Why is 48 hours mystery called that

Quotes Announcer : [repeated line] Announcer : the mystery continues in 90 seconds. Facts Not Fiction User reviews 14 Review. Top review. Grate show. I hope this show never stops possibly the best true crime series one or two slightly rubbish pointless episodes.

Details Edit. Release date January 19, United States. United States. CBS News Productions. Technical specs Edit. Runtime 1 hour. Related news. Dec 26 Gold Derby. Contribute to this page Suggest an edit or add missing content.

Top Gap. In Too Deep. In the summer of , a young woman named Laura Hall found herself caught up in a gruesome murder case; the body of another woman was in her boyfriend's bathtub, and some time after the killing, the body was horribly mutilated. As correspondent Maureen Maher reports, police did not focus on Laura as a suspect in the killing, but wondered if she was somehow involved in what happened after the murder.

Trigger Point. In , a woman named Jenny Eisenman shot her estranged husband Drew in her apartment. The soft-spoken elementary school teacher claimed she had suffered abuse at the hands of her husband for years, and that the shooting was in self-defense.

But prosecutors say Jenny was a woman scorned and shot her husband out of anger. Was Jenny - described by many as gentle and caring - a victim or, as prosecutors asserted, a woman capable of cold-blooded murder? Addicted to Love. Lesa Buchanan died on the Fourth of July weekend in , after spending a good portion of time with her boyfriend, Dr. Christ Koulis, having sex. Koulis, a plastic surgeon, called when she stopped breathing, and says he performed CPR but that there was no pulse.

Investigators quickly focused on drugs. Prosecutors allege Dr. Koulis had injected Lesa with a powerful painkiller during the course of the weekend, which eventually led to her death. But Koulis claims Lesa injected herself, and that she had a drug problem - a claim her family and investigators have disputed. As correspondent Troy Roberts reports, the case ended up in the hands of a jury, who had to decide if the doctor was.

The Long Road. The wedding pictures of Dyke and Karen Rhoads show a predictably joyous young couple, ready for a wonderful life together in the small town of Paris, Ill. Karen was 24 when they married, and had a job as an office assistant at a factory; Dyke worked in landscaping. There was no hint that just months after their wedding their lives would come to a violent end.

As correspondent Susan Spencer reports, in the early morning hours of July 6, , a fire engulfed their home. Stolen Dreams. Stephen Trantel was a Wall Street insider who seemed to have it all: a beautiful family, a nice home in an upscale Long Island community, and fancy cars.

But what those closest to him didn't know was that he was living a secret life. And as correspondent Richard Schlesinger reports, that secret life began to unravel on one November day in after what was supposed to be just a day of fishing.

A Long Way From Home. Amanda Knox, a year-old honors student from the University of Washington, followed her dream when she moved to Perugia, Italy, to study abroad and learn Italian. But that dream turned into a nightmare when just weeks after Amanda's arrival her roommate was found murdered. Within days of the November murder, Amanda and her boyfriend were arrested as suspects in the killing and found themselves at the center of a media frenzy. Deadline for Justice.

Police have not yet been able to make an arrest but have vowed not to give up until the case is closed. That determination - not giving up - had a big impact in another case: the murder of Patty Scoville in Vermont. While police had DNA evidence, they did not have a database to compare their evidence to.

As correspondent Harold Dow reports, it would take years, and intense lobbying by Patty's parents, to establish the database, which would eventually provide a crucial break in the case.

The Last Take. Christa Helm, an aspiring Hollywood actress, was murdered on Feb. Christa enjoyed the Hollywood life and parties, and according to her daughter hung out with lots of famous people, like Joe Namath, Mick Jagger, Warren Beatty and even the Shah of Iran. But as correspondent Maureen Maher reports, Christa also kept a "love diary," as well as tape recordings of her encounters with the rich and famous. Did the diary and recordings play a role in her murder? Or was she just a victim of a random crime?

Investigators are still trying to solve the mystery. The Preacher's Wife. Ever since Matt Baker's wife, Kari, died suddenly at the age of 31, the Baptist preacher has lived under a cloud of suspicion. Point Blank. A man's obsession may have led to his own death, but a jury shocks everyone with its astonishing decision. Polygamy: a World Apart. CBS News delves into the clandestine world of polygamy and the FLDS in a 48 Hours special with insider accounts, harrowing escape stories, interviews with law enforcement officials and an explosive interview with high-ranking FLDS member Willie Jessop.

The Secret Life of Paige Birgfeld. By all accounts, year old Paige Birgfeld was a devoted mother to her three young children. So when she suddenly disappeared last June, police in Grand Junction, Colorado suspected foul play.

