They're tasked with solving the most heinous of all crimes, and often in difficult circumstances. Our Lori Chung has more on why dozens of homicide investigators from around the globe are gathered in Albany, and what they hope will give them a better shot at cracking their toughest cases.

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ALBANY, N.Y. -- It has the appearance of an ordinary seminar, but what the speakers here say may actually help catch a killer.

"What's important is getting that bone in a bag and getting it back to the lab, right?" asked one instructor.

The importance of patience when excavating long-buried remains just one of the topics up for discussion at the Henry Williams International Homicide Seminar held by the New York State Police and attended by more than 150 detectives and investigators from all over the world.

"Each one of them are receiving training on the latest in forensic sciences, as well as the lessons that others have experienced," said Col. Frank Koehler.

It's the symposium's 25th year. The knowledge shared by experts like Dr. Michael Baden has helped to crack several high profile cases, including the murder of civil rights activist Medgar Evers, which was solved 30 years after his death.

"People from Mississippi who were here contacted us about helping out," said Baden. "Knowledge lasts a long time, evidence lasts a long time, [and] DNA lasts a long time."

That's helped the detectives here further investigations including the BTK and Craigslist killings. But chief among learning from those infamous cases is also learning from each other.

"Networking becomes very important," said Baden. "Every year we help people and they help us and we help them"

It's a pattern that has broken many a case that officials hope to continue for years to come.