SILVER SPRING, Md., Dec. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- ON THE CASE WITH PAULA ZAHN, the cornerstone of Investigation Discovery's schedule at 10 PM on Sunday nights, debuts its new season beginning December 16.  In the season premiere, "A Tale Tell Call," Emmy-Award winning journalist, Zahn explores an investigation that unravels when calls are made from the victim's cell phone to a dating service...after her murder.

"As ID's original newsmagazine, ON THE CASE has been a significant contributor for the explosive growth and success of the network," said Henry Schleiff, president and general manager of Investigation Discovery.  "We are honored to continue our partnership with Paula Zahn bringing more of her world class reporting, further underscoring our commitment to deliver compelling storytelling while in search of truth and justice."  

ON THE CASE WITH PAULA ZAHN features in-depth interviews and original reporting that go beyond the headlines in search of fascinating mysteries from within our nation's justice system. Constantly shattering ratings records, ON THE CASE has broken the 1.0 household rating benchmark in primetime five times since its debut in October 2009. Each episode is highlighted by Zahn's riveting exclusive interviews, which draw out different viewpoints from the people personally connected to tragedies that rocked their local community and the investigations that attempted to piece together the truth.

The first four episodes of ON THE CASE this season include:

A Tale Tell Call
Premieres Sunday, December 16 at 10 PM E/P
When Jackie Casseteri failed to show up for work, her friends and family knew something was terribly wrong.  Her sister rushed to her apartment to see what had happened and stumbled upon a scene of unimaginable horror, Jackie's lifeless body was lying on the floor in a pool of blood. The crime was so brutal that investigators were unable to determine whether the cause of death was blunt force trauma, a deep slash on her wrist or strangulation.  Detectives believed that the key to solving the mystery were calls made to a telephone dating service, from Jackie's cell phone...after her death.  Can investigators track down the killer before he strikes again? Location: Livermore, CA

Painful Memories
Premieres Sunday, December 23 at 10PM E/P
Kevin Green and his wife Dianna were at home and just hours away from the birth of their first child when he left to pick up some fast food.  Upon his return, he found Dianna brutally assaulted in the bedroom. As doctors fought to save her life, Dianna lost the baby and fell into a coma. The case was now a murder investigation. During her long and painful recovery, Dianna regained her memory and said her husband was responsible for the terrible crime. But was she right? Location: Tustin, CA

Profile of a Killer
Premieres Sunday, December 30 at 10 PM E/P
At 22 years old, Karla Brown was already on track for a storybook life. She and her boyfriend were planning to get married and had just moved into a brand new home, when their dreams of a life together were suddenly shattered the very next day. Karla's boyfriend returned home from work and discovered her battered body hanging out of a barrel of water. After years of trying to solve the puzzling murder, investigators decide to launch a bold and risky plan to bring an unlikely killer to justice. Location: Wood River, IL

Final Words
Premieres Sunday, January 6 at 10 PM E/P
After a long day at work Pauline Card returned home to have dinner with her 17-year-old daughter Shauna. But as soon as she opened the door she knew something was wrong. Her worst fears were confirmed when she looked in the bathroom and found Shauna dead on the floor.  An autopsy revealed Shauna had been stabbed more than 70 times. As police work to crack the case they uncover an important clue in Shauna's journal. Could a mysterious boyfriend she had written about also be her killer? Location: Orlando, FL

ON THE CASE WITH PAULA ZAHN is produced by Scott Sternberg Productions and Weinberger Media for Investigation Discovery. Executive producers include Scott Sternberg, CEO and Founder of Scott Sternberg Productions; Scott Weinberger, investigative journalist and CEO of Weinberger Media; and Paula Zahn. For Investigation Discovery, Diana Sperrazza is executive producer, Sara Kozak is senior vice president of production and Henry Schleiff is president and general manager.

About Investigation Discovery

Investigation Discovery (ID) is America's leading mystery-and-suspense network. From harrowing crimes and salacious scandals to the in-depth investigations and heart-breaking mysteries that result, ID challenges our everyday understanding of culture, society and the human condition. ID delivers the highest-quality programming to nearly 80 million U.S. households with viewer favorites that include On the Case with Paula Zahn; Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda; Who the (Bleep) Did I Marry?; Disappeared; Stalked: Someone's Watching; and Redrum. For more information, please visit InvestigationDiscovery.com, facebook.com/InvestigationDiscovery, or twitter.com/DiscoveryID. Investigation Discovery is part of Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the world's #1 nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.8 billion cumulative subscribers in 209 countries and territories.

Please visit the Press Website at http://press.discovery.com/us/id/programs/paula-zahn/ for additional press materials, online screeners, and photography.
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SOURCE Investigation Discovery