Sneak peek: What the Neighbors Saw (Game delay) | Forensic Files

As a career detective, this case is very unique. Little did I know that this would lead
to one of the most fascinating cold case homicides that I'd ever been a part of.
How did this case begin for you? So, on December 3rd of 2017, the Sheriff's Department received a 911
call from a homeowner reporting that their family dog brought back a human skull.
It came back with a human skull. Yes. And it had an obvious gunshot wound to the
back of the head. We kind of organized a grid search and within minutes located the clandestine grave right up in this
area. So, Peter, this is the area right up here. All right. I'll follow you. Now, this is quite a thicket, isn't it?
It's a little thicket. If you see this a little indentation in the soil right here, that's where the
skeletal remains were found. We had a very circumstantial case. We literally have human bones, human
remains uh with a gunshot wound to the head. And at that point, is this a murder? Is this
a suicide? We have a model of a human skull. Can you show us where that wound was? It's pretty much uh towards the
back rear of the skull. When you look at these scattered bones, [music] are they telling you a story?
Yes, it tells me that it's most likely the story of murder. We were reviewing missing persons cases
throughout the Midwest, but nothing was definitive to who this victim was. When the cases come to the DNA Doe
Project, everything's already been exhausted. >> [music] >> Genetic genealogy is the last resort.
So, we use the DNA to look at the matches. And we can build family trees that way and figure out the identities
of people. In this case, [music] that person is Gary Albert Herpst. The victim, Gary, was from Scott County,
Minnesota. [music] We located the home where Gary had last lived. Some of the neighbors who still lived in
the neighborhood had reported some remembering some [music] activity uh back in 2013 that they found
suspicious. It's pouring down rain. It's probably 11:30 at night. Pitch [music] black
dark. Something catches your eye across at the Herpst house. Chad, what do you see? I
see the neighbors scrubbing the floors. I see them scrubbing the walls. We saw them bringing out black garbage
bags. They eventually brought out a rolled-up carpet. I didn't know what I was looking at. I
had no idea. And I turned to Chad and I was like, what is going on? And [music] Chad looked at me and he
said, "Kaya, I think they finally killed him."

ALL NEW: Late at night a couple watches as a rolled-up carpet is carted out of a nearby home. Soon after they learn the combative neighbor who lived there is missing. "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant reports Saturday, March 21 at 10/9c on CBS and streaming on Paramount+. (Possible game delay)

Crime. Social justice. Impact. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

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Brief Summary

Detectives investigate the cold case of Gary Albert Herpst, identified through genetic genealogy after his remains were found in 2017.

Key points

The Start of a Cold Case. A 911 call leads to the discovery of a human skull, igniting a chilling investigation.
Identifying the Victim. Through genetic genealogy, the victim is identified as Gary Albert Herpst.
Suspicious Activity. Neighbors recall strange happenings at the Herpst house before the discovery of the body.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

It came back with a human skull. Yes.

0:34WatchMar 19, 2026

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