Show cover for 48 Hours

The Best Episodes of 48 Hours

Every episode of 48 Hours ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of 48 Hours!

This newsmagazine series investigates intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all aspects of the human experience. Over its long run, the show has...
Genres:NewsCrimeDocumentary
Network:CBS
Episodes
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Best Episodes Summary

"The Final Days of JJ and Tylee" is the best rated episode of "48 Hours". It scored 9.1/10 based on 12 votes. Directed by N/A and written by N/A, it aired on 10/3/2020. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "One Last Hug".

  • The Final Days of JJ and Tylee
    9.1/10(12)
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    #1 - The Final Days of JJ and Tylee

    Season 33 Episode 4

    Aired 10/3/2020

    CBS News correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti and 48 HOURS take viewers inside the investigation into the heartbreaking national search for two missing children.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • One Last Hug
    9.0/10(14)
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    #2 - One Last Hug

    Season 27 Episode 30

    Aired 5/31/2014

    A breakup, one last hug. Was a college student walking into her own murder?

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • The Tree That Helped Solve a Murder
    8.8/10(40)
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    #3 - The Tree That Helped Solve a Murder

    Season 35 Episode 11

    Aired 12/10/2022

    On Oct. 10, 2019, Joseph Elledge, then 23, reported his wife, Mengqi Ji, missing. Elledge told Columbia, Mo., police that he believed his wife may have left him and their 1-year-old daughter for another man with whom he said she had an online relationship. But when police searched the couple's apartment, they found a muddy pair of Elledge's boots - evidence that would become important months later, after Ji's remains were found buried under a juniper tree. Elledge's boots were found to have several juniper tree needles stuck to the soles. 48 HOURS correspondent Peter Van Sant reports on how DNA from those needles was linked to the tree directly above Ji's shallow grave, providing prosecutors with the evidence they needed to help convict Elledge of her murder.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • The Ghosts of El Segundo
    8.4/10(10)
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    #4 - The Ghosts of El Segundo

    Season 18 Episode 2

    Aired 10/2/2004

    No description available

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • The Diary of Martha Moxley
    8.4/10(14)
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    #5 - The Diary of Martha Moxley

    Season 34 Episode 7

    Aired 11/6/2021

    A 15-year-old girl beaten to death with a golf club in a wealthy Connecticut neighborhood. Does her diary hold clues to the killer? "48 Hours" correspondent Erin Moriarty reports.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Who Wanted Howard Pilmar Dead?
    8.3/10(15)
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    #6 - Who Wanted Howard Pilmar Dead?

    Season 32 Episode 6

    Aired 10/26/2019

    The wife of a NYC businessman is suspected of murdering him with help from her brother -- why would she want him dead and why did it take more than two decades to crack the case? Correspondent Richard Schlesinger and 48 HOURS go inside the riveting real-life murder mystery behind the death of Pilmar and the search for answers.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • The 30-Year Secret - The Tracey Harris Murder
    8.3/10(10)
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    #7 - The 30-Year Secret - The Tracey Harris Murder

    Season 33 Episode 16

    Aired 1/23/2021

    A young mother was found murdered in an Alabama river in 1990. Nearly 30 years later, the man long suspected as her killer was arrested. But just before trial, a confession turned the case upside down. Now, in her first television interview, the woman who changed the case speaks to 48 HOURS.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Chasing the Barefoot Bandit
    8.2/10(14)
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    #8 - Chasing the Barefoot Bandit

    Season 24 Episode 8

    Aired 11/13/2010

    An investigation into the alleged criminal activity of 19-year-old Colton Harris-Moore, dubbed the Barefoot Bandit.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • The Boy Next Door - Updated
    8.2/10(9)
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    #9 - The Boy Next Door - Updated

    Season 25 Episode 18

    Aired 3/10/2012

    An update on the 1993 Tricia Pacaccio murder investigation near Chicago, as well as two other slayings and a brutal attack near Los Angeles. The crimes were allegedly committed by Michael Gargiulo, who knew or lived near all four victims.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Cold as Ice
    8.2/10(12)
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    #10 - Cold as Ice

    Season 26 Episode 19

    Aired 3/9/2013

    Can a childhood memory of a friend's murder solve a 55-year-old case? Correspondent Erin Moriarty goes inside the investigation of what authorities say is the oldest cold case ever prosecuted in the U.S.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Fatal Crossing
    8.2/10(8)
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    #11 - Fatal Crossing

    Season 31 Episode 17

    Aired 3/2/2019

    A 48 HOURS investigation into the mysterious circumstances surrounding a young mother and her daughter found dead along railroad tracks in South Carolina has helped lead police to reopen the case. Peter Van Sant and 48 HOURS investigate the 2008 death of Kadie Major and her 10-month-old daughter River Lynn and the search for what happened.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • The Disappearance of Kelly Dwyer
    8.2/10(29)
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    #12 - The Disappearance of Kelly Dwyer

