All language subtitles for catching.killers.s01e04.insect.evidence.web.h264-underbelly

[GUNSHOT]

Narrator: MURDER IS
AS OLD AS TIME...

...AND SO IS THE QUEST
TO FIND THE KILLERS.

WHEN SLEUTHING
MEETS SCIENCE,

NEW FORENSIC TOOLS
ARE BORN.

SCOTLAND, 1935.

THE DISMEMBERED BODIES
OF TWO WOMEN

ARE FOUND IN A RAVINE.

Man: ANYTHING THAT COULD HAVE
HELPED TO IDENTIFY

WHO THESE POOR PEOPLE WERE

HAD BEEN REMOVED.

Narrator: BUT DETECTIVES
FIND AN UNEXPECTED ALLY

IN THE FIGHT
AGAINST CRIME...

INSECTS.

Man: IT WAS REALLY,
QUITE A SORT OF, UM,

FLASH OF INSPIRATION,

THAT ANYONE CONSIDERED
THAT THE INSECTS

COULD HAVE ANY ROLE
TO PLAY AT ALL.

Narrator: THESE SILENT WITNESSES
PROVIDE A CRITICAL CLUE

AND SHINE A SPOTLIGHT

ON THE EMERGING WORLD
OF FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGY...

...NEARLY 70 YEARS LATER,

AFTER AN ENTIRE FAMILY
IS MURDERED.

Man: THE CRIME SHOOK
OUR COMMUNITY TO THE CORE.

Narrator: DETECTIVES ONCE AGAIN
PUT BUGS TO THE TEST,

BUT IN A WHOLE NEW WAY.

Woman: I GOT A PHONE CALL
FROM THE BAKERSFIELD POLICE,

ASKING WHETHER OR NOT
WE COULD TELL

WHERE A VEHICLE HAD BEEN

BASED ON THE INSECTS THAT
WERE ON THE RADIATOR.

I DON'T KNOW,
BUT LET'S TRY.

Narrator: JULY 2003,

BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA.

IT'S NOT A TYPICAL
TUESDAY MORNING

AT THE HARPER HOUSE.

THINGS ARE MUCH TOO QUIET.

[PHONE RINGING]

IT'S BEEN A COUPLE OF DAYS
SINCE JOANIE HARPER,

A MOTHER OF THREE,
HAS ANSWERED HER TELEPHONE.

HER BEST FRIEND, KELSEY SPANN,
IS WORRIED...

SO SHE DECIDES TO CHECK
ON JOANIE AND THE KIDS.

WITH A GROWING SENSE OF DREAD,
SHE MOVES THROUGH THE HOUSE.

AND WHEN SHE OPENS
THE BEDROOM DOOR...

IT'S HER WORST NIGHTMARE.

JOANIE,

HER THREE CHILDREN,

AND HER MOTHER, ERNESTINE,

HAVE BEEN SAVAGELY MURDERED.

AN ENTIRE FAMILY IS GONE.

Jeff Watts: THE CRIME SHOOK
OUR COMMUNITY TO THE CORE.

IT WAS SOMETHING THAT
THE CITY OF BAKERSFIELD

HAD NEVER DEALT WITH BEFORE.

IT REALLY RATTLED
THE POPULATION.

Narrator: POLICE COMB
THE HARPER HOUSE

LOOKING FOR FORENSIC EVIDENCE

THAT WOULD POINT THEM
TO THE KILLER.

ALL OF THE VICTIMS WERE SHOT
EXECUTION STYLE,

AND JOANIE HARPER ALSO HAS
MULTIPLE STAB WOUNDS.

BUT NONE OF THE NEIGHBORS HEARD
ANYTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY.

THEY FIND NO SIGN
OF FORCED ENTRY,

AND NOTHING OF VALUE
APPEARS TO BE MISSING.

THERE ARE NO STRANGE
FINGERPRINTS,

OR HAIR OR FIBERS,

NOTHING OF FORENSIC VALUE
TO GUIDE DETECTIVES.

BUT THEY DO LEARN THAT
ONE FAMILY MEMBER IS MISSING.

Watts: WE DETERMINED THAT

THE ESTRANGED HUSBAND OF
JOANIE HARPER WAS OUTSTANDING.

WE WANTED TO MAKE
A DETERMINATION

IF VINCENT BROTHERS
HAD INFORMATION

THAT WOULD AID US
IN OUR INVESTIGATION.

Narrator: VINCENT BROTHERS
IS A WELL-RESPECTED

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
VICE PRINCIPAL.

BUT JOANIE AND VINCENT SEPARATED
A FEW MONTHS EARLIER

AMID RUMORS OF
MARITAL INFIDELITY.

POLICE QUICKLY TRACK DOWN
VINCENT BROTHERS.

DEVASTATED, VINCENT TELLS
DETECTIVE JEFF WATTS

THAT HE'S BEEN AWAY,

VISITING RELATIVES
IN OHIO.

AND HE'S GOT RECORDS
TO BACK IT UP.

Watts: THERE HAD BEEN
CREDIT CARD ACTIVITY

ON VINCENT BROTHERS'
CREDIT CARD

ON SUNDAY, JULY 6th...

...IN COLUMBUS, OHIO.

Narrator: BROTHERS WAS
2,200 MILES AWAY

THE DAY HIS FAMILY
WAS MURDERED.

IT LOOKS LIKE THE GRIEVING
HUSBAND AND FATHER

IS EXACTLY THAT.

Watts: THERE WAS
NOTHING INDICATING

HE COMMITTED THESE CRIMES.

Narrator:
WHILE BAKERSFIELD MOURNS,

DETECTIVE WATTS AND HIS TEAM
SCOUR THE EVIDENCE,

LOOKING FOR ANY CLUES
TO THE KILLER.

AND POLICE CONTINUE TO
CANVASS THE NEIGHBORHOOD

LOOKING FOR WITNESSES...

BUT THEY COME UP
WITH NO SOLID LEADS.

THEY TURN BACK TO
VINCENT BROTHERS FOR HELP.

THEY ARE SHOCKED TO FIND
THAT THE GRIEVING FATHER

IS NOW ANYTHING BUT.

IN FACT, HE COMPLETELY
STONEWALLS DETECTIVES.

Watts:
WHAT I WAS MET WITH

WAS UNCOOPERATIVENESS
WITH THE POLICE.

IF THOSE WERE MY CHILDREN
THAT HAD BEEN MURDERED,

I'D WANT TO KNOW
FROM THE POLICE,

WHAT ARE YOU DOING
TO SOLVE THIS CRIME?

HOW WERE THEY MURDERED?

WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP?

Narrator:
WITH GROWING SUSPICION,

DETECTIVE JEFF WATTS DECIDES
TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK

AT BROTHERS' ALIBI.

RECEIPTS CONFIRM THAT HE FLEW
FROM BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA,

TO COLUMBUS, OHIO, ON JULY 2nd,

FOUR DAYS BEFORE THE MURDERS.

Watts: WHEN HE ARRIVED
IN COLUMBUS,

HE RENTED A DODGE NEON

THAT HE CLAIMED
HE HAD ONLY USED

TO OPERATE IN
THE COLUMBUS AREA.

Narrator: BUT WHEN
DETECTIVE WATTS STUDIES

THE RENTAL CAR RECORDS...

HE'S IN FOR
A HUGE SURPRISE.

Watts: VINCENT BROTHERS HAD PUT
5,424 MILES ON THIS VEHICLE.

