Episode 0 is the pilot episode of the 8-part investigative podcast series, Open Investigation. This episode introduces the tragic story of 10-year-old Andy (Angelo) Puglisi, who disappeared from a public swimming pool in Lawrence, MA, on August 22, 1976. The podcast is hosted by Melanie Perkins McLaughlin, Andy's childhood friend, who was only nine years old when she was with him the day he vanished. When the search for Andy was called off after just six days, Melanie made a promise to herself and Andy that she would one day try to find him.
In 2007, Melanie's HBO documentary Have You Seen Andy? premiered, and in 2008, it won an Emmy for Outstanding Investigative Journalism. The documentary, currently streaming on MAX, was initially intended to help re-open Andy's investigation allowing Andy's family and the community to move forward by sharing Andy's story. However, it unexpectedly opened a Pandora's Box, revealing dozens of other unsolved cases of missing and murdered children from the 1970s.
With unique access, decades of investigative research, including hundreds of hours of documentary footage, rare audio recordings, police and court records, and research notes, Melanie reopens the investigation. She shares the culmination of her work, aiming not only to reopen other cases but also to emphasize trauma-informed, victim-centered justice for victims, survivors, and their families.
Following the pilot, each episode delves into new information that updates not only Andy's story but explores the cases of dozens of other missing children, several of which have been reopened by law enforcement as a result of this investigation. The series also documents the history of child trafficking in America.
Show Links
Have You Seen Andy streaming on MAX
Mass State Police UnResolved Case Unit
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
The Vanished Podcast: Episode 454 Andy Puglisi: Open Investigation
The Boston Globe Series featuring Andy Puglisi's Case
Follow: @openinvestigation
Support: Patreon.com/OpenInvestigation
Based on the HBO Emmy award-winning documentary "Have You Seen Andy?" - haveyouseenandy.com | @haveyouseenandy
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