We often think of DNA as one of the most solid, fool-proof pieces of evidence in a crime investigation, but our story tonight shows how that isn’t at all true. A female German serial killer, dubbed “the Phantom of Heilbronn” - or the woman without a face, was believed to be responsible for a slew of crimes across the country, including six murders. The hunt to find this evil monster made international headlines as police tried to identify the killer before they struck again. The Phantom of Heilbronn was said to have committed various offences, including theft, which puzzled the police. It’s not often a single criminal would have such a wide range of offences - so it was difficult to build a profile around who their suspect might be. Still, the DNA showed that these crimes were all linked by DNA evidence connected to one individual. Or so they thought. You can only imagine the shock and horror when it was learned that the woman this DNA belonged to - didn’t even exist.

Sources:

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/nov/09/germany-serial-killer

https://time.com/archive/6946145/germanys-phantom-serial-killer-a-dna-blunder/

https://www.nature.com/articles/543589b

https://www.iso.org/news/2016/07/Ref2094.html

https://www.smh.com.au/world/woman-without-a-face-leaves-german-police-in-the-dark-20081117-68dq.html

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