    Season 32 Episode 7

    Aired 11/2/2019

    A young woman vanished after a night out in Milwaukee in October 2013. Did a meeting set up on a dating app lead to the disappearance or was it someone she knew? "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant reports.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Maria Spencer's Vow to Kill
    8.2/10(15)
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    #13 - Maria Spencer's Vow to Kill

    Season 32 Episode 9

    Aired 11/16/2019

    A woman repeatedly threatened to kill her ex. She enlisted her father to help make good on her promise. Why couldn't anyone stop her? "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant reports.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Kidnapped - Shawn Hornbeck's Incredible Story
    8.1/10(12)
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    #14 - Kidnapped - Shawn Hornbeck's Incredible Story

    Season 22 Episode 1

    Aired 9/24/2008

    No description available

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Crosley Green Comes Home
    8.1/10(20)
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    #15 - Crosley Green Comes Home

    Season 33 Episode 25

    Aired 4/17/2021

    Correspondent Erin Moriarty, who has covered the case for two decades, talks with Green about the case, his freedom and his future. 48 HOURS was there when Green was released and Moriarty visits with him and his family as they mark his return to life outside prison.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • The Case Against Michael Politte
    8.1/10(22)
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    #16 - The Case Against Michael Politte

    Season 35 Episode 9

    Aired 11/26/2022

    Michael Politte was just 14 years old when he was charged in 1998 with murdering his mother, Rita Politte, who died after being hit in the head and set on fire in her Missouri home. More than three years after the crime, he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the murder, though he maintained he was innocent. He spent nearly 20 years in prison before a new law passed in Missouri that made him eligible for parole. Now 38 and out on parole, Michael Politte claims he knows who is responsible for killing his mother and talks with 48 HOURS correspondent Erin Moriarty.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Killer Performance
    8.0/10(8)
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    #17 - Killer Performance

    Season 29 Episode 3

    Aired 10/8/2016

    A young woman is murdered, police thought her killer was on the run ... or was he? Correspondent Tracy Smith investigates.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Out of Reach
    8.0/10(8)
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    #18 - Out of Reach

    Season 31 Episode 18

    Aired 3/9/2019

    The prime suspect in the murder of an American teacher while living in Seoul, South Korea, in 1988 speaks publicly about the case for the first time in 30 years.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • The Covid Cover-Up: Searching for Gretchen Anthony
    8.0/10(36)
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    #19 - The Covid Cover-Up: Searching for Gretchen Anthony

    Season 33 Episode 28

    Aired 5/8/2021

    Correspondent Peter Van Sant and 48 HOURS investigate what happened to Gretchen Anthony.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • The Fenn Treasure
    8.0/10(13)
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    #20 - The Fenn Treasure

    Season 33 Episode 30

    Aired 5/22/2021

    In 2010 eccentric millionaire Forrest Fenn launched a treasure hunt when he announced that he had hidden a chest worth an estimated $1 million in the Rocky Mountains. Now, 48 HOURS reveals new details, rarely seen photos and exclusive interviews in the sometimes-deadly search for the treasure.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • A Killer Defense
    7.9/10(10)
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    #21 - A Killer Defense

    Season 23 Episode 23

    Aired 5/1/2010

    No description available

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • The Whole Truth
    7.9/10(16)
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    #22 - The Whole Truth

    Season 24 Episode 3

    Aired 10/16/2010

    No description available

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Secrets, Lies and Alibis
    7.9/10(12)
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    #23 - Secrets, Lies and Alibis

    Season 24 Episode 9

    Aired 11/20/2010

    No description available

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Screenplay for Murder: The Diary of a “Dexter” Wannabe
    7.9/10(11)
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    #24 - Screenplay for Murder: The Diary of a “Dexter” Wannabe

    Season 25 Episode 14

    Aired 2/11/2012

    When Gilles Tetreault arranged to meet a woman he met on an online dating site, he had no idea of the horror that would unfold. Tetreault says he came face-to-face with a madman who had set a trap to kill him. Tetreault was attacked and barely escaped with his life. Johnny Altinger answered a similar online dating ad and disappeared without a trace. Was there really a crime, or was this an elaborate setup for a screenplay for murder? Troy Roberts reports.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Collision Course
    7.9/10(30)
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    #25 - Collision Course

    Season 26 Episode 3

    Aired 10/13/2012

    A car crash leaves a young Air Force vet dead - but her boyfriend alive. The crash didn't kill her, what did? Susan Spencer reports.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A