Narrator: WHEN ASKED,

VINCENT BROTHERS
HAS NO EXPLANATION

FOR THE HIGH MILEAGE.

DETECTIVE WATTS,
HOWEVER, THINKS HE DOES.

Watts: IT WAS CLEAR TO US

THAT THIS VEHICLE
COULD HAVE BEEN DRIVEN

FROM COLUMBUS TO BAKERSFIELD
AND BACK.

Narrator: WHICH MEANS
IT'S POSSIBLE

THAT VINCENT BROTHERS
HAD THE OPPORTUNITY

TO KILL HIS FAMILY.

BUT DETECTIVE WATTS HAS
SOME OBSTACLES IN HIS WAY

BEFORE HE CAN PROVE IT.

FIRST, THERE'S
THE PAPER TRAIL.

IT PUTS BROTHERS SQUARELY
IN COLUMBUS DURING THE MURDERS.

SECOND, THERE'S THE QUESTION
OF EVIDENCE

CONNECTING BROTHERS
TO THE ACTUAL CRIME.

HIS FINGERPRINTS AND STRAY HAIRS
ARE ALL OVER THE HOUSE.

BUT UNTIL NOT LONG AGO,

VINCENT BROTHERS
LIVED IN THAT HOUSE.

SO NONE OF IT PROVES
HE'S A MURDERER.

THE EVIDENCE IS USELESS.

WHICH MEANS DETECTIVE WATTS WILL
HAVE TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX

IF HE WANTS TO DISPROVE
BROTHERS' ALIBI.

FIRST, HE FLIES TO OHIO

TO INSPECT VINCENT BROTHERS'
RENTED DODGE NEON.

Watts: WE WERE FORTUNATE
IN THIS CASE

THAT THIS RENTAL CAR,

WE WERE ABLE TO TRACK
FROM DAY ONE,

FROM THE DAY IT WAS PUT
IN SERVICE, MILE ONE,

WE KNEW WHO THE FIRST
FOUR DRIVERS WERE.

ALL FOUR OF THOSE DRIVERS
NEVER LEFT THE COLUMBUS AREA

OR THE OHIO AREA.

Narrator: WATTS SEARCHES THE CAR
FROM TOP TO BOTTOM.

Watts: WHEN YOU
GET A VEHICLE,

YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT
YOU'RE LOOKING FOR.

SOMETIMES EVIDENCE JUST
KIND OF COMES TO YOU.

I WAS HOPING TO
FIND A FIREARM.

I WAS HOPING TO FIND THE KNIFE
USED IN THE CRIMES.

BUT NONE OF THAT WAS THERE.

Narrator: IT APPEARS
THE CAR WAS WASHED

BY THE RENTAL CAR COMPANY.

BUT THE ONE THING WATTS
DOES FIND IS BUGS.

AND SOON WATTS COMES UP WITH
AN IDEA SO UNORTHODOX

THAT IT ALMOST
SOUNDS IMPOSSIBLE.

IS THERE A CHANCE
THAT THE INSECTS

COULD SOMEHOW REVEAL
WHERE THIS CAR HAS BEEN?

IT'S A LONG SHOT,
TO SAY THE LEAST.

Watts: WE DIDN'T KNOW IF
IT WAS GONNA WORK OR NOT.

I MEAN, IT WAS A HUNCH,

BUT SOMETIMES YOU JUST GOT
TO PLAY YOUR HUNCHES.

Narrator: NOBODY ON
THE BAKERSFIELD POLICE FORCE

HAS EVER USED DEAD INSECTS
TO DISPROVE AN ALIBI,

AND DETECTIVE WATTS WILL NEED
ALL THE HELP HE CAN GET.

SO HE TURNS TO
AN EXPERT IN INSECTS...

AN ENTOMOLOGIST.

PEOPLE HAVE BEEN STUDYING
INSECTS FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS.

IN 1828, WHILE STUDYING THEOLOGY
AT CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY,

CHARLES DARWIN BECOMES OBSESSED
WITH COLLECTING BEETLES

FROM THE ENGLISH COUNTRYSIDE.

HIS RECORDS OF THE COLLECTION
ARE DETAILED IN THE BOOK,

"ILLUSTRATIONS OF
BRITISH ENTOMOLOGY."

IN 1902, BRITISH DOCTOR
SIR RONALD ROSS

DISCOVERS
A MALARIAL PARASITE

IN THE GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT
OF A MOSQUITO,

LEADING TO THE REALIZATION

THAT THE DEADLY DISEASE IS
TRANSMITTED BY MOSQUITOS.

HIS WORK LAYS THE FOUNDATION
FOR COMBATTING MALARIA

AND SAVES MILLIONS OF LIVES.

IN 2004, SCIENTISTS DISCOVER

THAT A FOSSIL
FOUND IN 1928

CONTAINS THE OLDEST
KNOWN INSECT,

A 400-MILLION-YEAR-OLD
SPECIMEN.

TODAY THERE ARE UPWARDS
OF 1.3 MILLION

KNOWN SPECIES OF INSECTS,

AND SCIENTISTS ARE STILL
DISCOVERING SPECIES

AT A RATE OF NEARLY
20,000 A YEAR.

ESTIMATES ARE THERE MAY BE CLOSE
TO 30 MILLION SPECIES OF INSECT

ON THE PLANET.

HOWEVER, USING INSECTS
AS A FORENSIC TOOL

HAD NOT EVEN BEEN
CONSIDERED UNTIL 1935...

...WHEN A BRUTAL MURDER SHOCKED
A TOWN IN SCOTLAND.

ON A COLD SEPTEMBER MORNING
IN EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND,

A WOMAN IS OUT
FOR A SUNRISE STROLL.

Alan Moss: AND AS
SHE'S ADMIRING THE VIEW,

TO HER HORROR,

SHE SAW WHAT SHE THOUGHT
WAS A HUMAN ARM

ON THE RIVERBANK.

THE POLICE CAME ALONG

AND WENT DOWN
TO THE RIVERBANK,

AND SURE ENOUGH,
IT WAS A HUMAN ARM.

Narrator: BUT THE SEVERED ARM
IS ONLY THE BEGINNING.

Moss: THE POLICE
STARTED TO SEARCH

THE WHOLE OF THE RIVERBANK.

AS THEY SEARCHED
FURTHER AND FURTHER,

THEY FOUND MORE AND MORE
PARTS OF HUMAN REMAINS.

IN THE END, THEY DISCOVERED
NO FEWER THAN 70

DIFFERENT PARTS
OF HUMAN BODIES.

Narrator: TWO OF THE CAST-OFFS
ARE HUMAN HEADS,

SO THICK WITH MAGGOTS,
THEY'RE BARELY RECOGNIZABLE.

THE REMAINS ARE SENT
TO THE LAB,

AND POLICE PATHOLOGISTS
ASSEMBLE THE BODY PARTS.

SOON, A VAGUE PICTURE
OF THE VICTIMS

STARTS TO TAKE SHAPE.

Moss: THEY KNEW
IT WAS TWO BODIES,

BECAUSE THEY FOUND TWO HEADS.

THEY KNEW FROM
THE LENGTH OF THE BONES,

BROADLY SPEAKING,

WHAT HEIGHT THEY WOULD BE.

AND THEY HAD ONE HUMAN TRUNK,
WHICH WAS FEMALE,

SO THEY KNEW A WOMAN
WAS INVOLVED.

BUT THE FACE, THE FACIAL SKIN
HAD BEEN REMOVED.

