ID's DISAPPEARED Partners with National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

In an age when just about everyone has a digital footprint and technology seems to track our every move, it should be impossible for anyone to completely disappear without a trace. Yet new missing-persons cases continue to leave authorities searching for clues and families desperate for help. Investigation Discovery's (ID) hit series DISAPPEARED is back, following the evidence trail of 13 new cases and featuring heartfelt interviews with law enforcement and loved ones, along with dramatic reenactments of the missing person's last known actions. Produced by NBC News' Emmy Award-winning production arm Peacock Productions, the new season of DISAPPEARED premieres with the series' 100th episode on Sunday, March 26 at 10/9c.

The 100th episode and season premiere calls attention to the missing-persons case of Lynn Messer, a mother and teacher who disappeared from her family's cattle farm in Missouri in 2014. Then on November 1, 2016, just four days after Peacock Productions interviewed Lynn's son Aarron for DISAPPEARED, Aarron was walking through the woods on the edge of the farm when he came across human remains. Dental records have since positively identified the bones as belonging to Lynn, ending one mystery but raising new questions about how she died and who may be to blame.

To help commemorate National Missing Children's Day (May 25), ID is teaming up with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) for the Sunday, May 21 premiere episode to bring awareness to the chilling story of 8-year-old Zachary Bernhardt, who vanished from his Florida home in September of 2000. While lack of evidence has slowed the investigation to a halt, Zachary's relatives and local police are still hoping for answers sixteen years later. In recent years, NCMEC's new age-progression technology has allowed them to generate more accurate photographs of what Zachary would look like today. These photos remain their best tool in locating missing children like Zachary. If you have information on Zachary, or any missing child, contact NCMEC at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or visit missingkids.org to view photos for other missing children.

"It's so important to continue to bring cold cases much-needed attention through national platforms like DISAPPEARED," said Kevin Bennett, general manager of Investigation Discovery. "The opportunity to develop new leads and aid the important work of organizations like the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children - who are the real heroes for supporting families and law enforcement 24 hours a day - is what has made this series so unique and relevant for 100 episodes."