Ep 23. Cross Country Connection; Eyes at the Window

In Cold Case Files season 5 episode 23, titled "Cross Country Connection; Eyes at the Window," viewers are taken through two separate cases that involve the hunt for a killer.

The first case in "Cross Country Connection" is the story of a woman named Susan Schwarz who went missing in the 1980s after leaving her home in Indiana to visit a friend in California. Police at the time assumed she had gone to start a new life, but when Susan's parents hired a private investigator to look into her disappearance, evidence suggested that she may have been murdered.

Detectives on the case discovered that a man named Kenneth Bianchi, otherwise known as the Hillside Strangler, had been living in the same apartment complex as Susan's friend in California at the time of her disappearance. Although Bianchi had been imprisoned for a string of murders in the 1970s, his time in California overlapped with the timeline surrounding Susan's disappearance. Investigators came to believe that Bianchi may have been involved in her disappearance and began to build a case against him.

The second case in "Eyes at the Window" takes place in San Diego, California in the late 1980s. A woman named Constance Tomich was brutally attacked and raped in her home, but was able to identify her attacker as a man who lived in her apartment complex. However, the case went cold when police were unable to locate the suspect and he remained on the run for decades.

The show delves into the lengths detectives went to in order to gather evidence and build a case for both Susan Schwarz and Constance Tomich's murders. With interviews from detectives, families of the victims, and forensic experts, viewers are taken through the intricate investigative process that eventually led to justice for both Susan and Constance.

Through re-enactments, interviews, and expert analysis, "Cross Country Connection; Eyes at the Window" weaves together two compelling cases that showcase the tireless work put in by detectives to bring closure for the victims and their families. The episode serves as a chilling reminder that even the coldest of cases can be solved with determination and persistence.