THERE WERE NO EYES.

THE HAIR HAD BEEN REMOVED.

AND SO IT WAS ALMOST AS THOUGH
THEY WERE DEALING WITH A SKULL

THAT COULD'VE BEEN THERE
FOR SOME TIME.

Narrator: BUT HOW LONG?

IT WON'T BE AN EASY
QUESTION TO ANSWER.

BUT INVESTIGATORS HAVE
AN UNUSUAL IDEA...

PERHAPS THE MAGGOTS
MIGHT PROVIDE A CLUE.

Martin Hall:
BACK IN 1935,

IT WAS REALLY QUITE A SORT
OF FLASH OF INSPIRATION

THAT ANYONE CONSIDERED
THAT THE INSECTS

COULD HAVE ANY ROLE
TO PLAY AT ALL.

Narrator: BUT INVESTIGATORS
HAVE LITTLE ELSE TO GO ON.

THE MAGGOTS MIGHT BE
THEIR ONLY HOPE.

1935, OUTSIDE
EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND,

POLICE HAVE UNCOVERED
A PAIR OF CORPSES

THAT THEY HAVE BEEN
UNABLE TO IDENTIFY.

DETECTIVES HAVE NO LEADS
AND LITTLE HOPE

OF SOLVING
THIS BAFFLING CASE.

ALL THEY HAVE TO GO ON
IS MAGGOTS.

SO POLICE REACH OUT TO
THE ONE PERSON IN TOWN

WHO KNOWS ABOUT BUGS...

ALEXANDER MEARNS,

A PhD AT THE UNIVERSITY
OF EDINBURGH.

Hall: FOR THE FORENSIC
INVESTIGATORS

TO ACTUALLY COLLECT
AND PRESERVE

AND THEN ASK AN ENTOMOLOGIST
TO LOOK AT THESE SPECIMENS

WAS REALLY
QUITE REMARKABLE.

Narrator: BUT MEARNS
KNOWS ABOUT MAGGOTS

AND THEIR CONNECTION
TO DEAD BODIES.

Mark Benecke:
IN EARLIER TIMES,

PEOPLE THOUGHT THAT THE MAGGOTS
JUST COME, GROW, APPEAR

OUT OF A DEAD BODY WHEN YOU DIE
OR WHEN YOU DECOMPOSE.

Narrator: IT TOOK ONE OF
THE PIONEERS OF MODERN BIOLOGY

TO PROVE OTHERWISE.

IN THE 1600s, THE ITALIAN
PHYSICIAN FRANCESCO REDI

ANALYZED TWO JARS
OF ROTTING MEAT,

AND FIGURED OUT THAT IT WAS
FLIES THAT BRED MAGGOTS.

HE COVERED ONE JAR,

BUT LEFT THE OTHER UNCOVERED.

FLIES WERE
ATTRACTED TO BOTH.

BUT ONLY THE UNCOVERED JAR
BECAME INFESTED WITH MAGGOTS.

IN THE 1800s, FRENCH PHYSICIAN
BERGERET D'ARBOIS

STUDIED THE LIFE CYCLES
OF INSECTS

AND HYPOTHESIZED
THAT A TIME OF DEATH

COULD BE DETERMINED

BY INSPECTING THE INSECTS
ON A DECAYING CORPSE.

IN 1894, ENTOMOLOGIST
DR. JEAN PIERRE MEGNIN

WROTE "THE FAUNA OF CORPSES,"

WHICH SHOWED THAT THERE ARE
EIGHT STAGES OF DECOMPOSITION

AND THAT BLOWFLIES ARE THE FIRST
BUGS TO ARRIVE ON A DEAD BODY.

BUT IT IS ALEXANDER MEARNS
IN 1935,

WHO, FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER,

IS TAKING THE KNOWLEDGE
OF HIS PREDECESSORS

AND APPLYING IT
TO A MURDER CASE.

AND HE'S BLAZING A TRAIL
WITH VERY LITTLE DATA.

TODAY, OUTSIDE
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE,

WILLIAM BASS CONTINUES
DR. MEARNS' STUDIES

AT A RESEARCH FACILITY
HE STARTED IN 1981

CALLED "THE BODY FARM."

IT'S A TWO-AND-A-HALF-ACRE
PLOT OF LAND

THAT LOOKS LIKE A WELL-DRESSED
SET FOR A HORROR FILM.

EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK, CORPSES...

FRESH, ANCIENT,

AND HALFWAY IN BETWEEN.

PEOPLE HAVE DONATED THEIR BODIES
IN THE NAME OF SCIENCE.

AND THEIR REMAINS
ARE BEING STUDIED

TO FURTHER HONE KNOWLEDGE
OF BUGS, BODIES AND DEATH.

William Bass: LITERALLY,
IN EVERY MURDER CASE,

THE QUESTION IS HOW LONG
HAVE THEY BEEN DEAD?

WELL, THAT'S A DIFFICULT
QUESTION TO ANSWER.

Narrator: THE BODY FARM PROVIDES
FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGISTS

WITH CRITICAL INFORMATION.

THEY EXPOSE THE CORPSES TO
A WIDE VARIETY OF ELEMENTS...

VARIOUS TEMPERATURES,
LOCATIONS, AND SITUATIONS...

ALL OF WHICH AFFECT THE
CALCULATIONS OF TIME OF DEATH.

AND INSECTS PLAY
A CRITICAL ROLE,

SINCE THEY ARE THE FIRST ONES
ON THE SCENE.

Bass: BLOWFLIES ARE THE FIRST
ONES TO LAY THEIR EGGS.

BLOWFLIES WILL BE
ATTRACTED TO A BODY

EVEN BEFORE
THE BODY IS DEAD.

AND THEY CAN SMELL
A DEAD CARCASS A MILE AWAY.

Narrator: A FEMALE BLOWFLY
CAN LAY UP TO 250 EGGS.

Bass: THE EGGS HATCH
INTO MAGGOTS.

THE MAGGOTS GO THROUGH
A GROWTH PROCESS.

Narrator: AS THE MAGGOTS
FEED ON THE BODY,

THEY GET LARGER OVER
A PERIOD OF DAYS.

Bass: WHEN YOU COLLECT
THE MAGGOTS FROM A BODY,

YOU WANT TO COLLECT
THE LARGEST MAGGOTS,

BECAUSE THEY REPRESENT
THE FIRST HATCH.

Narrator: THESE
FIRST HATCH MAGGOTS

WERE BORN AT OR NEAR
THE MOMENT OF DEATH.

Bass: IT WILL TELL YOU HOW LONG
THE BODY HAS BEEN THERE.

Narrator: USING MAGGOTS
AS A RELIABLE CALENDAR

IS THE SAME METHOD DR. MEARNS
WAS USING IN 1935.

BUT DR. MEARNS DOESN'T HAVE
ACCESS TO RESEARCH FACILITIES

LIKE THE BODY FARM,

SO HE MUST DISCOVER THESE
COMPLEX CALCULATIONS ON HIS OWN,

WHICH IS NOT EASY.

THERE ARE 1,100 SPECIES
OF BLOWFLY,

AND MAGGOTS FROM EACH ONE MATURE
AT THEIR OWN PARTICULAR RATE.

SO TO GET ACCURATE DATA,

FIRST DR. MEARNS
NEEDS TO KNOW

EXACTLY WHICH KIND OF
MAGGOT HE'S STUDYING.

Hall: TO MOST PEOPLE,
A MAGGOT'S A MAGGOT.

