The Forensic Archive
An interactive archive and educational detective laboratory. Explore the science behind the evidence, study landmark cases, run the tools, and test your reasoning in the Forensics Arcade.
Explore
Pick a File at Random
Let the archive choose your next lead — a case, a discipline, or a challenge.
BTK Killer — Digital Metadata on a Floppy Disk
After decades of taunting letters, Dennis Rader was identified in 2005 when a floppy disk he sent to police contained metadata tracing to his church computer.
Forensic Anthropology
Reading the stories bones tell — sex, age, ancestry, stature, and trauma. From identifying remains to the rediscovery of King Richard III, anthropology turns skeletons into evidence.
ExploreThe first criminal conviction based on fingerprint evidence occurred in Argentina in 1892, when a bloody thumbprint on a doorframe matched Francisca Rojas — launching fingerprint identification as a forensic method.
The Forensic Archive is an educational resource, not affiliated with any law enforcement agency. See the About & Disclaimer page for details.