But while police and volunteers searched for the missing mother of three, disturbing evidence of a secret life she led shifted the investigation in a totally new direction. Did that secret life-which Paige kept hidden from her family-play a role in her disappearance? Correspondent Harold Dow reports. Stolen Beauty. Tara Grinstead, an 11th-grade history teacher in Ocilla, Ga. Three months later, another young woman, Jennifer Kesse, also vanished in Orlando, Fla. Love and Death in Alaska. In , Mechele Linehan, a suburban Washington state wife and mother with a master's degree, found herself charged in a decade-old Alaska murder case.

In the mids, Mechele was making ends meet as an exotic dancer at "The Great Alaskan Bush Company," where she not only made lots of money, but also attracted the attention of several men who wanted to marry her. Prosecutors charge a million dollar life insurance policy was motive for Mechele to have one of those men killed. An interview with Shawn Hornbeck, who was kidnapped in at age 11 and held captive for more than four years in Missouri before being rescued.

Into Thin Air. When Jean Zapata vanished from her home in Madison, Wis. Did the Doctor Kill the Doctor? A doctor is suspected of murdering another physician. Vegas Heat. Truth on Trial. Drawn to Murder. A teen is hunted for murder for over a decade. Now, some of the cops who helped put him away want to set him free. Susan Spencer reports. The Guessing Game. Peace, Love and Murder.

Lady in The Water. On Sept. The victim, a woman, had been brutally murdered, stabbed 52 times. Conspiracy To Kill. Larry Risken was a Navy officer. Earl Bourdeau was a Marine. Nineteen years apart, they married the same woman: Sonia Rios. And both military men met the same fate - ambushed and gunned down in the Philippines, in the presence of Sonia's family. Live To Tell. Two college students out on a date are stalked, kidnapped, brutalized and taken to a river, where they are shot and left for dead.

Live To Tell: Black Wave. A family's plan to sail around the world ends when their boat hits a reef and the mother must choose whether to save her husband, pinned under a fallen mast, or their four children. Picture Perfect. A camera captures a forbidden romance and murder. Will it expose a killer? A brilliant scientist turns up dead. Medical mystery or murder? Troy Roberts reports. American Girl, Italian Nightmare. A month investigation by "48 Hours Mystery" raises questions about the case against an American girl on trial for murder in Italy.

Deep Secret. Authorities try to determine if a missing teen was murdered. A former child actor-turned cold-blooded killer commits a crime that horrifies even the toughest of cops. Catch Her If You Can. In her exclusive first interview, con artist Esther Reed reveals how she scammed her way into the Ivy League, outsmarted the feds and spent nearly nine years on the run.

Daddy's Girl. It was Thursday, July 19, , around p. Tim MacNeil had come home at noon to have lunch with his stepdaughter, Brae. He was wearing a dress shirt and no pants. There was a zip tie near one of his hands. The Mortgage and the Murder. The Untold Story of Caylee Anthony. It is a case that has captivated the country.

In the summer of , Orlando, Fla. Her mother, Casey Anthony, was charged with the horrific crime after not reporting her daughter missing for a month, and allegedly lying to police. As Casey, now 23, faces a murder trial and the possibility of the death penalty, her parents, Cindy and George Anthony, are standing by their daughter as they search for the truth. And, for the first time, three of Casey's defense lawyers discuss the case in an exclusive.

Even more troubling for the siblings is that no arrests have ever been made and the case remains unsolved. But Hailey believes she knows who was responsible and is determined to prove the unthinkable. Karen and Mike were both divorced with kids of their own when they met, but the couple was undoubtedly a perfect match. They had been dating for about four years when, in July of , they were gunned down while in bed at Karen's Topeka, Kan.

Both suffered multiple gunshot wounds but no one heard a thing. While Mike and Karen were. Death Wish. An investigation is held to determine whether a mother who had visions that she would die just before she had drowned was a suicide or a murder. Live To Tell: Krystal's Courage. Justice In The Heartland. In May , Michael Golub left work to pick up his young son, Mikey, at the home of his ex-girlfriend Shannon and was never seen again. The year-old's disappearance mystified the residents of his hometown, Johnson City, Kan.

Golub's family says he would never have given up his son for any price, and there is no doubt in their mind that he was murdered. Yet one piece of important evidence has always been missing: Michael Golub's body has never been found.