AND IT'S EXTREMELY HARD
TO DIFFERENTIATE

CLOSELY RELATED SPECIES.

SO IT'S REALLY CRITICAL

THAT IDENTIFICATION
IS MADE SOUNDLY.

DR. MEARNS IDENTIFIED
THE FLY LARVAE

AS BELONGING TO A SPECIES
CALLED CALLIPHORA VICINA.

Narrator: OTHERWISE KNOWN
AS THE BLUE BOTTLE FLY.

WITH THE MAGGOTS'
IDENTITY ESTABLISHED,

MEARNS MOVES ON.

Hall: HIS NEXT TASK WOULD HAVE
BEEN TO TRY TO AGE THEM.

HOW LONG WAS IT

SINCE THEY'D BEEN LAID
ON THE BODY PARTS

BY THE FEMALE FLIES?

Narrator: BLUE BOTTLE FLY EGGS
FOLLOW A PATTERN LIKE CLOCKWORK.

THE EGGS HATCH IN
THE FIRST 24 HOURS.

OVER THE FIRST
ONE TO TWO DAYS

THEY GROW TO ABOUT
FIVE MILLIMETERS.

THEN THEY MOLT
AT DAY TWO OR THREE.

IN THE NEXT STAGE,
AT FOUR TO FIVE DAYS,

THEY REACH APPROXIMATELY
10 MILLIMETERS.

AT SIX OR SEVEN DAYS,
IN THE FINAL LARVAL STAGE,

THEY CAN REACH
14 TO 16 MILLIMETERS.

THEN, AT AROUND 14 DAYS,
THE LARVAE BECOME PUPAS,

THE LIFE STAGE WHERE
METAMORPHOSIS OCCURS.

AND FINALLY, AFTER
AROUND THREE WEEKS,

THE ADULT FLY EMERGES.

DR. MEARNS CONCENTRATES ON THE
LARGEST MAGGOTS HE'S RECOVERED.

THESE MAGGOTS ARE CLOSE
TO 15 MILLIMETERS

AND IN THE THIRD AND FINAL
LARVAL STAGE.

WHICH MEANS THEY ARE ABOUT
12 TO 14 DAYS OLD.

DR. MEARNS COUNTS BACK
AND DETERMINES

THAT THE BODY PARTS WERE LEFT
BY THE KILLER IN THE RAVINE

SOMETIME WITHIN
A THREE-DAY PERIOD...

SEPTEMBER 16th, 17th OR 18th.

Moss: THIS IS
THE FIRST TIME

THAT THE STUDYING
OF INSECTS

HAD ACTUALLY LED TO
A SPECIFIC EVIDENCE

ABOUT THE TIME OF DEATH.

Narrator: THE MAGGOTS HAVE
GIVEN INVESTIGATORS

THEIR FIRST AND ONLY CLUE.

Hall: WHILE IT DIDN'T
NECESSARILY PINPOINT

A NAME FOR A MURDERER,

IT GAVE THE POLICE
A WINDOW OF TIME

IN WHICH THEY COULD FOCUS
THEIR INVESTIGATIONS.

Narrator: THE OFFICERS SEARCH
FOR ANY MISSING PERSONS

REPORTED ANYWHERE
IN THE BRITISH ISLES

AROUND THAT TIME.

ONE REPORT CATCHES
THEIR ATTENTION.

IT WAS FILED 165 MILES
SOUTH OF EDINBURGH,

IN LANCASTER, ENGLAND.

Moss: POLICE NOTICED THAT
THERE WAS ACTUALLY

A REPORT OF
A MISSING WOMAN

CALLED MARY ROGERSON.

SHE WAS IN HER EARLY 20s.

AND SHE HAD BEEN THE MAID
TO A DOCTOR IN LANCASTER

CALLED DR. BUCK RUXTON.

Narrator: POLICE CONTACT
DR. BUCK RUXTON

AND LEARN THAT THE LAST TIME
HE SAW MARY,

SHE'D LEFT WITH HIS WIFE
ISABELLA KERR

TO GO TO EDINBURGH...

...AND NEITHER OF THEM
HAD RETURNED HOME.

IT CAN'T BE A COINCIDENCE.

Moss: THEY KNEW
FROM THE AGES

THAT MARY ROGERSON WAS
IN HER EARLY 20s,

ISABELLA RUXTON
WAS ABOUT 40.

THEY KNEW FROM HOW
THE SKULLS HAD DEVELOPED,

THAT WAS CONSISTENT
WITH THE AGES.

Narrator:
INVESTIGATORS TURN TO

OTHER CUTTING-EDGE
FORENSIC TECHNIQUES

TO TRY AND PROVE THAT
THE BODIES FOUND IN THE RAVINE

ARE MARY ROGERSON
AND ISABELLA RUXTON.

Moss: THEY DID
FIND A HAND

IN A VERY POOR STATE
OF DECOMPOSITION.

AND THEY MANAGED TO SOAK
THAT HAND IN HOT WATER,

AND THEY MANAGED TO TAKE

A SET OF VERY ACCEPTABLE
FINGERPRINTS

FROM THAT HAND.

Narrator: POLICE CHECK
THE FINGERPRINT

AGAINST KNOWN PRINTS
OF MARY ROGERSON...

AND THERE'S A MATCH.

POLICE NEXT SEARCH
FOR A CONNECTION

BETWEEN THE OTHER BODY

AND RUXTON'S MISSING
WIFE, ISABELLA.

BUT WITH NO OTHER
USEABLE FINGERPRINTS,

THEY MUST ATTEMPT DIFFERENT
METHODS OF IDENTIFICATION.

Moss:
THEY HAD THE SKULL.

THEY ALSO HAD A VERY GOOD
PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPH

OF ISABELLA RUXTON.

THEY TOOK A PICTURE
OF THE SKULL

AT EXACTLY THE SAME ANGLE

THAT CORRESPONDED
TO THAT PHOTOGRAPH.

AND IT MATCHED EXACTLY.

Narrator: POLICE TRAVEL
BACK TO LANCASTER

TO INFORM DR. BUCK RUXTON,
A RESPECTED FAMILY PHYSICIAN,

THAT HIS WIFE AND HOUSEKEEPER
HAVE BEEN SAVAGELY MURDERED.

BUT RUXTON BARELY REACTS.

POLICE ARE NOW
VERY SUSPICIOUS.

Moss: SO DR. RUXTON THEN
STARTED TO BECOME A SUSPECT.

Narrator: THEY ASK HIM
WHERE HE WAS

ON SEPTEMBER 16th,
17th AND 18th,

THE DAYS DR. MEARNS
CONCLUDED

THE VICTIMS HAD BEEN LEFT
ON THE RIVERBANK.

Moss: HE ESTABLISHED
THAT HE WAS A DOCTOR,

AND SO HE'D DONE
SORT OF VARIOUS CALLS.

Narrator: RUXTON INSISTS THAT
HE WAS SEEING PATIENTS

RIGHT THERE IN TOWN.

IT'S A PLAUSIBLE ALIBI,

AND PATIENT AFTER PATIENT
VOUCHES FOR RUXTON'S STORY.

BUT THERE IS ONE GAP IN
THE EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS...

NO ONE SAW RUXTON
ON SEPTEMBER 16th,

A DAY THAT FALLS WITHIN

DR. MEARNS' ESTIMATED
TIMEFRAME OF DEATH.

IF POLICE CAN NARROW THE TIME
OF DEATH TO A SPECIFIC DAY,

IT'LL BOLSTER THEIR CASE
AGAINST RUXTON.

