Series synopsis
Bloodline Detectives is a British documentary crime television series that premiered on TLC UK on April 23, 2020. It stars Aidan O'Sullivan, Joseph Palmer, Mark Connolly and Bernadette Carty.
Detectives and forensic experts recount the most extraordinary cold cases that were solved using the revolutionary technique of familial DNA testing.
Premise
Detectives and forensic experts recount the most extraordinary cold cases that were solved using the revolutionary technique of familial DNA testing.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Aidan O'Sullivan as Detective
- Joseph Palmer as Detective
- Mark Connolly as Detective
- Bernadette Carty as CeCe
- CeCe Moore as Self - Chief Genetic Geneologist
- Aaron Adamson as Fisherman (uncredited)
- Aran O'Brien as 80s Detective
- Stephanie Karam as Detective
Supporting cast
- Patrick John Wall as Gary Hartman
- Colin Malone as Detective
- Brian Roche as Gary Hamlin (credit only)
- Kenneth Barry as Man on Phone (uncredited)
- Derek Carroll as Self-Detective
Guest cast
- Aidan O'Sullivan as Detective
- Joseph Palmer as Detective
- Mark Connolly as Detective
- Bernadette Carty as CeCe
- CeCe Moore as Self - Chief Genetic Geneologist
- Aaron Adamson as Fisherman (uncredited)
- Aran O'Brien as 80s Detective
- Stephanie Karam as Detective
- Patrick John Wall as Gary Hartman
- Colin Malone as Detective
- Brian Roche as Gary Hamlin (credit only)
- Kenneth Barry as Man on Phone (uncredited)
Episodes
This series spans 6 seasons with 120 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 20 | April 23, 2020 | March 20, 2021 |
| Season 2 | 20 | October 28, 2021 | September 8, 2022 |
| Season 3 | 20 | October 1, 2022 | May 20, 2023 |
| Season 4 | 20 | September 30, 2023 | April 1, 2024 |
| Season 5 | 20 | September 4, 2024 | April 2, 2025 |
| Season 6 | 20 | September 18, 2025 | May 12, 2026 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Motorway Killer In March 2003, a lorry driver was found dead behind the wheel in Camberley, England. Police gambled on the revolutionary technique of familial DNA analysis. |
April 23, 2020 |
| 2 |
Unrighteous Act In 1976, a woman was left for dead in her home in southern California. Despite a major manhunt, the violent killer avoided detection for over four decades. |
April 30, 2020 |
| 3 |
Deadly Desire On Valentines' Day 2007, police in Southern California were called to a particularly violent murder scene. Advances in forensic genealogy finally solved the case. |
May 7, 2020 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Body in the Stairwell In 1999, hospital worker Jennifer Watkins was sexually assaulted and murdered. Two decades later, revolutionary DNA testing helps to solve this cold case. |
October 28, 2021 |
| 2 |
Sacrilege in Sacramento In 1992, a woman is sexually assaulted in Sacramento, California by a man wearing a ski mask. This sexual predator continues to commit heinous crimes until new evidence exposes his identity. |
October 28, 2021 |
| 3 |
The Montana Murders When two teens are found dead in Montana, detectives suspect an infamous gangster might be responsible. But it will take 65 years to find the true culprit. |
November 4, 2021 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Date Night Murder in Michigan Niles, Michigan 1987, Terry Wood comes home to find his wife Roxanne lying dead in a pool of blood. |
October 1, 2022 |
| 2 |
The Greeley Rapist 2001, Greeley, Colorado, a 7-year-old girl is walking to school with her 8-year-old brother when an unknown assailant snatches her off the street and bundles her into his car. |
October 8, 2022 |
| 3 |
Carla's Last Valentines Fort Worth Texas 1974. 17-year old Carla Walker is kissing her boyfriend Rodney in his car when suddenly the door is ripped open by an unknown assailant. |
October 15, 2022 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Norcal Rapist A fugitive has at least 9 victims known to police over the course of 15 years. They had his DNA even, but still no suspect. That is until new advances in familial DNA is compared 27 years after the first known attack in 1991. |
September 30, 2023 |
| 2 |
Horror by the Roadside In the summer of 1976, the body of 16-year-old Carol Sue Klaber is found in a roadside ditch in Kentucky. Fast forward to 2022, cutting-edge DNA science is employed to finally name her killer. |
October 7, 2023 |
| 3 |
Murder on Elm Street In July 1987, Donna Hyatt's daughter finds her mother brutally murdered at home in Carlsbad, New Mexico. Donna Sue Hyatt's murder is unsolved for decades until modern forensic science catches up. |
October 14, 2023 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Body in the Blanket In 1996, two workers report that they found a body rolled up in a blanket on the side of the road near Grand Rapids, Michigan. Detectives quickly identify the victim as Sharon Kay Hammack, but her killer identity remains unknown for years |
September 4, 2024 |
| 2 |
Evil Angel In 2015, a woman is viciously assaulted while running in an Albuquerque, New Mexico park. Investigators unable the find the perpetrator, until they learn about a new forensic technic that could break this case. |
September 11, 2024 |
| 3 |
The Book Store Murder In 2010, a great-grandma Sherry Black is found murdered in her own bookstore in South Salt Lake, Utah. It took 11 years for police to find evidence to charge and convict her killer. |
September 18, 2024 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Murder in the Median In 2024, Pamela Wittman, a 25-year-old from Indiana, was identified, solving the 1980 Daytona Beach cold case linked to a serial killer. |
September 18, 2025 |
| 2 |
Jane Doe by the Road Found shot near Highway 67 in 1986, Maria Pilar Del Gadillo Carrillo remained unidentified until 2024, when authorities used genetic genealogy and reopened her case. |
September 25, 2025 |
| 3 |
Murder on Highway 243 Esther Gonzalez was killed in 1979 while walking in Riverside. Randy Williamson, cleared by polygraph, lived freely until 2014. In 2023, forensic genealogy closed the cold case. |
October 2, 2025 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | TLC UK |
|---|---|
| First aired | April 23, 2020 |
| Last aired | May 12, 2026 |
| Status | continue |
| Schedule | Wednesday at 22:00:00 |