Forensic Tales

Debra Jackson: How DNA Finally Identified “Orange Socks” Doe After More Than 40 Years

For more than four decades, she wasn’t known by her name.

Instead, she was known simply as “Orange Socks”—a heartbreaking nickname inspired by the only clothing she was wearing when her body was discovered alongside Interstate 35 in Georgetown,...

Brandon Lawson: The Mystery of a 911 Call and an 11-Year Search

On the night of August 8, 2013, 26-year-old Brandon Lawson left his home in San Angelo, Texas, after an argument with his longtime girlfriend, Ladessa Lofton. He told his family he was heading toward his father’s house, but somewhere along the way, his plan...

The Suspicious Death of Crystal McCrory Jones: The Forensic Evidence and Unanswered Questions (Part Two)

In Part One of this series, we explored the life of Crystal McCrory Jones, the events of February 9, 2023, and the investigation that quickly concluded her death was a suicide.

But for Crystal’s family, that ruling marked the beginning—not th...

The Suspicious Death of Crystal McCrory Jones: Questions Surrounding the Investigation (Part One)

On February 9, 2023, 43-year-old Crystal McCrory Jones was found dead inside her home in West Carroll Parish, Louisiana. She had suffered a single gunshot wound to the head, and within just a few hours, investigators ruled her death a suicide.

But f...

The Unsolved Murders of the Dardeen Family: A Crime That Still Haunts Southern Illinois

On November 18, 1987, the quiet farming community of Ina, Illinois became the scene of one of the most horrific family murders in American history. What investigators discovered inside a modest trailer home—and at a second crime scene just miles away—would leave ev...