Meet Dr. Laura Pettler
Dr. Laura Pettler is more than a forensic criminologist — she’s a lifelong equestrian whose bond with horses runs as deep as her pursuit of truth. Raised in the saddle, Laura developed her horsemanship on rural trails and in competitive arenas, where discipline, keen observation, and intuitive awareness became second nature — traits that would later define her approach to investigating violent death.
Her North Carolina horse farm, CR Equine & Kennel (CREK), is the only True Crime Horse Farm in America and serves as the official equestrian training center for the Lancaster County Coroner’s Office Mounted Response Unit — the first coroner’s office-based mounted death investigation team in the world.
Blending equine science with forensic innovation, Dr. Pettler created the True Crime & Equines Agritourism Event Series — immersive experiences that include CSI Horse Camps for adults and children, live guest events with true crime experts, True Crime Pet & Paint parties, and continuing education courses for law enforcement and first responders. These con-ed programs are uniquely designed to promote emotional wellness by incorporating horses, dogs, and cats into the training environment — allowing participants to decompress, reconnect, and recharge while learning life-saving investigative techniques.
Whether she’s analyzing bloodstains in a barn aisle or riding the perimeter trail of a mock crime scene, Dr. Pettler’s connection to horses brings authenticity and insight to every hoofbeat of her work. From the show ring to the crime scene, she rides with purpose — for truth, for victims, and for the stories no one else dares to tell.
Dr. Pettler is the founder of Laura Pettler & Associates Death Investigations and CR Equine & Kennel LLC in Monroe, North Carolina. She is internationally recognized for her pioneering work in forensic victimology, crime scene staging, and for inventing the Kaleidoscope Crime Scene Reconstruction System™ — a laser-guided forensic tool used worldwide. Her two-decade career includes roles as District Attorney's Investigator, Deputy Coroner Commander, expert witness, and cold case consultant, with her investigative strategies contributing to the resolution of unsolved homicides across the country.
Beyond the field and the courtroom, Dr. Pettler is a creator, educator, and media contributor. She has appeared in numerous true crime documentaries and TV shows on major networks, and is the host of the forthcoming podcast, Saddled in Secrets — an original series investigating real-life cases where equestrian culture and homicide intersect.
Her multidisciplinary approach extends into publishing and public service. As the caregiver of her uncle Paul, Dr. Pettler wrote Empowering the Independent Senior, a compassionate guide to aging with dignity. Her commitment to education, resilience, and justice fuels everything she does — from forensic science to agritourism to advocacy.
With every investigation, camp, and story told, Dr. Laura Pettler continues to break new ground at the crossroads of science, justice, and compassion — riding not only for answers, but for the lives still waiting for truth.
Unmatched in Forensic Criminology. Visionary. Investigator. Innovator.
Dr. Laura Pettler is a pioneering forensic criminologist, international educator, and inventor reshaping how the world investigates violent death. Recognized globally as one of the World’s Most Influential Women in Forensics (2019) and named Most Influential Forensics Businesswoman (USA) by CEO Monthly (2022), Laura has dedicated her career to solving staged homicides and advancing decedent-centered investigations.
She is the inventor of the Kaleidoscope Shooting & Bloodstain Reconstruction System™, the author of the world’s first book on solving staged murders, and the founder of Laura Pettler & Associates, honored as the #1 Scientific Victim-Centered Death Investigation Firm in the World (CorpToday 2020, Acquisition International 2019).
Signature Achievements
Inventor of Kaleidoscope Shooting & Bloodstain Reconstruction System™
Author of the first book on staged homicide investigations
Awards & Recognition:
World’s Most Influential Women in Forensics (2019)
Most Influential Forensics Businesswoman (USA) (2022)
International Women’s Day Forensic Dedication Award (2021)
Multiple global “#1 Firm” recognitions
Educator & Trainer to law enforcement, medical examiners, attorneys, and forensic professionals across the U.S., Mexico, Italy, France, India, South Africa, Panama, Costa Rica & more
Professional Service: Former Vice President of the American Investigative Society of Cold Cases, Expert Volunteer for the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, Technical Committee Member of Sicuurezza e Giustizia (Rome, Italy)
Career Highlights
Laura has served as:
Deputy Coroner Commander of the Lancaster County Coroner’s Office Mounted Response Unit — the first mounted death investigation unit in the U.S.
District Attorney’s Investigator, Cold Case Task Force Director, and Co-Founder of North Carolina’s first Crime Scene Reconstruction & Behavioral Analysis Program
Private Forensic Consultant for 23 years, with nearly three decades total in the field
Former IAI Certified Senior Crime Scene Analyst and Chairwoman of the IAI Bloodstain Pattern Analysis Subcommittee
Her expertise spans advanced crime scene reconstruction, behavioral profiling of homicide offenders, and sociological interpretation of murder within cultural and systemic frameworks.
Mission: #RiseAndSlay
With every case, innovation, and student she mentors, Dr. Pettler advances one mission: to honor the dead by solving the unsolved — through science, innovation, and unrelenting truth.
