This Week in True Crime: Cold Cases, Microscopic Clues, and the Train Murder That Still Haunts Britain

Blood on the Tracks: The Murder That Haunted a Father to His Grave

Arthur Linsley died this week still carrying the weight of a question that has haunted British true crime history for nearly four decades: Who killed his daughter Deborah?

On March 23, 1988, 26-year-old Deborah Linsley boarded a train from Petts Wood to London Victoria—a route she had taken countless times before. But this journey would be her last. Somewhere between stations, Deborah was attacked in a private carriage, stabbed 11 times in a frenzy so violent that her blood soaked the seats, walls, and floor. When the train pulled into Victoria, her lifeless body was discovered alone in the carriage. The crime scene was a forensic goldmine—her killer’s blood was found mixed with hers. Yet no arrest has ever been made.

Despite decades of appeals, including a £20,000 reward and a reconstructed train carriage on public display to jog memories, the case remains officially unsolved. The prime suspect? A phantom in the DNA database—profiled, but never matched. Investigators believe the killer was injured during the struggle, possibly bearing scars to this day.

With modern advancements in familial DNA and genetic genealogy, detectives still hold out hope. But with key witnesses aging and Deborah’s family members passing away, time is running out. "We just want to know who did it," Arthur once said. Now, with his voice silenced, the public is left to carry the question forward: How can someone leave behind that much evidence—and still disappear?

This isn't just a cold case. It's a chilling reminder that sometimes, even in broad daylight and full view, evil can vanish without a trace.

• Cold Case Breakthrough: Fifteen years after Izabela Zablocka vanished in West Yorkshire, police have discovered human remains at her last known residence. Four individuals have been arrested in connection with the case, now being treated as a murder investigation
  

• Prison Safety Measures: Following a violent attack on a prison officer, the UK government mandates body armor for staff in high-security jails. Dame Vera Baird has been appointed interim chair of the Criminal Cases Review Commission to restore public trust.
  

• Victims' Rights Debate: Theresa Bliss, a victims' rights advocate, criticizes New York lawmakers for supporting legislation that could lead to early release for violent offenders, arguing it undermines justice for victims' families

Imagine catching a killer not through fingerprints or DNA, but through the microscopic pollen on their shoes.

That’s the core of forensic palynology, a little-known but powerful technique that uses pollen and spores as silent witnesses. Every environment has a unique “pollen print,” and because pollen sticks to everything, clothing, hair, cars, even buried bodies. It can become a biological GPS for investigators.

What makes this tool so intriguing is its invisibility. Pollen isn’t something most criminals think to clean off or avoid. And it’s durable, some grains can survive for thousands of years. Yet, despite its power, palynology is underused, often sidelined in favor of flashier methods.

You won’t see this on CSI. Gil Grissom never paused a murder investigation to send suspect sneakers to a pollen lab. But maybe he should’ve, because unlike dramatic courtroom confessions or miraculous last-minute DNA hits, pollen quietly sticks to the truth. And in the right hands, it can do what high-tech forensics can’t: place someone precisely where they said they never were.

Coming to Prime Video on June 13, ROMCON: Who the F**k is Jason Porter? isn’t your typical catfish story. It’s a high-stakes, emotional unraveling of a real-life con man who turned online dating into a hunting ground.

Heather Rovet, a Toronto real estate broker, thought she’d met “Jace”: charming, successful, emotionally available. What she didn’t know: “Jace” didn’t exist. Beneath the smooth facade was Jason Porter, a serial scammer with a trail of wrecked lives, fake identities, and empty bank accounts. But here’s where it flips, Heather doesn’t just grieve. She investigates.

What unfolds is part true crime, part revenge thriller. Heather peels back the layers of a man who’s evaded justice for years and exposes a system that lets romance scammers slip through the cracks. It’s raw, gripping, and might just make you think twice before your next swipe right.

The Mortician: A three-part docuseries exploring unethical practices in a Pasadena funeral home during the 1980s

The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets: Premiering June 10, this series investigates a chilling serial killer case with exclusive interviews and revelations

I Fought the Law: A British true crime series starring Sheridan Smith, based on Ann Ming's campaign to overturn the double jeopardy law after her daughter's murder

Smoke: Debuting June 27, this crime drama follows a detective and an arson investigator working together to stop serial arsonists in the Pacific Northwest