil field. The main suspect is long believed to be a well-connected local man, until new evidence reveals the true killers had been hiding in plain sight for decades.

14. Dark Angel

February 11, 2022

Thirteen days after Pam Pitts disappears in 1988, her charred body is found at a popular hangout spot in the Arizona desert; when a second victim is discovered in a mineshaft, detectives suspect the killer may have known them both.

13. Eyes of a Killer

February 4, 2022

On February 2, 2010, two masked gunmen commit a violent robbery and shoot Michael Temple Jr., rendering him a quadriplegic for five years before his death. In this unusual cold case, DNA from a knife is used to create a sketch of the killer.

12. Woman in the Woods

January 21, 2022

In August 1972, the body of Jody Loomis is found in the woods. 34 years later, the killer's DNA is recovered from Jody's old clothing but it isn't matched until 2018, when genetic genealogy helps point to one suspect--whose guilt must be proven in court.

11. A Lesson In Homicide

January 21, 2022

When a beloved schoolteacher is found murdered in her Neptune, New Jersey apartment in the fall of 2009, suspicion is cast on her soon to be ex-husband. Long after the case goes cold, a detective embarks on a mission to help the man clear his name and track down the real killers.

10. Suspicious Minds

January 14, 2022

Just after the last day of school in 1984, 15-year-old Reesa Trexler is found murdered in her grandparents' home. For decades, a stalled investigation only fuels the town rumor mill, pointing an accusing finger at Reesa's 13-year-old sister, Jodie.

9. Murder by Moonlight

January 14, 2022

Easter Sunday of 1992, the body of missing woman Lisa Ziegert is found in a field. The investigation yields hundreds of leads but no true suspect. After more than two decades on ice, the case is revived when DNA phenotyping puts a face to the killer.

8. Ice Cold in Denver

January 7, 2022

On a bitter morning in 1980, radio intern Helene Pruszynski is found brutalized in a snowy field. After 37 years of fruitless leads, investigators tap into a public genealogy website that leads them across the country to the killer they've been hunting.

7. Love and Hate

January 7, 2022

Near what's known as the hanging tree, the mutilated body of Timothy Coggins is found in late 1983. The investigation is thwarted and the case freezes for over 30 years until a newly elected sheriff vows to bring the killers to justice.

6. The Devil in Disguise

September 24, 2021

23-year-old teacher Irene Garza was a former beauty queen and devout Catholic who vanished the evening before Easter after giving confession. Residents of her close-knit border town did their best to find her, but after a series of false leads, her body was found floating in a drainage canal clearly the victim of a violent sexual predator. At the time, a key witness hinted that a member of the Catholic clergy may have been responsible, but the clue remained buried for 42 years until a former priest comes forward with a damning confession from another man of the cloth that reveals a sinister coverup.

5. The Heartland Killer

September 17, 2021

Women from small towns along the Mississippi River were killed in 1980s and the case remains unsolved up to this day.

4. The School Teacher

September 17, 2021

When 25-year-old schoolteacher Christy Mirack is found brutally murdered in her Lancaster, Pennsylvania, apartment in 1992, there is no shortage of suspects. Frustration and fear mount as each person is ruled out, one by one, and eventually the case goes cold. Twenty-six years later, in 2018, cold case detectives get a break when a relative of the killer uploads DNA to a public genealogy website. This story features a rare interview with the victim's brother and the forensic genealogist who helped crack one of state's first cold cases to be solved by familial DNA technology.

3. Missing in Altoona

September 3, 2021

When Sherry Leighty goes missing in 1999, her family is left wondering how a dedicated mother of three could vanish without a trace. A decade later, the cold case heats up when Sherry's sister launches a social media campaign to help solve her sister's mysterious disappearance. An online tip unearths the killer truth and a sinister family secret. Featuring an interview with Shelly Leighty, who never gave up on solving her sister's case, along with rare home video of Sherry and her family.

2. Devil at the Door

August 27, 2021

When 36-year-old computer programmer Lisa Valdez fails to show up for work, her apartment manager finds her brutally murdered in her tiny studio. Her body is riddled with stab wounds, the walls are covered in blood. Evidence shows the killer cut off her long, dark hair, taking it as an apparent trophy.

1. The Voice in the Lake

August 20, 2021

When 31-year-old real estate appraiser Mike Williams mysteriously vanishes while duck hunting in the Florida swamps in December of 2000, authorities suspect he accidentally drowned. For sixteen years Mike's disappearance remains a mystery. The case heats up when police receive a distress call from the victim's wife in 2016. Featuring interviews with detectives and the victim's mother as well as rare footage of the crime scene and recorded audio confessions with the accused, the episode explores how the disappearance unfolded into a sinister plot to cash in on millions of dollars of life insurance.

Description

Cold Case Files first aired as a sub-series of another A&E crime documentary program, Investigative Reports, also hosted by Bill Kurtis, which ran from 1991

Cold Case Files is a series that is currently running and has 10 seasons (206 episodes). The series first aired on June 30, 2003.

Where to Watch Cold Case Files

Cold Case Files is available for streaming on the A&E website, both individual episodes and full seasons. You can also watch Cold Case Files on demand at Apple TV+, Peacock Premium, Amazon Prime, Philo, Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Vudu, The Roku Channel Free, Sling, Google Play, Apple TV and A&E.