Plot Synopsis

Each one-hour episode of COLD CASE FILES features a single case that has been left unsolved for years, brought to life through cinematic dramatizations and first-person storytelling from the detectives and loved ones who lived through the harrowing experiences. The series highlights different approaches to solving cold cases that are more wide-ranging than ever before, enlisting crowd-solving and social media, alongside new advancements in technology to lead to further breakthroughs in each documented case. COLD CASE FILES is a reboot of the series of the same name, which spanned 125 episodes after premiering in 1998 and running for nearly 10 years. Danny Glover narrates the first season.

Narrated by Bill Kurtis, the second season of COLD CASE FILES premiered on Friday, August 20, 2021 at 9pm ET/PT on A&E. The series continues to examine the twists and turns of one murder case that remained unsolved for years, and the critical element that heated it up, leading to the evidence that finally solved it. In the season opener, "The Voice in the Lake," when 31-year-old real estate appraiser Mike Williams mysteriously vanished while duck hunting in the Florida swamps in December of 2000, authorities suspect he accidentally drowned. For 16 years, Mike's disappearance remained a mystery. The case heats up when police receive a distress call from the victim's wife in 2016. Featuring interviews with detectives and the victim's mother -- as well as rare footage of the crime scene and recorded audio confessions with the accused -- the episode explores how the disappearance unfolded into a sinister plot to cash in on millions of dollars in life insurance.

Season 3 of COLD CASE FILES premiered on Saturday, August 20, 2022 at 9pm ET/PT on A&E. The season opener, "Killer in the Storm," takes place in the heart of Cajun country, where young mother Brenda DuPont is found murdered in her home in May 1988. The initial investigation sputters and turns cold, but Brenda's older sister Linda vows to solve Brenda's murder, no matter how long it takes.

On Friday, November 8, 2024 from 9-11pm ET/PT, A&E premiered "The Grim Sleeper," a two-hour COLD CASE FILES special. Infamous serial killer Lonnie Franklin Jr. preyed on women in South Central Los Angeles over a span of 25 years. Narrated by Regina Hall, this true crime tale is interwoven with the real-life story of the search for an elusive killer and the fight for justice in a Los Angeles community.
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The fourth season of COLD CASE FILES debuted on Friday, November 15, 2024 at 9pm ET/PT on A&E. In the season opener, "Money, Moguls and Murder," in 1977 Florida Nurse Deborah Clark, 23, is found brutally slain in her home. Detectives unearth an affair, a jilted wife, and a web of money and power, but no true suspect. It will take 40 years and advanced DNA testing to expose Deb's killer.