REBROADCAST

FRIDAY, AUG. 15

9:00-11:00 p.m. EDT - 20/20

David Muir reports on "The Code Breakers." After two young women are murdered, their cases go cold for decades until police turn to cutting-edge forensic technology to catch the unlikely killers in both cases. (Rebroadcast. OAD:03/07/25)

'20/20' CO-ANCHOR DAVID MUIR INVESTIGATES HOW CUTTING-EDGE FORENSIC DNA TECHNOLOGY HAS LED TO LONG-AWAITED JUSTICE IN TWO MURDER CASES THAT REMAINED UNSOLVED FOR DECADES ON FRIDAY, AUG. 15, ON ABC AND STREAMING NEXT DAY ON HULU

Muir Reports on Texas Forensics Lab Specializing in Helping To Crack Cold Case Investigations and Interviews the Daughter of One of the Murder Victims

"20/20" co-anchor David Muir reports on the murders of two young women - each unsolved for decades - and how they are linked by cutting-edge forensic DNA technology that cracked open the cases and led to long-awaited justice on "20/20," FRIDAY, AUG. 15 (9:00-11:00 p.m. EDT), on ABC and streams the next day on Hulu. (Rebroadcast. OAD: 03/07/25)

In 1988, 19-year-old Cathy Swartz was a young mother living with her fiancé, Mike Warner, and her 9-month-old baby, Courteney, in Michigan. One afternoon, Mike returned to their home to find Cathy dead in the couple's bedroom. She had been strangled with her throat cut in multiple places. Cathy's killer left behind a bloody fingerprint, and even though law enforcement officials ran thousands of prints and tested DNA evidence, they never found a match to the evidence left at the scene. Detectives worked the case for several decades without identifying a suspect.

A few years later, 31-year-old beloved Texas schoolteacher Catherine Edwards failed to show up for lunch plans with her parents and identical twin sister, Allison. When Catherine's parents visited her home, they found a chilling scene. Catherine was dead on her bathroom floor with her hands handcuffed behind her back. And while police collected a sample of the killer's DNA that was left on a bedspread, there were no matches in the national database, and the investigation soon went cold.

Now, more than three decades later, law enforcement agents on both cases independently partnered with Othram, a private, state-of-the-art forensic lab, seeking their help in solving these cold cases. Muir reports from just north of Houston, Texas, to interview its owners, scientists David and Kristen Mittelman, as well as Courteney Swartz; Jennifer Outman, a friend of Cathy Swartz; Michael Hardy, senior writer for Texas Monthly; investigators Sam Smallcombe, Todd Peterson; Aaron and Tina Lewallen; and Brandon Bess, a retired Texas Ranger.

Based just north of Houston, Othram is solely focused on partnering with law enforcement on cold case investigations using DNA technology to help crack seemingly unsolvable cases, including the Idaho college student murders, and they have been linked to many current high-profile cases like the Gilgo Beach serial killings.

ABC News' "20/20" is an award-winning primetime program anchored by David Muir and Deborah Roberts. A proven leader as a long-form newsmagazine for over 45 years, "20/20" features unforgettable, character-driven true-crime mysteries, exclusive newsmaker interviews, hard-hitting investigative reports, and in-depth coverage of high-profile stories. Janice Johnston is the executive producer. The two-hour "20/20" events air Fridays from 9:01-11:00 p.m. ET on ABC and are available to stream on ABC News digital platforms and Hulu.

--ABC --