Now, "48 Hours Mystery" has brought in two private investigators to examine the evidence and uncover what they think happened to Michael on. Live to Tell: The Birthday Party. Kidnapped on Highway 1. Innocence Lost. Eighteen years ago, CBS News correspondent Erin Moriarty began reporting on what she says would turn out to be "the most horrific crime story I've ever encountered.

In a crime scene described by the lead detective as "wholesale carnage," the girls had been tied up, stripped down - at least one was raped - shot in the head and their naked bodies were stacked in a corner then set on fire. In the weeks after the murders authorities received countless tips, many false confessions and even interrogated teenagers Maurice Pierce, Michael Scott, Robert Springsteen and Forrest Welborn after Pierce was caught.

Buried Secrets of Las Vegas. It's been more than a decade since gambling tycoon Ted Binion was found dead in his Las Vegas home, but the questions still remain: how did he die, and where is all his money? Vegas headliner Wayne Newton, who knew Ted, tells "48 Hours Mystery" correspondent Peter Van Sant that while he believes Ted's destructive lifestyle contributed to his death, "someone got away with murder.

More than 17 years have passed since Scott County, Mo. Instead, he discovered the body of year-old Angela Mischelle Lawless. Based on the blood evidence, investigators believed Mischelle, who may have been running for her life, was brutally beaten and then placed back in her car, where she was shot three times.

As Walter was working the crime scene, a local man reported that he had seen the young woman in her car, and also told investigators that he saw a white car driving near the crime scene. At the same time, authorities immediately looked at Lawless'.

Lady in the Pool. Lancaster County, Pa. But on July 22, , the small town was rocked when Michael Roseboro placed an emergency call to , saying he found the body of his wife, Jan, at the bottom of their swimming pool. Less than an hour later, Jan Roseboro-mother of four-was pronounced dead at the hospital. It has been exactly a year since Princess Diana, Dodi Fayed, and their driver, Henri Paul, were killed in a horrific car crash in a Paris tunnel.

But there are still many unanswered questions about the circumstances surrounding the accident. Monday night, CBS. Among the people interviewed: Kes Wingfield, one of the two bodyguards protecting Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed the night of the crash. He tells 48 Hours that he testified to French authorities that two bodyguards were not enough that evening.

On the morning of August 30th, Wingfield said he called Mohammed Al Fayed's security headquarters in London requesting more bodyguards, but the request was denied. Rene Delorm, butler and longtime confidant of Dodi Fayed. Speaking for the first time on American television, Delorm says that around the time of the accident, Dodi was becoming increasingly angry at the intrusions of the paparazzi.

Did Dodi order his driver, Henri Paul, to speed up to escape the paparazzi the night of the crash? Delorm thinks not, saying that Dodi wanted only to protect Diana. In McDuff, then 20, brutally murdered three innocent teenagers in his hometown of Rosebud, Texas. He was caught, convicted and sentenced to death. But McDuff got lucky, with dire consequences for others. First, in , the Supreme Court declared capital punishment unconstitutional, sparing McDuff.

Then, in , McDuff was paroled from prison. He returned to Rosebud. After he pulled a knife on someone, he was sent back to prison.

He was paroled once more. This time he went on to kill at least two others: Between late and early , he kidnapped and killed two young women, Colleen Reed and Melissa Ann Northrup. He was convicted of the latter crime in and was sentenced to death.

Authorities suspect that he may have killed as many as 14 other women as well. His last words: "I'm ready to be released. Release me. Is seeing really believing?

Eyewitness testimony can be a decisive factor in a courtroom, but what a witness sees - or more precisely, remembers seeing - is not always what really happened. In "Eyewitness," CBS News 48 Hours examines how faded memories can jam the wheels of justice, convicting the innocent and allowing the guilty to go free.

Consider the following situations: Dale and Ronnie Mahan: Two Alabama brothers were convicted of kidnap and rape, largely on the basis of compelling eyewitness testimony from the victim. After more than 13 years in prison, they were released when DNA evidence showed that a semen stain on the victim's clothing did not come from either of them. When the DNA turned out instead to match that of a man with whom she was having an affair, the district attorney decided to retry the case.

Then an even more sophisticated test was performed on another piece of semen-stained evidence; the results didn't match the samples from the Mahans or the boyfriend.

Daniel Rubin: After being wounded in a San Diego bank heist, Daniel Rubin was asked by San Diego police to try to identify his masked assailant using his split-second memories. How reliable could he be? Think it's too late to find fame and fortune? Think again. CBS News 48 Hours takes a look at a few people who dreamed of making it big in entertainment. They were regular Joes and Josephines, without million-dollar bank accounts to fund their projects.

