INTERVIEW & CLIP: ‘In Pursuit’ finds Walsh family seeking justice
Photo: Callahan Walsh and John Walsh are on the case for In Pursuit With John Walsh, a new show on Investigation Discovery. Photo courtesy of Investigation Discovery / Provided by PR team with permission.
John Walsh is a television host perhaps most recognized for his long tenure on America’s Most Wanted, a show that finds him and investigators seeking justice for families who have faced unspeakable tragedy in their lives. Walsh became involved in television after his own son, Adam Walsh, was kidnapped and killed in 1981.
John Walsh is back on television with a new reality series called In Pursuit With John Walsh, which airs new episodes Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on Investigation Discovery.
Joining John Walsh for the new TV project is his son, Callahan Walsh, who holds a day job at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Together the father-son duo look into cold cases throughout the United States, all with the hope of bringing some answers and justice to the grieving families.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox spoke with Callahan Walsh about the new show and the many investigations he was involved in. Here’s what he had to say:
On what audiences will experience each week on In Pursuit With John Walsh …
They can expect us going after some real bad criminals. We’re profiling some guys and some women that have done some horrendous crimes. … We’ll be profiling these criminals on the show, trying to harness the public to get tips into inpursuittips.com, which is a place that they can leave some of their tips. And they can call our hotline as well. …
Law enforcement’s most important tool is often the public, and a lot of these cases, law enforcement has hit a dead end. And so we’re shining a white hot spotlight on these fugitives, putting their picture out there in front of millions and millions of eyeballs to try to get tips that will lead to their apprehension. We’re also showing images of missing children on the show as well, in hopes that some of our viewers may spot these children and possibly be able to reunite them with their families.
On his family’s tireless efforts on behalf of victims …
“So the cases that we’re going after, some of them, the victims are children. Some of them are adults. We picked the worst of the worst cases, the most egregious cases. It took 27 years to get justice in my family when my brother, Adam, was kidnapped in 1981, so I know what it’s like for these families to not get the justice they deserve. There is no closure. There is nothing that’s going to bring their loved one back, but justice can start help that healing process.”
On whether or not families were open to the TV crew and cameras …
“They want to do everything they can to see that perpetrator behind bars, and they’ve worked with law enforcement and understand that the investigations oftentimes go cold. And so getting that image out in front of the public and harnessing the power of the public, they understand the importance of that, and so coming on the show and telling their story is a real part of that. It’s incredible some of the courage of these family members who are saddling up and trying to get the justice for their family members.”
On working with local law enforcement for each episode …
“We work hand in hand with law enforcement. The show is here as an investigative tool for law enforcement. We’re not here to highlight the mistakes that they have made, or we never bungled a case on America’s Most Wanted. We’ve never messed up an investigation, so we’re working hand in hand with the investigators, the detectives and oftentimes the U.S. marshals to get that information out to the public and get a great tip about their whereabouts.”
On his day job outside of television …
“I actually have a day job on top of that, so I work at at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children where I’m a child advocate there, an organization that was co-founded by my parents, John and Revé Walsh after my brother, Adam, went missing, an organization that’s gone on to help recover over 280,000 missing children.
“So that’s my day job, and shooting this show is sort of nights and weekends, trying to find any little time that I have. I’m also a new father. I have a three-month-old at home, and so it’s tough trying to find the time. But it’s mission-driven. I grew up in a family that said, we need to make sure Adam didn’t die in vain, and if his song is to continue then we must do the singing. And we’re doing that every day at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and we’re doing that on this show, In Pursuit With John Walsh, as well.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
In Pursuit With John Walsh continues with new episodes Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on Investigation Discovery. Click here for more information.
