The 49th season of ABC’s long-running newsmagazine 20/20 is set to premiere on Friday, September 25, 2026, with an in-depth investigation into a cold case that remained unsolved for nearly four decades. Titled “The Salem Strangler,” the season premiere focuses on the 1986 murder of Claire Gravel and the recent legal resolution that saw her killer sentenced to life in prison earlier this year.
Co-anchors David Muir and Deborah Roberts lead the season opener, which features reporting from Roberts on the 1986 disappearance and death of Gravel, a 20-year-old student at Salem State College. Gravel was found strangled in a wooded area off Route 128 in Beverly, Massachusetts, on June 30, 1986. For years, the case frustrated investigators as leads went cold, but a subsequent violent encounter decades later eventually provided the forensic evidence needed to identify a suspect.
The DNA Connection
The breakthrough in the investigation stemmed from a 2007 attack on a mother in Hamilton, Massachusetts. The victim in that case fought back against her assailant, an act of bravery that allowed authorities to recover DNA evidence. This profile eventually linked John Carey to the 1986 murder of Gravel. While Carey was often referred to in local Massachusetts reports as the “Hamilton Strangler” following the 2007 incident, the 20/20 premiere utilizes the “Salem Strangler” title to reflect the origins of the original 1986 case.
Following the DNA match and a lengthy investigation, Carey was formally charged. The legal proceedings culminated in March 2026, when a jury convicted John Carey of first-degree murder. In April 2026, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, marking the definitive end to the 40-year search for justice for the Gravel family.
Broadcast and Streaming Details
The two-hour season premiere of 20/20 is scheduled to air at 9:00 p.m. EDT on ABC.
The premiere episode is expected to include interviews with investigators and those close to the case who witnessed the decades-long journey from a cold case discovery to the 2026 conviction.
