EXTREME FORENSICS IN KANSAS

ARKANSAS CITY
It may not be a studio in Hollywood, but for the next few days, a conference room at an Arkansas City hotel will work just fine. A production crew is in Kansas to film an episode of the TV show "Extreme Forensics." The episode will focus on the murder of Jodi Sanderholm.

Sanderholm disappeared in January 2007, and her body was found brutalized days later in a wildlife area near the Kansas/Oklahoma border. Justin Thurber was convicted of capital murder earlier this year and sentenced to the death penalty in March.

Cindy Sanderholm says she was surprised to find out the TV show found her daughter's case so compelling, but she says she was all for it when a woman from Hoff Productions in New York called her.

"She was just very, very interested in it," says Cindy Sanderholm. "She thought Jodi was a beautiful girl, didn't deserve this, and was real thrilled with the way her case was solved."

Jessica Grumet, the producer handling interviews for Hoff, agrees. Grumet says the show is especially interested in how law enforcement agencies worked together to find Jodi and her killer. The show will also likely focus on shoeprints that led investigators to Thurber and DNA from hair samples found in Sanderholm's car.

"This case has an amazing amount of forensics involved," says Grumet. "It combines traditional detective work with the cutting edge forensics, ultimately resulting in justice."

Filming for the episode began Thursday with interviews from members of the Arkansas City Police Department.

Cindy Sanderholm still tears up occasionally when talking about her daughter, and she says she knows that won't likely change during her interview with Grumet on Sunday. Still, she hopes the show can help future investigations.

"It will bring back the hard memories," says Cindy Sanderholm, "but if another law enforcement agency watches it and it'll help them solve a case, it's worth it."

Grumet says she plans to interview about 10 people involved with Sanderholm's case and will travel around both Cowley County and the state to do interviews and shoot video.

The new season of "Extreme Forensics" is scheduled to begin airing on the Investigation Discovery Channel this February.