How did they do? Among the extraordinary people you'll meet on this Thursday's show are: Nicholas Sparks, a pharmaceutical salesman who dreamed of becoming a novelist - and did.

He's just finished his third book, and his second book, a bestseller like the first, is being turned into a movie starring Paul Newman and Kevin Costner. Darren Aronofsky , another obsessive filmmaker with dreams of cinematic stardom. Interestingly, both Vin and Darren find success, but follow very different paths. Do you believe in life after death? A large majority of Americans do.

But have you ever seen and heard what it looks like? You'll also meet a psychic who claims to have contact with the afterlife, a skeptic, and a scientist who is examining these questions. In conjunction, CBS. Russell Obremski was a cold-blooded killer, convicted of murdering two innocent women, one of whom who was eight months pregnant. After 24 years in an Oregon prison, he gets out on parole. The family of one of his victims is outraged, and also terrified.

Find out what happens when. A Killer Walks Free. Obremski, and to the children of his victims. Is he reformed? Or is he a homicidal menace, once again loosed on society?

What would you do if your neighbor built a baseball field in his backyard, and bunches of baseballs starting landing in your vegetable patch? Or insisted on videotaping your house 24 hours a day? What if your new neighbor was a dangerous convicted sex offender just out of jail? Would you welcome him or run him out of the neighborhood? Find out how he came to make peace for a living, and learn his hints for smoothing troubles in your own life.

And they don't get along. For nine years the otherwise quiet street has turned into a battleground, and there's no cease-fire in sight. Field Of Dreams: Bill Ingraham built a baseball diamond in his backyard. The kids loved it, but his next door neighbor was very unhappy with the noise, to say nothing of the baseballs in her garden. She sued him. Who won? Trouble Next Door: For eight years, Cal State University professor Elena Zagustin has vexed her neighbors, refusing to keep her house or her yard clean.

They've sued her, and she sued back. What happens with what neighbors call a "House of Horrors? You're piloting a plane that's out of control, hurtling toward the ground.

You've been kidnapped by two jumpy, gun-wielding thugs on the run from the police. A bomb meant to kill you has just exploded in your face. How would you react in cases like this, with death staring you square in the face? Everyone wants to think they'd stay cool under the immense pressure. But until you've gone through it, you can never know. CBS News 48 Hours introduces you to some people who have gone through terrifying experiences - and lived. These men and women have cheated death.

Among those you'll meet on this week's show: A pilot who crash-landed a packed passenger plane that had lost both steering and brakes. A perky grandmother who dealt with jittery carjackers by relaxing them with light-hearted banter. The crime ended in a shootout with police, in which one of the carjackers was caught, and the other killed.

The grandmother was unhurt. See the video clip above left. David Gelernter, a Yale computer science professor who staggered to the hospital on his own after being, as he says, "blown up" by one of Ted Kaczynski's mail bombs. Now recovering, he talks about his ordeal.

An inexperienced skydiver who found herself aboard a plane that was nosediving toward the ground. She survived to skydive again. This week, CBS News 48 Hours introduces you to some amazing new medical techniques that are keeping patients alive longer and increasing their quality of life.

Witness firsthand some of these life-changing medical breakthroughs. Cindy Walentiny appears to be a typical suburban mom. But ask her to cut a sandwich and you'll see she's not. She suffers from a debilitating disease called, "essential tremor," which causes her hand to shake uncontrollably. After almost 20 years of taking medications that don't help, Walentiny tries a revolutionary brain operation. This risky procedure will implant into her brain electrodes that will keep her tremors under control.

Even the smallest mistake during surgery could cause paralysis. What happens? And you'll meet year-old Frances Whitton, who suffers a paralyzing stroke. Luckily, she is put under the care of Drs. Marilyn Rymer and Graham Lee, pioneers in stroke treatment. Whitton undergoes an experimental treatment to push a clot-busting drug, urokinase, through a catheter that will reach the blood clot deep inside her brain.

Three weeks later, 48 Hours checks in with Whitton on the astounding results of her surgery. Beth and Jim Williams of Richmond, Virginia, were thrilled when they found out they were having a child. But soon Beth learns she has breast cancer. Until recently, pregnant women with breast cancer were advised to have abortions and begin chemotherapy treatments immediately. But the couple decides to continue Beth's pregnancy.

See how the tense story unfolds. For the Whites, bedtime is anything but restful. Like 40 million other Americans, Tim White is a chronic snorer. His snoring is so loud that his wife and kids can't sleep. Tim decides to undergo a new procedure known as somnoplasty, which uses radio frequencies to shrink the snore-causing tissues in his throat.