From Orphanage to Forensic Pioneer: The Untold Story of Dr. Laura Pettler
Memoir Forthcoming
Laura Pettler's story doesn’t begin in a courtroom or a barn—it begins in an orphanage.
Born on September 11, 1974, to a 15-year-old girl, Laura spent her first days of life in institutional care. In 1976, she was adopted by Donald Pettler, a banker in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and his wife Barbara, who was active in gender equality advocacy through the American Association of University Women (AAUW). Laura's early childhood was filled with the promise of a bright future—educational opportunities, musical training, and her first love: horses. She showed talent, spirit, and fierce independence from a young age.
But in 1988, Laura's world fractured. Barbara abruptly divorced Donald and, within eight months, married his best friend—a man who had also been Laura’s godfather. The betrayal was seismic. Barbara built a new life with her new husband and his children, leaving Laura emotionally abandoned. Once a secure and vibrant young girl, Laura was suddenly alone, a latchkey kid trying to navigate a collapsing world.
In April 1992, during her junior year of high school, Laura gave birth to her daughter, Alexis. She was 17. The pregnancy, born out of chaos, marked a turning point in Laura’s life—not an ending, but a radical new beginning. Alexis, biracial, became a lightning rod for the prejudices of a small, conservative town. As a teen mom with no support from her adoptive mother, a shattered relationship with her father, and a child that challenged the norms of 1990s Beaver, Pennsylvania, Laura became an outcast. She and Alexis were shunned, stigmatized, and left to fend for themselves.
Those years were marked by pain. A broken school system offered little support. Adults who should have intervened turned away. Laura teetered on the edge of collapse. But through it all, a tight circle of loyal friends—Melinda, Ashley, Maria, Allison, Jenni, Chief, Ryan (who tragically passed in 2023)—stood beside her, helping raise Alexis with fierce devotion. Her high school teacher, Mr. Lou Naccarato, became a lifelong friend and mentor. Alexis’s biological father was never involved. Laura was, by every measure, alone—except for Alexis, her anchor, her why.
Her father, Donald, devastated by betrayal, struggled deeply in the aftermath. But over time, he rebuilt his life, his relationship with Laura…and Alexis then finally married a kind, loving woman 16 years later. Though their post-divorce relationship was rocky at first, he and Laura became inseparable. He passed away in 2016, but for 41 years, Donald Pettler poured everything he had into his daughter. He saw her intellect. He believed in her potential. And he never stopped fighting for her future.
Laura, unable to live at home as a teenage mother, spent her final high school years in an attic apartment. She worked tirelessly to graduate while raising Alexis. With limited options, she enrolled in community college. One year—and countless sacrifices later—she earned a place at a four-year university. It was just the beginning.
College. Internships. Working multiple jobs. Enduring cycles of poverty, intimate partner abuse, and domestic violence. Laura kept going. She was fighting not just for survival, but for transformation.
In 1997, after college graduation, she moved to North Carolina, opened her first equestrian center Regent Equestrian, and formed her band Cherry Rain, which eventually became #LauraPettlerMusic. During the week, she trained horses. On weekends, she performed. In 2003, she completed her master’s degree. Four years later, she signed with Lamon Records and released her debut album, #TruckR4Girls, which took off nationally and led to a whirlwind tour.
By day, Laura was employed as a district attorney’s investigator for Prosecutorial District 20A of North Carolina. She co-founded and directed the Crime Scene Reconstruction & Behavioral Analysis Program, and later lead its Cold Case Homicide Task Force. By night, she was headlining venues across the country. In 2009, she retired from professional music and became Dr. Pettler in 2011 after earning her PhD with a dissertation on crime scene staging—the third of its kind ever written, now housed in the Library of Congress.
In 2012, Laura transitioned into television as a forensic expert in true crime programming. In 2013, she reinvented her 2008 Tubular Dowel Kit into the Kaleidoscope Shooting & Bloodstain Reconstruction System — a groundbreaking tool used in both fictional and nonfictional programming. Kaleidoscope achieved international distribution and has been sold in over 30 countries.
In 2015, Laura published the world’s first book on staged homicides, Crime Scene Staging Dynamics in Homicide Cases, which became a five-star bestseller and established her as a global authority on the subject.
Her life's journey came full circle in 2025 when she was sworn in as the Deputy Coroner Commander of the Lancaster County Coroner's Office Mounted Response Unit—the first equine-based medicolegal unit in the U.S., combining forensic investigation, search and rescue, and community outreach.
Today, Laura splits her time between Los Angeles and her horse farm, CR Equine & Kennel, in Monroe, North Carolina. She breeds and trains crossbred Drafts, Friesians, and Gypsy Vanners, and raises Russell Terriers. She also invented the True Crime & Equines Agritourism Event Series, which blends forensic science with farm-based education and healing through animals.
She is the creator and host of upcoming podcast Saddled in Secrets, founder of CSI Horse Camps for adults and kids, and continues to lead forensic education programs for civilians, professionals, and law enforcement using an animal-assisted model.
At 28, Laura found her biological mother…But that, she says, is “a story for another day.”
