Director Stacey Lee’s documentary Murder 101 tells the remarkable true story of a Tennessee high school sociology class that helped shed new light on one of America's most haunting unsolved serial murder investigations.

Set at Elizabethton High School in Tennessee, the film follows teacher Alex Campbell, who challenged his students to investigate the infamous Redhead Murders as part of their sociology coursework. Instead of studying the case solely through textbooks, students examined real evidence, missing-person reports, and historical records in an effort to identify victims and uncover new leads.

The documentary focuses on the Redhead Murders, a series of killings believed to have claimed as many as 24 women during the mid-1980s. Many of the victims were young women with red or reddish hair whose bodies were discovered near interstate highways across several U.S. states, making investigators suspect the killer may have traveled extensively.

The case later centered on Jerry Johns, who was convicted in 1987 of attempting to murder survivor Linda Schacke. In 2019, DNA evidence also linked Johns to the 1984 murder of Tina Farmer, one of the identified victims. Johns died in prison in 2015, but many of the murders remain unsolved.

Murder 101 highlights how the students' research contributed to renewed public interest in the cold case while demonstrating the educational value of hands-on investigative work. Blending true crime with an inspiring classroom story, the documentary shows how curiosity and determination can make a meaningful impact on long-forgotten investigations.