Will it work? It's a tragedy that can strike anyone, even a highly trained athlete: Spinal cord injury and paralysis. She was paralyzed from the waist down, and doctors say she will probably not walk again.

But researchers have made enormous strides in the area of spinal cord injury, and a cure no longer seems impossible. CBS News 48 Hours introduces you to some brave paralysis victims, including Christopher Reeve, and shows you the science that just may help them walk again.

Among the people you'll meet: Christopher Reeve, the brave actor who three years ago was paralyzed after a horseback riding mishap. Reeve tells 48 Hours he still cries when he wakes up, mourning his lost mobility. Charley Hince, a charming, funny year-old who two years ago broke his neck in a swimming accident. How does he deal with the enormous changes his condition has brought?

And how will he pay for his enormously expensive care? Wise Young, a spinal cord researcher who thinks he may be very close to finding a way for people like Reeve and Hince to walk again. Tonight, CBS News 48 Hours introduces you to an information age world where your deepest secrets, even your own identity, are public property.

This isn't science fiction. It's the reality of contemporary America. You'll meet Californian Cynthia Morgan, who recently found out that someone else has been using her name and social security number to get a driver's license, and to charge thousands of dollars worth of furniture and other goods.

To make matters worse, neither the police nor the DMV seem to care about the fraud. When the California DMV finally investigates and tracks down the alleged culprit, she turns out to be an experienced stealer of identities. And you'll find out how easy it is to get personal information about anyone. You'll meet Al Schweitzer, a successful information broker, who, for the right price, can get you the data you need -- including salary, medical records and phone bills.

Schweitzer struts his stuff for 48 Hours, getting mountains of private information about California couple Mike and Marty Koontz, who know that someone is trying to dig up their personal information and are curious to find out what could be discovered. Then it's on to Baltimore, where video surveillance cameras can be found on many of the streets. Is this an invasion of privacy or an effective way to keep streets safe? Ironically, while Dan Rather was talking to the mayor -- just 30 feet from the police video kiosk -- someone smashed a window on the 48 Hours camera truck!

Although the suspect was caught on tape, police haven't yet caught him. In December, , four normal, suburban teenage girls were executed in a yogurt shop in Austin, Texas. The four girls -- year-old Jennifer Suraci, her year-old sister Sarah, year-old Amy Ayers, who was Sarah's best friend, and year-old Eliza Thomas, who was also working that night - were totally innocent victims, and the small, relatively crime-free city of Austin was shocked by the murders.

And in another Monday Night Mystery: what would you do for your best friend? If he begged you to shoot him so that his family could collect a life insurance policy, would you do it? A 48 Hours special report looks at snoring, and a new treatment that's helping sufferers to get a good night's sleep. It was bedtime at the White residence in Chandler, Arizona, but that doesn't mean the family got much sleep.

The Whites had a snorer in the house. And while that may sound funny to some, for the Whites, it was very serious. It meant lethargic days brought on by sleepless nights. How would you react if your daughters were kidnapped? What if they were taken to another country by your ex-husband, who's been accused of sexually abusing them? Cheryl Lamare had to face this terrifying dilemma.

And she's had to face it for nine years. She's been trying to get her daughter Jamie back any way she can. In , he ex-husband Stan Voulgarelis, a Greek citizen, kidnapped their two daughters and took them to Greece. Within a few months, Cheryl was able to retrieve the older one, Ellie.

But she couldn't find Jamie, and has been unable to bring her back. Follow her as she tries to get her daughter back with the help of a team of private detectives.

Follow her to Crete, where she and a team of ex-commandos and detectives try to retrieve her daughter. Will the ex-husband outfox them again? Or will she be reunited with a daughter she last saw nine years ago?

Methamphetamine is a powerful, cheap drug and it is a growing problem in some surprising parts of America. Unlike crack cocaine, which primarily targeted the inner-city during its reign of terror in the 's, crank is making it's mark in Small Town, U. The drug's users range from middle class and well-educated people to teens -- even mothers who have passed on their addictions to their babies.

One of the reasons crank is growing so quickly is that methamphetamine is easily produced in makeshift labs from inexpensive raw materials. In addition, users experience a "high" lasting up to 30 hours -- much longer than many other drugs. It's all over the Midwest. It's now showing up in Georgia. CBS News 48 Hours took a close look at methamphetamine on Thursday, and found a drug that threatens to tear apart the lives of countless Americans.

Could your community be at risk? After ravaging parts of the Caribbean and Florida, Hurricane Georges recharged and slammed into the Gulf of Mexico, flooding the Gulf Coast with rain measured in feet instead of inches. With at least confirmed dead in the Caribbean, the human costs are incalculable.