THEIR ONLY HOPE...
RETURN TO THE EVIDENCE

THAT GOT THEM THIS FAR
IN THE FIRST PLACE...

THE MAGGOTS.

2003, BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA.

INVESTIGATORS AREN'T
COUNTING ON MAGGOTS

OR TIME OF DEATH
TO SOLVE THEIR CASE.

THEY'RE COUNTING ON
A WIDE VARIETY OF INSECTS

TO HELP THEM CATCH
THEIR PRIME SUSPECT,

VINCENT BROTHERS,
IN A LIE.

BROTHERS CLAIMS
HE WAS IN OHIO

WHEN HIS WIFE JOANIE HARPER,
THEIR THREE CHILDREN,

AND HIS MOTHER-IN-LAW,
ERNESTINE,

WERE ALL BRUTALLY KILLED.

BUT DETECTIVE WATTS
ISN'T BUYING IT.

AND HE'S ASKED ENTOMOLOGIST
DR. LYNN KIMSEY FOR HELP.

Lynn Kimsey: I GOT A PHONE CALL
FROM THE BAKERSFIELD POLICE

ASKING WHETHER OR NOT
WE COULD TELL

WHERE A VEHICLE HAD BEEN

BASED ON THE INSECTS THAT
WERE ON THE RADIATOR.

AND I SAID, "I DON'T KNOW,
BUT LET'S TRY."

Narrator: EVEN THOUGH
THE RENTAL CAR HAD BEEN WASHED,

THE RADIATOR IS STILL
PACKED WITH BUGS.

STEP ONE...
DR. KIMSEY REMOVES

EVERY PIECE OF INSECT
SHE CAN FIND.

Kimsey: WHEN I THINK OF
A CAR RADIATOR,

I THINK OF THINGS
SMASHED TO SMITHEREENS.

SO WE WERE EXPECTING
TINY FRAGMENTS.

Narrator: THE SHEER NUMBER
OF POSSIBLE INSECTS

SHE'S DEALING WITH
IS STAGGERING.

IN THE UNITED STATES,

THERE ARE CLOSE TO 200,000
KNOWN SPECIES OF INSECTS.

Kimsey: INSECT DIVERSITY
IS ENORMOUS.

IN CALIFORNIA ALONE,

I WOULD ESTIMATE
THERE ARE ABOUT

100,000 DIFFERENT
KINDS OF INSECTS.

Narrator: AND TO KEEP TRACK
OF THIS STAGGERING NUMBER,

ENTOMOLOGISTS
RELY ON COLLECTIONS

LIKE THE SMITHSONIAN
INSTITUTION'S

NATIONAL INSECT COLLECTION,

ONE OF THE LARGEST
IN THE WORLD.

HERE, THEY HOUSE OVER
35 MILLION KNOWN SPECIMENS

IN MORE THAN 130,000 DRAWERS,

33,000 JARS OR VIALS,

AND 23,000 SLIDES.

THE COLLECTION HELPS SCIENTISTS
COMPARE INSECTS TO KNOWN SPECIES

AND PROVIDE
CRITICAL INFORMATION

ABOUT THEIR GEOGRAPHICAL
DISTRIBUTION.

Kimsey: THERE WERE
PROBABLY PIECES

OF MAYBE AS MANY AS
100 DIFFERENT INSECTS

ON THE RADIATOR,

AND A FEW ON
THE AIR FILTER.

Narrator: DR. KIMSEY FINDS
A NUMBER OF HOUSE FLIES,

WHICH ARE FOUND ALL ACROSS
THE UNITED STATES...

HONEY BEES, ONE OF THE MOST
WIDESPREAD INSECTS

IN THE ENTIRE WORLD.

AND THEN, FINALLY, SHE FINDS
SOMETHING THAT STANDS OUT...

A PORTION OF A GRASSHOPPER.

Kimsey: THE GRASSHOPPER
WAS INTERESTING,

BECAUSE, YOU KNOW,
GRASSHOPPERS,

THEY LOOK KIND OF SIMILAR
FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

BUT THIS ONE HAD
BRIGHT RED LEGS,

CALLED THE RED-SHANKED
GRASSHOPPER.

THE COLORATION WAS
VERY DISTINCTIVE.

Narrator:
WHAT'S ALSO DISTINCTIVE

IS THAT THE RED-SHANKED
GRASSHOPPER

IS NOT NATIVE TO OHIO.

IN FACT, IT'S USUALLY FOUND
IN WESTERN REGIONS,

LIKE OKLAHOMA
AND NORTH TEXAS.

Kimsey: WE'RE GOING,
WOW, WE CAN ACTUALLY DO THIS.

THIS IS VERY COOL.

WE CAN ACTUALLY SAY,
"YES, THE CAR HAD TO BE HERE."

Narrator: SO HOW DID
THE RED-SHANKED GRASSHOPPER

GET INTO THE RADIATOR OF
A RENTAL CAR FROM OHIO?

VINCENT BROTHERS CLAIMS
HE AND HIS DODGE NEON

NEVER LEFT THE STATE.

BUT THIS LITTLE GRASSHOPPER
PROVES HE'S LYING.

IN BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA,

ENTOMOLOGIST LYNN KIMSEY
HAS DISCOVERED A CLUE

THAT BLOWS A HUGE HOLE

IN MURDER SUSPECT
VINCENT BROTHERS' ALIBI.

IN THE RADIATOR
OF HIS RENTAL CAR...

THE LEG OF
A RED-SHANKED GRASSHOPPER.

THE SPECIES IS NATIVE TO STATES
LIKE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA.

BUT VINCENT BROTHERS CLAIMS

HE NEVER DROVE THE RENTAL CAR
OUT OF OHIO.

Watts: INSPECTING THE RADIATOR
IS A LONG SHOT.

WE DIDN'T KNOW IF IT WAS
GONNA WORK OR NOT.

I MEAN, IT WAS A HUNCH,

BUT SOMETIMES YOU JUST GOT
TO PLAY YOUR HUNCHES.

YOU KNOW, AND THIS ONE
REALLY PAID OFF.

Narrator: THE PROBLEM IS THAT
THE GRASSHOPPER EVIDENCE

SQUARELY CONTRADICTS
CREDIT CARD RECEIPTS

THAT SHOW VINCENT BROTHERS
MADE A PURCHASE IN OHIO

ON THE DAY OF THE MURDER.

SO WATTS DECIDES TO
DIG A LITTLE DEEPER.

HE CONTACTS THE STORES WHERE
BROTHERS MADE HIS PURCHASES.

Watts: WE WENT BACK AND SEIZED
SURVEILLANCE TAPES

AT WAL-MART
AND OTHER STORES.

Narrator: AND DETECTIVES
ARE IN FOR A SHOCK.

Watts: CLEARLY,
IT'S NOT VINCENT BROTHERS.

Narrator: IT'S ACTUALLY
VINCENT BROTHERS' BROTHER

PURCHASING ITEMS AND
SIGNING VINCENT'S NAME.

Watts: WELL, WITH
THAT INFORMATION,

IT BECAME CLEAR TO ME
THIS IS A FALSE ALIBI.

THIS VINCENT BROTHERS IS NOW
HAVING HIS BROTHER GO OUT

AND BUY THESE THINGS

TO MAKE IT APPEAR THAT
HE, HIMSELF, VINCENT,

WAS IN COLUMBUS,
WHICH WASN'T THE CASE.

