Sep 10, 2026 · 33 min
Missing evidence reopens a murder case inside the LAPD
Fatal Attraction: Nineteen Years in a Freezer — Ep. 2 | MK Confidential
A recovered bite-mark swab and overlooked blood evidence challenge the burglary theory and point investigators toward an LAPD detective.
- 1Jennifer Francis finds female DNA on a bite-mark swab that had vanished from the original evidence record.
- 2Jim Nuttall spots blood on stereo equipment, suggesting the apparent burglary scene may have been staged.
- 3A directory search links the investigation to Stephanie Lazarus, turning a cold case inward toward the LAPD.
Don't miss
Jim Nuttall connects female DNA from the recovered bite-mark swab with a directory search that points toward LAPD detective Stephanie Lazarus.
The brief
In 2004, criminalist Jennifer Francis revisits Sherry Rasmussen’s murder and discovers that a bite-mark swab described in the original report has disappeared from evidence.
The burglary theory stalls despite reported fingerprints, while Rasmussen’s parents press the LAPD for DNA testing and leave with little evidence of serious follow-through.
The missing swab unexpectedly turns up in a freezer. Its DNA belongs to an unknown woman, complicating the male-accomplice theory without producing an immediate match.
In 2008, Jim Nuttall rereads the case and notices blood on stereo equipment near the front door, a detail that makes the burglary look staged.
Nuttall’s search identifies a possible connection to Stephanie Lazarus, an LAPD detective, transforming a dormant murder investigation into an inquiry involving one of the department’s own.
What was said on this episode
4 statements · 3 negative · 1 neutral
Jennifer Francis attributes the missing bite-mark swab to incompetence.
“Incompetence.”
Listen at 2:26
Jennifer Francis says evidence mishandling happened frequently.
“Yes.”
Listen at 2:28
Jennifer Francis reported that the bite swab contained unknown female DNA.
“hey, this is an unknown female's DNA. That is not what I was expecting.”
Listen at 23:51
Jennifer Francis believed a woman and man jointly attacked Sherry Rasmussen.
“I believed that, okay, there's a woman, and then there's a man, that Sherry had been clubbed from behind.”
Listen at 24:14
Statements are attributed to the speaker as said on the episode and reflect their view at the time, not PodLume's. They are not advice.