But even with such grisly statistics, Hurricane Georges was by no means the most powerful or costly storm to blow through this part of the world. And even in a field as unpredictable as the weather, it is a virtual certainty that the coming years will bring more hurricanes, more damage and more death.

What causes these monstrous storms to form? If a hurricane were headed your way, would you know what to do? Imagine that your year-old son has just accidentally set himself on fire, and has burns over much of his body. You would probably want him treated at a pediatric emergency room, which specializes in children's injuries. Six years ago, there were no such facilities. Today there are more than , and the field is growing. Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center is one of the country's busiest, with about 80, visits a year.

What would you do? Your child is failing school, taking drugs or running away for months at a time? Some parents are responding by taking drastic action, and sending their teen-agers away for months, sometimes years, to special rehabilitation schools. CBS News 48 Hours takes a look at several of these programs. Last month, Americans' sense of security was shattered when a gunman opened fire at a Jewish Community Center in Los Angeles.

This crime and similar acts have increased awareness of a growing trend: The number of hate groups is increasing, according to experts. Survivors' Stories: Victims and their parents speak out for the first time in the aftermath of the shootings at the North Valley Jewish Community Center in Los Angeles. This campaign of intimidation forces Jouhari and her daughter Dani to relocate.

Jouhari's enemies find out where she moved and continue their campaign. Find out Jouhari's response to these threats in an exclusive CBS.

It was Ohioans Elizabeth and Patrick Welsh seemed to have it all. They were happily married, with two wonderful sons, Chris and Ted. Then Patrick disappeared, leaving behind a suicide note saying that his wife and sons would be better off without him. Chris, Ted and their mother were crushed, but soldiered on, slowly building a new life. Patrick Welsh was not dead, the letter said: someone was using his social security card.

Assuming that someone besides Patrick had been using his social security number, perhaps inadvertently, Elizabeth began investigating. With the help of the Internet, good sleuthing, and some luck, Elizabeth discovered that her dead husband was not dead. He was living in Galveston, Texas under the name Tim Kingsbury. CBS News 48 Hours explores the devastating impact of this "Kingsbury's" betrayal and the ripples it sent through the community of Galveston. There is no doubt that sexually abusing children is a terrible crime.

But what about the damage to those who are falsely accused of such crimes? In the s, in an effort to protect children, investigators used methods that are now controversial, leading to some convictions that are now being questioned. CBS News 48 Hours reports on the Amiraults, a family accused of sexually abusing numerous children while running a daycare center in Massachusetts.

But did they actually do any of the things they are accused of? Ten-year-old Samantha Frazer has a very big decision to make. Should she live with the woman who is fighting to adopt her and whom she's grown to love, or her birth mother, who abandoned her years ago and ran off across the country?

The choice is hers. CBS News 48 Hours examines what happens when parental rights clash with a child's desire for a happy home. For thousands of years, humans have dreamed of finding the secrets to long life, even immortality.

Until now, the dream has been elusive. But scientists and doctors are beginning to understand the fundamental mechanisms that cause the human body to grow, and to deteriorate. Will we one day clone ourselves? Or will we simply inject ourselves with hormones that keep us permanently spry?

CBS News 48 Hours takes a look at some modern attempts to sidestep death. Some will amaze you, others may cause you to scratch your head in wonder. How would you react if you were given the power of life and death over the man who brutally killed your father in cold blood, and then tried to kill you? Eleven years ago, Suezann Bosler watched a stranger stab her father to death, and then try to kill her. After the murderer was caught and convicted, Suezann went on a remarkable crusade to save him from the death penalty.

CBS News 48 Hours takes a look at this incredible case of forgiveness triumphing over hate. Like most high schools, Grosse Pointe North High is a place full of hormones and insecurity. Sexuality and social pressure can make for a volatile combination. Sometimes that combination leads older guys to take advantage of younger girls eager for acceptance. But is there a difference between mistreating vulnerable young girls. CBS News 48 Hours takes a look at this question, taking viewer to Grosse Pointe, a small, well-to-do suburb near Detroit, where four high school seniors are accused of rape by a group of freshman girls.

It's mind-boggling: About half the couples who get married in this country will also split up. Divorce is an enormous problem in America, for the people getting divorced, for their friends and families, and especially for their children.