Narrator: IT'S AN EXPLOSIVE
DISCOVERY.

AND WITH THIS LIE,

THE RESPECTED ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
VICE PRINCIPAL

BECOMES THE ONE
AND ONLY SUSPECT

IN THE MURDER CASE OF
HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN.

Watts: YEAH, I THINK HE THOUGHT
HE WAS THE ULTIMATE MASTERMIND.

I THINK HE THOUGHT HE WAS
GONNA OUTSMART THE POLICE.

Narrator: BUT IF
POLICE WANT TO

ARREST VINCENT BROTHERS
FOR MURDER,

THEY'LL HAVE TO PUT HIM
IN CALIFORNIA

WHEN JOANIE HARPER,
HER MOTHER,

AND THE THREE CHILDREN
WERE KILLED.

SO DETECTIVE WATTS RETURNS
TO ENTOMOLOGIST LYNN KIMSEY

TO GATHER MORE INFORMATION.

Kimsey: THEY JUST
WANTED TO KNOW

IF IT HAD BEEN WEST OF
THE ROCKIES OR TO CALIFORNIA.

Narrator: KIMSEY HEADS BACK
TO THE RENTAL CAR'S RADIATOR

AND CONTINUES TO INSPECT
HER INVENTORY OF INSECT PARTS.

AND SHE FINDS
EVEN MORE EVIDENCE

THAT THE CAR HAD BEEN
OUTSIDE OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

Kimsey: WE FOUND
THREE OTHER INSECTS

THAT ACTUALLY SHIFTED IT
EVEN FURTHER WEST,

TO SORT OF THE NEW MEXICO,
COLORADO, UTAH AREA.

Narrator: AS EACH SPECIES
IS DISCOVERED,

DR. KIMSEY MAPS OUT
THEIR DISTRIBUTION.

SHE EVEN FINDS A BUG
THAT SEEMS TO INDICATE

THAT THE CAR WAS
DRIVEN AT NIGHT.

Kimsey: ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT WE FOUND

THAT WAS KIND OF
INTERESTING

IS THAT WE FOUND INSECTS
CALLED ANT LIONS,

WHICH FLY AROUND AT NIGHT.

SO THERE YOU'VE GOT
A NOCTURNAL INSECT

AND ONE THAT'S
NORMALLY ASSOCIATED

MORE WITH ARID REGIONS.

Narrator:
ANT LIONS ARE ABUNDANT

IN THE DRY AREAS OF
THE SOUTHWEST...

FURTHER EVIDENCE THAT THE CAR
WAS DRIVEN OUTSIDE OF OHIO.

THEN DR. KIMSEY MAKES ANOTHER
PROMISING DISCOVERY...

TWO BUGS IN A LARGE CATEGORY
OF INSECTS CALLED "TRUE BUGS,"

WHICH INCLUDES MORE
THAN 50,000 SPECIES.

Kimsey: THEY ALL HAVE TUBULAR
MOUTH PARTS LIKE A SODA STRAW.

THEY DON'T HAVE JAWS,

SO THEY FEED BY
PIERCING THINGS,

KIND OF LIKE APHIDS DO,
SO THEY PIERCE AND SUCK.

Narrator: BUT THESE SPECIES OF
TRUE BUG ARE NOT VERY COMMON.

SO DR. KIMSEY CHECKS
WITH EXPERTS

AT THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION

TO HELP NAIL DOWN
THE IDENTIFICATION.

WHAT THEY COME UP WITH
IS THE PIESMID...

AND THE LYGAEID.

THE PIESMID HAS A DISTRIBUTION
THAT IS SPECIFIC TO UTAH,

ARIZONA, AND THE BORDER
OF CALIFORNIA.

AND THE LYGAEID
DISTRIBUTION EXTENDS

EVEN A LITTLE FURTHER
INTO CALIFORNIA.

Kimsey: THE TRUE BUGS
DEFINITIVELY SHOWED

THAT THE RADIATOR, AT LEAST,
HAD BEEN WEST OF THE ROCKIES.

Narrator: BUT THE TRUE BUGS'
DISTRIBUTION

ARE ONLY PARTIALLY
IN CALIFORNIA.

TO REALLY MAKE THEIR CASE

THAT VINCENT BROTHERS DROVE
ALL THE WAY TO BAKERSFIELD,

THEY NEED TO DO
BETTER THAN THAT.

THEN, AFTER IDENTIFYING
CLOSE TO 50 SPECIES,

DR. KIMSEY GOES BACK
TO THE RADIATOR

AND FINDS A BUG THAT
CHANGES EVERYTHING.

IN EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND, 1935,

INVESTIGATORS ARE
ALSO HOPING

THAT BUGS CAN DESTROY THE ALIBI
OF DR. BUCK RUXTON,

THE MAIN SUSPECT IN
THE DOUBLE HOMICIDE

OF HIS WIFE AND MAID.

MAGGOTS COLLECTED FROM
THEIR DISMEMBERED CORPSES

SHOW THAT THE TWO WOMEN
WERE MOST LIKELY KILLED

DURING A THREE DAY STRETCH
IN MID-SEPTEMBER.

AND DR. RUXTON'S ALIBI IS SOLID
FOR ONLY TWO OF THOSE DAYS.

SO INVESTIGATORS GO BACK TO
ENTOMOLOGIST DR. MEARNS,

TO SEE IF HE CAN PUSH THE
SCIENCE TO GET MORE SPECIFIC.

ON HIS FIRST PASS,

HE CONCLUDED THE BODY PARTS
LANDED IN THE RAVINE

BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 16th
AND SEPTEMBER 18th.

BUT DR. MEARNS HAS
A REVOLUTIONARY IDEA

THAT MIGHT BE ABLE TO NARROW
THE WINDOW EVEN FURTHER.

PERHAPS WEATHER HAS AN IMPACT
ON MAGGOT GROWTH.

Hall: FLY LARVAE
ARE COLD-BLOODED.

AND THEY DEVELOP AT A RATE
THAT'S DEPENDENT ON TEMPERATURE.

SO THE WARMER IT IS,
THE FASTER THEY DEVELOP,

AND CONVERSELY,
THE COLDER IT IS,

THE SLOWER IS
THEIR DEVELOPMENT.

Narrator: MEARNS DEVELOPS
FORMULAS AND METHODS

FOR CALCULATING LARVAL AGE
THAT FACTOR IN TEMPERATURE.

IT'S A SCIENTIFIC BREAKTHROUGH
IN 1935,

AND THE BUILDING BLOCKS
OF DR. MEARNS' TECHNIQUES

ARE STILL USED BY
FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGISTS TODAY.

ONCE HE KNOWS THE AVERAGE
AIR TEMPERATURES FOR THOSE DAYS,

MEARNS CAN CALCULATE
MORE PRECISELY

THE RATE AT WHICH
THE MAGGOTS MATURE.

AND WHEN HE LOOKS
AT ALMANACS

FOR EDINBURGH ON SEPTEMBER
16th, 17th AND 18th,

HE NOTICES
SOMETHING INTERESTING.

THOSE DAYS WERE MUCH
COLDER THAN USUAL.

AND SINCE
IN COOL WEATHER,

FLY LARVAE DEVELOP
MORE SLOWLY,

IT MEANS THE WOMEN DIED

ON THE EARLIEST PART OF
DR. MEARNS' FIRST ESTIMATE.

MORE PRECISELY...
ON SEPTEMBER 16th.

