ID Shines a White-Hot Spotlight on Violent Fugitives with the Season 4 Premiere of “In Pursuit with John Walsh” & New Special “In Pursuit: Hot on the Trail”

Returning for a fourth season, IN PURSUIT WITH JOHN WALSH carries forward John Walsh’s lifelong mission of bringing fugitives to justice, finding missing children, and empowering the public to help support a more effective and accountable criminal justice system. In the series, John Walsh and his son, Callahan Walsh, introduce ID’s active and engaged audience to unsolved violent crimes that urgently need to be solved. With 12 all-new episodes, season four of IN PURSUIT WITH JOHN WALSH will premiere on Wednesday, August 24 @ 9/8c on ID, immediately followed by a one-hour studio special IN PURSUIT: HOT ON THE TRAIL @ 10/9c. In this special, the father and son duo behind dozens of criminal captures take a deep dive into cases, give real-time updates, and perhaps most poignantly, provide a deeper understanding of the Walsh family mission, which has driven the Walshs for 41 years since the abduction and murder of six-year-old Adam Walsh. Moderated by special correspondent Michelle Sigona, a variety of experts involved with the cases will round out the hour, highlighting the incredible results from the first three seasons, and imploring a call to action to help find more fugitives and recover more missing children.

“We’ve seen 37 fugitives brought to justice from the first three seasons of IN PURSUIT, and ID is honored to support John Walsh who continues to do what he does best – hunting down fugitives and delivering families justice,” said Jason Sarlanis, President of Crime and Investigative Content, Linear and Streaming. “We are excited to introduce audiences to HOT ON THE TRAIL, an extension of IN PURSUIT that offers real-time updates and intimate interviews with those closest to the cases to turn up the heat on these investigations and empower our viewers to act.”

In the season four premiere episode of IN PURSUIT WITH JOHN WALSH, after a corrections officer and devoted mother goes missing, her son’s father, William Strand, becomes the prime suspect. Now, John joins the hunt to bring him in. And later, investigators say an unidentified serial sexual predator terrorized women in central Florida for years until a breakthrough in DNA technology appears to link Leslie Lagrotta to the assaults. Cal’s on the ground in Orlando, Florida, to help authorities track down Lagrotta. “Lying in Wait” premieres on Wednesday, August 24 @ 9/8c on ID.

With the companion special, IN PURSUIT WITH JOHN WALSH: CAPTURED, John and Callahan Walsh celebrate some of the 37 captures to date from investigations that left the largest impacts. The hour starts by taking a look back at the investigation of Luis Frias, who allegedly murdered his common-law wife in front of their kids. After the episode aired, Frias was captured in Mexico thanks to an anonymous viewer tip. Then, Callahan Walsh revisits the case of William Stanson, a Michigan father accused of sexually assaulting a group of young women as well as his own daughter. He was caught in Mexico as well thanks to another IN PURSUIT tipster. Last, we revisit the 2019 homicide of Alyssa Cannon and her 4-year-old son Brayden at the hands of Jory Worthen. Since airing, Worthen was captured in a motel outside of Burbank, California and was extradited back to Arkansas. IN PURSUIT WITH JOHN WALSH: CAPTURED will air on Wednesday, August 31 @ 10/9c on ID.

All premieres of IN PURSUIT will stream the same day on discovery+.

IN PURSUIT relies on leads from tipsters who may have seen something with all calls and online tips vetted by experts and followed up on by the appropriate authorities, including local law enforcement, FBI and the U.S. Marshals. As part of its commitment to justice, ID operates an active call center @ 833-3-PURSUE and dedicated online hub at InPursuitTips.com, with trained professionals who keep the anonymity of sources in the utmost confidence. Additionally, in partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), IN PURSUIT also features two missing children each hour, providing age-progression photos when possible and descriptions in the hopes that viewers can provide new leads.

To engage with the show, viewers are encouraged to connect using #TeamInPursuit, join the IN PURSUIT WITH JOHN WALSH Facebook page at Facebook.com/InPursuitwithJohnWalsh, and connect on Instagram @InvestigationDiscovery or Twitter @DiscoveryID. Additionally, for anyone looking to share news about cases, ID has created a community to connect with one another at Facebook.com/MissingandWanted.

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 1,400 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, Florida, mall near his home. Adam’s remains were found two weeks later. Through their experience, Walsh and his wife Revé realized that the nation desperately needed 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 Walshs 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 USMS, 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. Callahan can regularly be seen on various media outlets such as Good Morning America, ABC, CNN, and HLN promoting NCMEC’s programs. Prior to joining NCMEC, Callahan served as the Supervising Producer for America’s Most Wanted and helped co-create The Hunt with John 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 the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)

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 hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST® (1-800-843-5678), and has assisted in the recovery of more than 389,000 missing children. NCMEC also operates the CyberTipline®, a mechanism for reporting suspected child sexual exploitation, which has received more than 126 million reports. To learn more about NCMEC, visit www.missingkids.org.

IN PURSUIT WITH JOHN WALSH and IN PURSUIT WITH JOHN WALSH: CAPTURED are produced for ID and discovery+ by Jupiter Entertainment and OverUnder Content. IN PURSUIT: HOT ON THE TRAIL is produced by Jupiter Entertainment and Spacestation for ID and discovery+.