You'll meet divorced couples who are trying to stay close for the sake of their children; couples who can hardly stand to be in the same room with each other; mediators who try to keep a painful separation from costing more than it should, both emotionally and legally; divorce experts who tell you how to deal with an angry or annoying ex-spouse; and, most heartbreaking of all, the children of divorced couples, who through no fault of their own, must find a way to grow up in a ruptured family.

You'll meet a variety of people, all of them struggling with divorce in one way or another. Ask the average person about royalty and they'll probably think you're talking about Princess Diana or Queen Elizabeth.

But royals are everywhere: in the industrial slums of England, in Brooklyn, even selling perfume on QVC. There are even a few royals who still live in palaces, surrounded by servants and opulence.

CBS News 48 Hours takes a look at this wide world of royalty, which can be very strange indeed. A seven-year-old who reads Robert Frost and breezes through college calculus. A year-old who may be a female Tiger Woods. A year-old who already has a Number 1 country song. They're all prodigies, and you'll meet them this Thursday, when CBS News 48 Hours shows you what it's like to be a young genius.

Life can sometimes be very difficult for these child prodigies. Their unique talents can put enormous pressure on them. Other children taunt them as freaks, adults sometimes see them as threats, or as curiosities.

Sometimes being normal is an elusive dream. Four years ago, in cities and towns across America, millions of teen-agers entered the ninth grade. The goal: To present a portrait of our country's problems and promise as seen through the eyes of these students. CBS News' 48 Hours completes this four-year project with a look at several remarkable young men and women. What causes someone to become a serial killer?

And can such a person be rehabilitated? This week, CBS News 48 Hours takes a look at the gripping story of a cold-blooded serial killer about to go free after only 20 years in prison - and the victims who want desperately to keep him in jail. Donald Miller was the quintessential boy-next-door. Growing up in a quiet middle class neighborhood in East Lansing, Michigan, Don seemed completely normal.

Although he grew up in the mids, when many of his classmates were growing their hair long and dabbling in drugs, Don was a clean-cut straight arrow. He served as a youth minister at his church. He went to the local college, Michigan State University, where he played trombone in the school marching band.

He dated a girl who went to his church, Martha Sue Young. But Don Miller wasn't the normal boy-next-door. He became a serial killer. Find out about a year-old recovering alcoholic; a mother who fights to stop the crowds of underage American drinkers who converge on Tijuana, Mexico; an undergrad who celebrated his 21st birthday with 24 shots of hard liquor and ended up dead; and a man who's made it his mission to educate teens about alcohol advertising.

Their stories bring an up-close view of how alcohol bears a destructive influence on young lives. For almost every patient, a cancer diagnosis used to be a death sentence. But with advances in modern medicine, many of these patients now have a good chance to survive. CBS News 48 Hours follows the fortunes of several cancer sufferers, introduces viewers to a few of the cutting edge researchers as they race to find a cure, reports on the latest treatments, and talks to the experts about what you can do to avoid this terrifying disease.

Study after study shows that juries put a great deal of faith in the testimony of expert witnesses. A good expert witness can swing a verdict one way or another.

But how reliable are they? CBS News 48 Hours' "Expert Witness" takes a look at several incredible cases in which experts made the difference - sometimes helping the innocent prove their innocence, other times helping send the innocent to jail.

CBS News 48 Hours takes a look at the incredible story of a mother who is determined to confront, face to face, the condemned murderer who brutally killed her daughter 12 years earlier.

Will he agree to meet her? If the meeting happens, will she be able to forgive him? Among the memorable people you'll meet on this Thursday's show: For more about programs devoted to reconciliation between victims and offenders, see our catalog of web sites. Jonathan Wayne Nobles: a year-old convict who is on Texas' death row for two murders he committed 13 years ago.

In , Nobles, an ex-con with a history of drug abuse and mental illness, broke into a house in Austin, Texas, and stabbed to death two young women, Kelly Farquhar and Mitzi Kurland. Caught soon after, Nobles was convicted and sentenced to death.

Paula Kurland, Mitzi's mother, who is still grieving over her daughter's untimely death. Paula believes that a face-to-face meeting with her daughter's killer might help her put the past behind her. She wants to go to death row and have a conversation with Nobles, telling him exactly how he's ruined her life. Says Kurland: "We've been sentenced to prison for 12 years and it's time for us to be free. It's going to help me close a chapter and hopefully get on with my life.

Barber, who was 17 when the incident occurred, admits that he killed the man, Douglas Wyatt, but claims he stabbed him in self-defense after Wyatt tried to rape him. Unconvinced, a jury convicted him of murder and the judge sentenced him to life in jail, plus 40 years. Barber appealed his case. What will happen? And who is in the right? CBS News 48 Hours takes a look at two long-unsolved murder cases that have stymied police and haunted relatives of the victims. Now a combination of hard work by investigators and amazing new technology is helping solve these cases.