IT'S THE ONE DAY
THAT POLICE DETERMINE

BUCK RUXTON HAS NO ALIBI.

THE MAGGOTS HAVE PROVIDED
THE CASE-BREAKING EVIDENCE.

BUT BUGS HAVE NEVER BEEN USED
IN A MURDER CASE BEFORE,

AND INVESTIGATORS
ARE NERVOUS.

Moss: THEY HAD TO
BE CAREFUL,

BECAUSE BUCK RUXTON
WAS A DOCTOR,

SOMEBODY OF STANDING
IN THE COMMUNITY.

Narrator: THEY WANT
TO MAKE SURE

THAT BUGS AREN'T
THE ONLY THING

THAT COULD TIE RUXTON
TO THE CRIME SCENE.

SO THEY ASK THE LOCAL MEDIA
FOR HELP.

Moss: ONE THING THAT
THE NEWSPAPERS DID,

AND INDEED THE BBC
DID BROADCAST,

WAS APPEALS FOR WITNESSES.

Reporter: POLICE IN
EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND,

ARE ASKING FOR INFORMATION

ABOUT ANY SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY
ON SEPTEMBER THE 16th.

Narrator: TIPS FLOOD IN.

AND ONE SOUNDS PROMISING.

THERE WAS A HIT-AND-RUN
IN EDINBURGH

ON SEPTEMBER 16th.

A SPEEDING DRIVER KNOCKED
A MAN OFF HIS BICYCLE.

THE UNHARMED CYCLIST
WAS ABLE TO JOT DOWN

THE LICENSE PLATE NUMBER
OF THE CAR.

AND WHEN INVESTIGATORS
TRACE THE PLATE,

THEY ARE IN FOR
A HUGE SURPRISE.

DETECTIVES ARE INVESTIGATING
A DOUBLE HOMICIDE,

AND THANKS TO
THE WORK OF ENTOMOLOGIST

DR. ALEXANDER MEARNS,

THE ALIBI OF THEIR MAIN SUSPECT,
BUCK RUXTON,

IS UNRAVELING.

AND NOW A CYCLIST
WHO WAS RUN OFF THE ROAD

JUST BLOCKS FROM
THE CRIME SCENE

GIVES POLICE THE PLATE NUMBER
OF THE CAR.

AND WHEN DETECTIVES CHECK,

THEY FIND THE CAR BELONGS
TO NONE OTHER THAN...

DR. BUCK RUXTON.

Moss: THAT BECAME PART OF
THE OVERALL PICTURE

OF DR. RUXTON'S MOVEMENTS.

Narrator: IT'S YET ANOTHER
DAMNING PIECE OF EVIDENCE.

RUXTON WAS IN SCOTLAND
ON THE DAY OF THE KILLINGS.

ARMED WITH A SEARCH WARRANT
FOR HIS HOUSE,

POLICE FIND EVEN MORE PROOF
THAT RUXTON IS THE KILLER...

TRACES OF BLOOD.

Moss: THERE WAS SOME
BLOOD-STAINED CARPET.

DR. RUXTON SAID
HE'D CUT HIMSELF.

THERE WAS A BLOOD-STAINED SUIT,
WHICH HE TRIED TO GIVE AWAY.

Narrator: POLICE THEORIZE THAT
RUXTON MURDERED THE WOMEN

IN HIS HOUSE,

THEN DROVE THE BODIES
TO EDINBURGH

TO DUMP THEM
IN THE RAVINE.

IN OCTOBER 1935,

SCOTTISH AUTHORITIES
ARREST BUCK RUXTON

AND CHARGE HIM IN
THE DOUBLE HOMICIDE

OF ISABELLA RUXTON
AND MARY ROGERSON.

THANKS TO INSECTS,

INVESTIGATORS HAVE SOLID PROOF
THAT BUCK RUXTON'S THE KILLER.

BUT DESPITE THE WEIGHT
OF THE EVIDENCE,

IT'S NO OPEN-AND-SHUT CASE.

Moss: THERE WEREN'T ACTUALLY
ANY LIVING HUMAN WITNESSES

TO WHAT HAD OCCURRED.

THE ONLY WITNESSES WERE
THOSE LITTLE BUGS.

Narrator: BUT PROSECUTORS WILL
HAVE THEIR WORK CUT OUT FOR THEM

PROVING THAT INSECTS ARE
A RELIABLE FORENSIC TOOL.

Hall: IT'S THE FIRST TIME THAT
FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGY EVIDENCE

WAS ACTUALLY USED TO
AID IN A CONVICTION.

Moss: ALL THE FORENSIC EVIDENCE
WAS PRESENTED

IN A VERY, SORT OF
TEXTBOOK WAY,

A MODEL OF OBJECTIVITY.

THE JUDGE WAS
REALLY IMPRESSED

WITH THE WAY THAT
VARIOUS MEDICAL EXPERTS

HAD GIVEN THEIR EVIDENCE.

Narrator: IN THE END,

THE COURT FINDS THE SCIENCE
IS INDISPUTABLE.

JURORS CONVICT BUCK RUXTON

OF MURDERING ISABELLA RUXTON
AND MARY ROGERSON.

AND DESPITE ARDENT
APPEALS FOR CLEMENCY,

RUXTON IS HANGED AT
STRANGEWAYS PRISON

IN MANCHESTER, ENGLAND.

A HANDWRITTEN LETTER
FROM BUCK RUXTON

MARKED TO BE OPENED
AFTER HIS DEATH

REVEALS A DETAILED CONFESSION
TO THE KILLING.

BELIEVING THAT HIS WIFE
WAS HAVING AN AFFAIR,

DR. RUXTON
LAUNCHED AN ATTACK.

Moss: HE STRANGLED HER
AND STABBED HER

IN A FIT OF RAGE.

BECAUSE MARY ROGERSON
WAS A WITNESS TO IT,

THEN BUCK RUXTON
KILLED HER AS WELL.

Narrator: THEN,
WITH A SURGEON'S SKILL,

HE HACKED THE BODIES
INTO UNIDENTIFIABLE PIECES.

Moss: WITHIN A NUMBER
OF HOURS,

HE WENT BY CAR NORTH
UP INTO SCOTLAND

AND THEN DISPOSED
OF THE BODIES.

Narrator:
THE KILLER PHYSICIAN

SEEMED TO HAVE
THOUGHT OF EVERYTHING.

Moss: AND IT NEARLY
SUCCEEDED.

Narrator: BUT THANKS TO THE VERY
FIRST FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGIST,

DR. ALEXANDER MEARNS,

BUGS PROVED
KEY INFORMATION

THAT HELPED POLICE
CATCH A KILLER.

THE RUXTON CASE IS
A FORENSIC FIRST.

FROM THIS POINT ON,

USING MAGGOTS AS A TOOL
FOR CALCULATING TIME OF DEATH

IS LEGAL PRECEDENT.

AND DR. MEARNS'
METHODS AND FINDINGS

WOULD BECOME THE STANDARD

FOR THE DEVELOPING FIELD
OF FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGY.

Hall: IN MANY WAYS,

WHAT WE, AS MODERN
FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGISTS DO,

IS JUST WHAT
DR. MEARNS DID...

TAKE AN INSECT,
IDENTIFY IT,

AND THEN TRY TO ESTIMATE
HOW OLD IT IS.

Narrator: AND IN 2003,
BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA,

INSECTS ARE AT THE CENTER
OF ANOTHER INVESTIGATION,

AS POLICE ARE CLOSING IN
ON THEIR PRIME SUSPECT,

VINCENT BROTHERS.

