Graham Media Group and WDIV-Local 4 (Detroit) have announced the new, eight-episode season of “Shattered,” an original true-crime podcast series.
Season 3, hosted by Jeremy Allen, takes listeners through the heartbreaking and riveting story of Michigan’s Oakland County Child Killer case that remains unsolved 40 years later.
Between February 1976 and March 1977, four children were abducted and murdered with their bodies left in various locations within or just outside Oakland County, Michigan. The ensuing murder investigation was the largest of its kind in U.S. history at the time.
“WDIV-Local 4 has covered this case since 12-year-old Mark Stebbins first went missing in February of 1976,” Allen says. “When we opened our archives, there was raw footage of our original reporting, with interviews of the parents and key people in the investigation. We’re telling this story because we hope someone has information that can finally solve these cases.”
A five-part docuseries called “Child Killer” is also available to stream on ClickOnDetroit.com and the WDIV-Local 4 app on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire and most smart TVs.
“These murders put Oakland County and the whole metro Detroit region on high alert in the late 1970s and early 1980s," says Marla Drutz, WDIV’s vice president and general manager. "It was a defining moment for a whole generation of children who grew up with great fear of stranger danger. We hope that reopening the vault of video and investigating every angle will help investigators solve these cases.”
From a suspected cover-up by a local millionaire to a father’s undying love, ”Shattered: Child Killer” spotlights relatives of the murdered children, investigators who worked the case, and the journalists who covered, and are still covering, the story. In the search for truth and justice, egos and confusion take over in a seemingly endless pursuit for answers.
”Shattered: Child Killer” premieres on March 19, 2019. The eight-episode season will release a new episode every Tuesday. The entire series will be available for free on Apple Podcasts or your preferred podcast listening platform.
The first two seasons of “Shattered” have garnered 2.1 million downloads. Season 1 investigates the 2010 disappearance of three brothers in Morenci, Michigan. Their father said he gave the brothers to an underground organization. Seven years later, the boys’ whereabouts is not known. Season 2 takes listeners through the life of Richard Wershe Jr., also known as “White Boy Rick,” the youngest ever FBI informant turned drug dealer.
For more information, visit shatteredpodcast.com.
For all press inquiries, email Donna Harper at donnah@wdiv.com.
About WDIV-Local 4
Local 4 News is currently the No. 1 newscast at 4 p.m., 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 11 p.m. in Nielsen ratings for the Detroit television market, and is honored to be named Station of the Year by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters for the fifth year in a row. WDIV is the No. 1 NBC affiliate in the top 20 LPM markets. In addition, Local 4's ClickOnDetroit.com is a top breaking news and weather website in Michigan, as well as the No. 1 news website in Metro Detroit.
About Graham Media Group
Graham Media Group, a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC), owns seven local television stations - each in a top-70 market and all recognized as news leaders: KPRC–Houston, WDIV–Detroit and WSLS–Roanoke (NBC); KSAT–San Antonio (ABC); WKMG–Orlando(CBS); WJXT–Jacksonville (fully local), and WCWJ–Jacksonville (CW), as well as Social News Desk, a leading provider of social media management tools designed to connect newsrooms with their users.
The stations also broadcast digital channels that focus on classic television and lifestyle programming, in addition to operating market-leading websites, mobile sites and mobile apps delivering breaking news, weather and community news, reaching millions of users across each platform. All are deeply involved in local initiatives and public service projects designed to serve, inform and improve their respective communities.