A Murder in Pleasant Valley

October 23, 2009

On Oct. 28, 1999, Susan Fassett, a 48-year-old woman from a small town in the suburbs of New York City, was mercilessly gunned down outside the Pleasant Valley United Methodist Church.

An unlikely target, friends and family members were stunned by the killing.

According to crime writer M. William Phelps, Susan was the "perfect mother of two wonderful boys, the pretty wife of a local, well-respected, police officer, a very active member of her church and well-known at her job as the Town of Poughkeepsie personnel assistant."

Why?

During the course of the investigation, authorities discovered that Susan had been having marital problems, including infidelity issues. As a result, suspicion naturally fell on both her husband and her lover. However, as the investigation continued, a female suspect named Dawn Silvernail entered the picture. The more police looked into Silvernail the more details they uncovered - exposing a world of dominance, lesbian sex and betrayal.

This Sunday, at 10:00 p.m., ET, Paula Zahn will examine the case and interview Silvernail, who speaks for the first time after being convicted for the murder of Susan Fassett.

For more details, visit Investigation Discovery's fansite for On the Case with Paula Zahn.

In each episode of ON THE CASE, Zahn tracks the real-life drama of each story by featuring the personal points of view of the people closest to the case, including exploring the motivation and thought processes of the men and women responsible for these crimes.  The series includes perspective from law enforcement investigators, families of the victims and the incarcerated, and lawyers representing both sides of legal proceedings.  Zahn's interviews reveal fascinating details that uncover the truth while presenting the spectrum of viewpoints directly touched by these cases.

Pennsylvania Researchers Study the "Smell of Death"

October 09, 2009

Two researchers from the Penn State University recently presented a report at the 238th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), which detailed work they have been conducting in an attempt to establish the chemical fingerprint from the smell of death.

According to Dan Sykes, a lecturer in the Dept. of Chemistry, and Sara Jones, a grad student in the Dept. of Forensic Chemistry, their research could lead to an electronic device that could be used to detect human bodies buried in disasters and at crime scenes. The device would also be able to determine how much time had elapsed since death.

"Decomposing bodies release more than 30 compounds. Some, like the aptly-named "putrescine" and "cadaverine," develop early in the decomposition process," reads a press release issued by ACS.

Past studies on the smell of decomposition were conducted using donated human bodies; however, most had been dead for several days, making it impossible to detect putrescine, cadaverine, and other compounds that appear very early in the decomposition process. Jones and Sykes solved this problem by using pigs that had been euthanized under humane conditions. As a result, they were able to study decomposition immediately after death. Pigs were also chosen because of their similarities to humans.

"They go through the same phases of decomposition as humans, as well as the same number of stages," Jones said, adding, "And those stages last about as long in pigs as they do in humans before complete decomposition occurs and only the bones remain."

During testing, the deceased pigs were placed inside odor-collecting units, equipped with special sensors designed to capture gases that are emitted during decomposition. Data from the sensors was collected every six to 12 hours over the course of a week. Upon studying the data, Sykes and Jones identified a clear chemical profile.

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Kansas Students Warned about Serial Rapist

October 06, 2009

Kansas Attorney General Steve Six, along with the Riley County and Lawrence police departments, are asking college students to be vigilant during collegiate fall breaks because of a serial rapist who is suspected of committing multiple rapes in Lawrence and Manhattan.

According to police, more than a dozen attacks that have occurred in the two areas since 2000 share significant similarities. The victims' characteristics as well as the manner of the attacks and the times when they occurred all suggest that a single serial rapist is responsible.

The rapist is believed to stalk his victims prior to the attack. He targets female students who live off-campus in homes or apartments and breaks in at night while they are asleep. In some instances, no sign of forced entry was found, suggesting the rapist had gained entry through an unlocked door or window.

Descriptions of the rapist's height and weight have varied in the victims' reports; however, police believe he is a slender, white male of medium height in his mid-20s. Police say the suspect is usually armed and wears something over his face to disguise his identity.

Students are asked to limit their travel during fall break and to pay close attention to activities in their neighborhoods.

"Take extra safety precautions and report any suspicious activity to local law enforcement immediately," Six said.

Six said that law enforcement agencies are working diligently not only to identify the rapist but also to educate the public about how they can avoid being victimized.

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