Will justice triumph, years after the original crimes? Nagle's job is to solve crimes that other cops have been unable to crack. The son of a police chief, Nagle is tenacious, some might even say obsessed. He spends hours going over every aspect of the crime, even visiting crime scenes that are decades old to get a sense of how the murderer was thinking.

Talking about the victims whose cases he tries to close after so many years, Nagle says: "I look at those pictures [of the victims] a lot and I reflect on them. It reminds me that they're gone and there's no one to speak for them, and that's why I get emotional. Jennifer's killer was never found. Now, Rick Nagle thinks he may have found the culprit. Billy Jewitt , a year-old man who was the last known person seen with Jennifer the night she was killed.

Jewitt has long been a suspect, but police have never been able to find enough evidence to charge him. But Nagle's hard work, and new DNA technology that ties Jewitt to Jennifer, give the police enough to bring him to trial for murder. Nagle finds a witness who testifies that Billy Jewitt said he had killed Jennifer. Ruth Masters , a young schoolteacher who was brutally murdered 22 years ago in Plymouth, Mass. At the time, the Plymouth police chief was Dick Nagle - Rick's father.

Even before he became a police officer, Rick was fascinated with the case, which has never been solved. He has been trying to piece it together for his entire career.

Now, he finally may have a lead. He is a. Clint Hallam, a charismatic year-old, lost his right hand in an accident 15 years ago. Since then, he dreamed of being able to play the piano with two hands once again. Last September in Lyons, France, Hallam became the first human to undergo a hand transplant. CBS News' 48 Hours examines what happens when cutting-edge medical technology gets mixed up with stubborn human nature. Imagine being so worried about germs that you feel compelled to wash your hands dozens of times a day, or so concerned about giving the correct change that you count the coins over and over before you give them to the cashier.

That is the sort of thing that happens to those who suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder OCD , an illness that afflicts almost five million Americans. CBS News 48 Hours takes a look at this strange malady. You'll meet men and women who must battle their obsession every minute of every day. As host of a daily talk show, he is forced to greet strangers all the time. This creates problems, especially when the guests have just been sick, as happened recently when actress Carmen Electra appeared on the show.

Howie decided to forego the usual host-guest kiss. Howie deals with his obsession without psychological help. He has a special guest house in his backyard, to which he repairs when his wife or children are sick. But Howie says he is content: "I couldn't be happier.

I'm probably the most happy neurotic person in the world. His treatments include drugs as well as behavior therapy to "immunize" him to the situations he fears most. Slowly, Jeremy gets better. Mary Ellen Fridl, a year-old widow and grandmother who has at least obsessions. Among her many demons: contamination obsessions, washing compulsions, religious obsessions, and fear that she hasn't given the correct cha.

CBS News 48 Hours takes a look at pain. For millions of Americans, pain is an everyday fact of life, a force that must be dealt with every minute of every day. Whether the pain comes from a poorly understood neurological disease, a migraine, or a blown-out knee, it can be overwhelming.

We'll introduce you to people who must deal with tremendous levels of constant physical pain. Then we'll show you some of the new scientific approaches that could help these people live normal lives again. Among the extraordinary people featured on the show: Picabo Street: the charismatic gold medal-winning skier, who badly injured both legs in a race last year.

We follow her through her arduous rehabilitation, as she tries to recover her lost strength and mobility. Rebecca Olivares, a year -old businesswoman who has been stricken with reflex sympathetic dystrophy RSD , an enigmatic disease that sends pain shooting into her legs and leaves her barely able to walk.

Both Rebecca and Picabo are being treated by the same doctor, and they strike up a friendship. Over their months of rehab, they become closer and closer. They take a vacation together to a spa in Arizona, and Rebecca decides that she will attempt to scale a foot high rock-climbing wall. Before she'd come down with RSD, she'd been an avid rock climber, and she wants to conquer this obstacle. Amazingly, she does it, and in the process gives herself - and Picabo - a sense of the power of the human will.

Robert Garcia, a year-old man who also suffers from RSD. His case is much more severe, racking his entire body with awful pain, as well as tremors and seizures. Having tried all the available therapies, Robert is at the end of his rope.

But an innovative doctor, California neurosurgeon Jacob Chodakiewitz, offers to try a new procedure, that will implant an electrode deep into Robert's brain, and a small generator into his chest. Known as deep brain stimulation, this approach can sometimes short circuit the.

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