(Silver Spring, Md.) – Icon of justice and victims’ rights advocate John Walsh joins America’s leading true-crime network, Investigation Discovery, on their joint mission to track down fugitives on the run and find missing children with IN PURSUIT WITH JOHN WALSH. Each week, John Walsh leads viewers through unsolved violent crimes that urgently need to be closed – where time is of the essence and harnessing the power of ID’s active and engaged audience could bring these criminals to justice. Joining John in every episode is his son, Callahan Walsh, who leads the operation on the ground, working in tandem with the community and local authorities to search for persons-of-interest. In partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), the series will also feature two missing children each hour, providing age-progression photos and descriptions in the hopes that viewers can provide new leads to their whereabouts. Airing for 12 consecutive weeks, IN PURSUIT WITH JOHN WALSH will make its world premiere on Wednesday, January 16 at 10/9c on Investigation Discovery.
“No one better personifies the idea that one person can make a difference in this world than John Walsh – he took unimaginable heartbreak and turned it into his life’s mission to bring criminals to justice and find missing children,” says Henry Schleiff, Group President of Investigation Discovery and Travel Channel. “This is certainly one of the most important active investigation series we’ve created on ID because just a single break in a case could help law enforcement solve these crimes once and for all and, possibly, prevent further tragedy in the lives of families, across America.”
“If at least one child comes home and one homicide is solved, we will have done our job,” says John Walsh, host and executive producer of the series. “Now, with the help the passionate fans at Investigation Discovery and my team, we have a greater chance of catching these bad guys once and for all.”
IN PURSUIT WITH JOHN WALSH takes the audience on a journey through the eyes of family members, friends and authorities who are desperate for resolution, detailing two fugitives and two missing children each hour. Every week, John and Callahan dissect each unique story from top to bottom, sharing current interviews with surviving family members and friends, chasing down new clues and reviewing the evidence in each case. The series will utilize crime scene photos, telephone calls and location-specific recreations, turning these cases into active hunts with help from the ID viewers at home.
Investigation Discovery will tap into its uniquely engaged audience to help track down these persons of interest. An active call center and dedicated online hub staffed by trained operators will accept anonymous tips and alert the proper authorities. To engage with the show, viewers are encouraged to connect using the hashtag #TeamInPursuit, join the IN PURSUIT WITH JOHN WALSH Facebook page at Facebook.com/InPursuitwithJohnWalsh, and connect on Instagram @InvestigationDiscovery or Twitter @DiscoveryID.
In the premiere episode airing on Wednesday, January 16 at 10/9c, Luis Frias from Blackwell, Okla. makes John Walsh’s personal most wanted list after allegedly stabbing Frias’s estranged wife to death in front of their children in 2013. Then, Callahan travels to Allegan, Mich. to explore the bizarre case of Harold “Butch” Knight, who leaves a trail of clues after confessing to killing his wife in 2015. He has been spotted in northern New England.
IN PURSUIT WITH JOHN WALSH is produced for Investigation Discovery by Zero Point Zero with Chris Collins, Lydia Tenaglia, Craig H. Shepherd, Ted Schillinger, Shawn Cuddy as executive producers. For ID, Lorna Thomas is senior executive producer, Sara Kozak is senior vice president of production, Kevin Bennett is general manager, and Henry Schleiff is Group President of Investigation Discovery, American Heroes Channel and Destination America.
About John Walsh
John Walsh is known internationally as a crime fighter, victims’ advocate and Emmy Award-winning host of “America’s Most Wanted,” the reality program that helped law enforcement capture more than 1,200 fugitives and brought home more than 50 missing children. He never sought the role, but fighting for justice has been his mission since July 27, 1981 – the day his 6-year-old son, Adam, was abducted from a Hollywood, Fla. mall near their home. Adam’s remains were found two weeks later. Through their experience, Walsh and his wife Revé, realized that the nation was in desperate need of leadership in the fight to protect children. Out of their pain, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children was created in 1984, after President Ronald Reagan signed the “Missing Children’s Assistance Act.” Walsh has been honored numerous times by many local, state and federal agencies. In addition to being named “Man of the Year” by both the U.S. Marshals Service and the FBI, John was made an honorary U.S. Marshal. He is only one of three people to receive this honor in the organization’s history. Walsh has been the driving force behind major pieces of child protection legislation. This work led to him being honored five times by four presidents. The Walshes had three more children after Adam and John continues to fight for victims’ rights.
About Callahan Walsh
Callahan Walsh is a child advocate for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). At the National Center, Callahan works together with law enforcement, including the U.S. Marshals Service, to further NCMEC’s mission and to help change laws in favor of child victims. He is the son of John and Revé Walsh, who co-founded NCMEC in 1984 after the kidnapping and murder of their first son, Adam Walsh. Following in his parent’s footsteps, Callahan has focused his energy on helping find missing children, reducing child sexual exploitation and preventing child victimization.
About National Center For Missing & Exploited Children
Since 1984, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® has served as the leading private, nonprofit organization helping to find missing children, reduce child sexual exploitation and prevent future victimization. As part of its work as the clearinghouse and resource center on issues relating to missing and exploited children, NCMEC operates a hot-line, 1-800-THE-LOST® (1-800-843-5678), and has assisted in the recovery of more than 284,000 missing children. NCMEC also operates the CyberTipline®, a mechanism for reporting suspected child sexual exploitation, which has received more than 40 million reports since it was created in 1998. To learn more about NCMEC,visit www.missingkids.org or see NCMEC on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
About Zero Point Zero
Zero Point Zero is a television, film, print and digital content company founded in 2003 by Executive Producers Chris Collins and Lydia Tenaglia, with partner and Managing Director Joe Caterini joining in 2009. Since its inception, the company has produced hundreds of hours of documentary content in over 100 countries around the world, including the critically acclaimed, Emmy & Peabody Award-winning series Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (CNN); the Emmy Award-winning The Mind of a Chef (Netflix) and Emmy-nominated The Hunt with John Walsh (CNN). Feature documentary credits include: Jeremiah Tower The Last Magnificent (dist. by The Orchard); Wasted! The Story of Food Waste (dist by Neon SuperLTD); Stars in the Sky, A Hunting Story; and Fermented.
About Investigation Discovery
Investigation Discovery (ID) is the leading crime and justice network on television, delivering the highest-quality programming to approximately 85 million U.S. households. From harrowing crimes to in-depth investigations and heart-breaking mysteries behind these “real people, real stories”, the always revealing network challenges our understanding of culture, society and the human condition. The #1 network for women in all of cable, ID’s programming is available in both high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD), as well as anytime and anywhere through the network’s TV Everywhere offering, IDGo. For exclusive web content and bonus material, fans can follow ID on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook or check out the network’s true crime blog, CrimeFeed.
Investigation Discovery is part of Discovery, Inc. (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), a global leader in real life entertainment, serving a passionate audience of superfans around the world with content that inspires, informs and entertains. Available in 220 countries and territories and 50 languages, Discovery delivers over 8,000 hours of original programming each year and has category leadership across deeply loved content genres around the world. For additional information about ID, please visit InvestigationDiscovery.com
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