I’m not sure why I hate horror movies, but can’t stop watching all of these documentaries about solving murders or finding missing persons. I mean, horror movies are (usually) fake and far-fetched, while these documentaries actually happened and show the real, dark side of humanity. One would think that the real murders would scare me more, but for some reason, they don’t. Maybe it’s just because they show less gore and typically don’t get into evil spirits and such. I’m not exactly sure.
I think my fascination started with Unsolved Mysteries as a child. As someone who has always had an active imagination and gets scared easily, I probably should not have been watching Robert Stack creepily narrate stories about murders, people going missing, UFOs, and aliens. One time, probably when I was about 12 years old, I watched an Unsolved Mysteries special about UFOs and alien abductions while home alone. Later that night, I thought I was going to be abducted, because I saw a lightning bug flashing on my bedroom window screen and didn’t realize what it was at first. I thought, “What a weird coincidence to have a UFO land in my backyard right after watching a show about them.” Then I saw the lightning bug and promptly felt like an idiot.
So I guess I’ve been watching mysteries and crime shows for quite some time and I have just a few random thoughts on them.
First of all, it’s amazing/scary to me how often a spouse or significant other kills their partner just so they can cheat or get life insurance money. It happens again and again. In the instance of cheating, why not just leave? Sure, divorce is messy, but so is cleaning up a crime scene. And they’ll probably spend most of their insurance money on defense attorneys. What’s worse is how often people close to them will say, “But they seemed so happy. We never could’ve imagined.” Don’t tell me that! I want to hear that everyone saw it coming. “Oh yeah; we knew Fred would probably kill Joan one of these days. He’s a creep who always carried around a butcher knife just because.” I want some signs! After I watch these shows, I’m always giving my husband the side-eye and kindly asking that he doesn’t take out a large insurance policy on me. In all honesty, he is probably more afraid of me, since I joke that if he ever cheats on me, I will use the techniques of Lorena Bobbitt, but involve a garbage disposal (totally kidding…maybe).
Another thing is that these shows like to get into the nitty-gritty of how the murderer covered their tracks and got away with the crime. I always think, “Gee, thanks for telling other potential murderers how to avoid getting caught!” They will say things like, “We couldn’t find any DNA or footprints, because the killer used tape on the bottom of his shoes and wore gloves and a mask.” I picture potential criminals out there frantically taking notes in their little notebooks (which are probably also filled with morbid little doodles). Even telling everyone how each murder was solved gives these people things to avoid, like leaving the receipt for the murder weapon in your backseat (true story on a show I watched).
What is really interesting to me is how many cases, even very old cold cases, are now being solved by cutting-edge technology using genetics. This is a trend that is catching on fast and solving many crimes that were previously unsolvable. Many times, investigators have DNA on file, but because the criminal is not in the system, they’ve never been caught. However, with this new technology, they are able to create very close profiles of the person, narrowing down the race, hair color, etc., which can at least help rule out certain suspects. It may also jog someone’s memory of seeing a person with that description at the time of the crime.
The really wild thing, though, is how many criminals are found through their relatives’ genetics on family genealogy/ancestry sites. They might find a grandparent, uncle or sibling and then go from there. Almost every family has someone who uses these types of sites, so it seems it will only be a matter of time before many offenders are caught this way. The infamous “Golden State Killer” was found using this method after evading investigators for decades. He was a 72-year-old retiree living a quiet life when he was captured. Without this technology, he may never have been found. These sites are also helping people discover family they didn’t even know they had and pretty much putting an end to the terms “anonymous donor” or “closed adoption,” but that’s a tangent I won’t get into here.
This new technology is great news for investigators and those seeking justice, but it might be bad for the story line and suspense of crime shows. If this is the future of crime-solving, shows will all start to end the same way. While it might not be as intriguing to watch as a “couch detective,” it is still amazing that this technology exists. Criminals should be shaking in their boots (or tape-covered shoes); just because they have avoided being caught for years so far doesn’t mean their day in court isn’t coming. Cold cases are being solved this way left and right. With camera surveillance on just about every road, store and house, the ability to track phones and cars, genetic technology, and the ability to quickly leverage social media to find fugitives, committing a crime seems pretty risky these days.
So, who else is addicted to crime shows or mysteries? What are some of your thoughts while watching them? Do you think this new technology will dramatically change things? Let me know in the comments.
Here’s the article from The Washington Post about how the Golden State Killer was found if you want to read more on that technology: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/to-find-alleged-golden-state-killer-investigators-first-found-his-great-great-great-grandparents/2018/04/30/3c865fe7-dfcc-4a0e-b6b2-0bec548d501f_story.html
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