BUT ENTOMOLOGIST
DR. LYNN KIMSEY

IS NOT SEARCHING
FOR A TIME OF DEATH.

INSTEAD, SHE'S USING DEAD BUGS
FROM THE SUSPECT'S RENTAL CAR

TO TRACK HIS MOVEMENTS
ACROSS THE COUNTRY,

AND PROVE THAT BROTHERS DROVE
FROM OHIO TO CALIFORNIA

AND KILLED HIS
ENTIRE FAMILY.

Kimsey: BAKERSFIELD P.D.
AND THE PROSECUTION

WERE PRETTY STOKED

THAT WE COULD ACTUALLY GET
SOME USEFUL INFORMATION

FROM THE RADIATOR.

Narrator:
AND DR. LYNN KIMSEY

MAKES ONE MORE
REMARKABLE DISCOVERY...

AN INSECT WITNESS THAT DESTROYS
VINCENT BROTHERS' ALIBI

AND PROVES HE COULD HAVE
DRIVEN TO CALIFORNIA

TO KILL HIS FAMILY...

A PAPER WASP.

Kimsey: THE ONLY INSECT
THAT WE GOT FROM THE WEST

THAT'S FOUND VERY ABUNDANTLY
IN CALIFORNIA

WAS THE PAPER WASP.

Narrator: THE PAPER WASP
GETS ITS NAME

FROM THE PAPERY MATERIAL
IT PRODUCES TO BUILD ITS NEST.

AND WHILE THERE ARE SEVERAL
KINDS OF PAPER WASPS,

THE ONE FOUND ON THE GRILL OF
VINCENT BROTHERS' RENTAL CAR

IS FOUND ONLY IN
THE EXTREME SOUTHWEST,

ESPECIALLY CALIFORNIA.

IT'S THE EVIDENCE THAT
DETECTIVE WATTS

HAD BEEN HOPING FOR.

Watts: WE WERE REALLY
ABLE TO SAY,

"OKAY, NOW WE KNOW
FOR A FACT

THAT HE DID SHOW UP
IN THIS VEHICLE

IN BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA."

Narrator:
IN APRIL OF 2004,

AUTHORITIES ARREST
VINCENT BROTHERS

AND CHARGE HIM WITH
FIVE COUNTS OF MURDER.

IT'S ANOTHER COURTROOM TEST
FOR FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGY.

Watts: HOW IS HE GONNA DEFEND
PUTTING 5,400 MILES IN A...

DRIVING RIGHT THROUGH BUGS

THAT AREN'T IN THAT AREA
OF THE COUNTRY?

I DON'T THINK IT WAS SOMETHING
VINCENT BROTHERS

OR HIS DEFENSE TEAM EXPECTED.

Narrator: AT TRIAL,

THE PROSECUTOR LAYS OUT
THE EVIDENCE...

THE EXCESSIVE MILEAGE,

THE STAGED CREDIT CARD
PURCHASES,

AND THE MOST
DAMNING EVIDENCE...

THE INSECTS THAT INDICATE
A CLEAR TRAIL

ACROSS HALF A CONTINENT,

ALL THE WAY TO
VINCENT BROTHERS' DOORSTEP.

Watts: VINCENT BROTHERS
WAS FOUND GUILTY

ON EVERY COUNT
WE HAD ASKED.

FIVE COUNTS OF MURDER ONE,

ALL CAPITAL CASES,

WHICH MEANT THAT HE WAS ELIGIBLE
FOR THE DEATH PENALTY.

AND VINCENT BROTHERS
WAS ULTIMATELY

SENTENCED BY THE JUDGE

TO EXECUTION,

DEATH IN SAN QUENTIN.

Narrator: VINCENT BROTHERS
NEVER DOES CONFESS.

BUT A TRAGIC CASE THAT BEGAN
WITH A GRIEVING FATHER

WITH A SEEMINGLY SOLID ALIBI

ENDS WITH A LYING MONSTER
WHO KILLED TWO WOMEN

AND HIS OWN CHILDREN,

ALL IN AN ATTEMPT TO START OVER
WITH A NEW LIFE

AND A NEW WOMAN.

Watts: HIS GOAL WAS TO BE
UNENCUMBERED BY CHILDREN,

NOT PAYING CHILD SUPPORT,

MARRY THE GIRL THAT
HE'D BEEN CHASING.

THAT WAS HIS
ULTIMATE MOTIVE,

THIS GRANDIOSE LIFESTYLE
THAT HE HAD DREAMED OF

IN HIS DEMENTED MIND.

Narrator:
AND WITHOUT THE BUGS

AS SILENT WITNESSES
TO HIS CRIMES,

BROTHERS MAY HAVE
REACHED THAT GOAL.

TODAY, SCIENTISTS CONTINUE

TO PUSH THE STUDY OF
FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGY.

BACK IN 1935,

DR. MEARNS WAS ABLE TO DETERMINE
TIME OF DEATH

TO WITHIN ONE DAY.

NOW, THE USE OF
3D COMPUTER IMAGING

CAN GIVE SCIENTISTS SUCH
A DETAILED VIEW OF AN INSECT,

AND ITS RATE
OF GROWTH,

THAT IT COULD DETERMINE
TIME OF DEATH TO WITHIN HOURS,

OR SOMEDAY, EVEN MINUTES.

Hall: USING VIRTUAL
COMPUTER TECHNIQUES,

WE CAN SPIN THE PUPA AROUND
AND CUT THROUGH IT,

TOP TO BOTTOM,
BACK TO FRONT,

SIDE TO SIDE,
YOU NAME IT.

EXPERTS CAN GATHER ROUND
THE COMPUTER SCREEN

AND COME UP WITH A CONSENSUS
ON THE AGE OF THE PUPA.

Narrator: BUT INSECTS
AREN'T JUST BEING USED

TO ESTABLISH
TIME OF DEATH.

IN THE SPECIALIZED FIELD
OF ENTOMOTOXICOLOGY,

SCIENTISTS ARE ABLE TO ANALYZE
INSECTS FOUND ON A DEAD BODY

AND SCREEN THEM FOR THE PRESENCE
OF DEADLY TOXINS.

Hall: YOU CAN ACTUALLY
EXTRACT TOXINS

THAT WERE IN THE BODY
FROM THE INSECT.

Narrator: THIS CAN HELP
INVESTIGATORS DETERMINE

IF DRUGS OR POISONS
WERE USED

IN CASES WHERE BODIES
ARE SEVERELY DECOMPOSED

AND DEVOID OF TISSUES,
ORGANS OR BODILY FLUIDS.

IT'S NOW EVEN POSSIBLE TO
EXTRACT A VICTIM'S DNA

FROM AN INSECT.

Hall: 20 YEARS AGO,

I WOULDN'T EVEN HAVE THOUGHT
YOU COULD GET THE DNA

FROM THE VICTIMS.

SO WHAT'S AROUND THE CORNER
IN ANOTHER 20 YEARS

IS ANYONE'S GUESS.

Narrator: THANKS TO THE GROWING
ARSENAL OF FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGY,

SCIENTISTS CAN DETERMINE
TIME OF DEATH,

SOMETIMES EVEN
CAUSE OF DEATH,

AND CATCH A KILLER
IN A LIE...

ALL BECAUSE OF INSECTS.

USUALLY THOUGHT OF
AS A PESKY ANNOYANCE,

THEY ARE NOW ON THE FRONT LINES
OF CRIME FIGHTING.