March 11th, 2024

CNN’s Laura Coates Reports in “The Deputy and the Disappeared” for The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper

 EPISODE PREMIERES SUNDAY, MARCH 17 AT 8PM ET/PT

 PROMO:  https://youtu.be/5gEZGN5Mirw

NEW YORK, NY – (March 11, 2024) – The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper, a CNN Original, returns with an in-depth investigation into two missing person cases with one mysterious connection that has drawn national intrigue. “The Deputy and the Disappeared” with CNN Anchor and Chief Legal Analyst Laura Coates premieres on Sunday, March 17 at 8pm ET/PT on CNN.

In 2003, two men of color, Felipe Santos and Terrance Williams, went missing three months apart in Naples, Florida. Both vanished on the same road after getting in a patrol car driven by the same white deputy sheriff, Steven Calkins, who remains the last known person to have seen either of them alive. Twenty years later, Santos and Williams are presumed dead, the cases are cold and Calkins has never been arrested or charged and maintains his innocence. The case garnered little media attention until 2018, when filmmaker Tyler Perry enlisted Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump to file a wrongful death lawsuit against Calkins on behalf of Terrance William’s mother. Following up on CNN crime reporter Thomas Lake’s meticulous reporting, Coates and Lake return to the scene of the disappearances to explore new leads and speak with a witness coming forward for the first time.

“You will be spellbound by this unbelievable story of a mother’s determination to find her son in the face of every obstacle,” said Coates. “What do you do when you don’t know who to trust—even the investigators?”

Coates and Lake uncover disturbing allegations about former deputy sheriff Calkins’ background, speaking with investigators on the case as well as a former colleague of Calkins who comes forward alleging newly revealed details about their time working together. Coates also speaks with family members of Williams, including his son Tarik, who speaks publicly for the first time about his father’s disappearance.

The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper is executive produced by Susan Chun.

The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper will stream live for pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN connected TV and mobile apps on Sunday, March 17. “The Deputy and the Disappeared” will also be available on demand beginning Monday, March 18 to pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN connected TV and mobile apps, and Cable Operator Platforms. Past episodes of The Whole Story are available to stream on demand now on Max.

The Whole Story is also available as a CNN Audio showcast. Visit CNN.com/audio or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

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About CNN Originals

The CNN Originals group develops, produces and acquires original, long-form unscripted programming for CNN Worldwide. Amy Entelis, executive vice president of Talent, CNN Originals and creative development, oversees the award-winning CNN Originals portfolio that includes the following premium content brands: CNN Original Series, CNN Films, CNN Presents, and the newly formed CNN Studios, an internal production studio which creates long-form programming for CNN’s global platforms. Since 2012, the team has overseen and executive produced more than 45 multi-part documentary series and 60 feature-length documentary films, earning more than 110 awards and 445 nominations for the cable network, including CNN Films’ first Academy Award® for Navalny, making CNN the only news organization with this distinction. Acclaimed titles include the Peabody Award winning and 13-time Emmy® Award-winning Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown; five time Emmy® nominee, Apollo 11, directed by Todd Douglas Miller; Emmy® nominated Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico; the Emmy® Award-nominated “Decades Series”: The Sixties, The Seventies, The Eighties, The Nineties, The 2000s, and The 2010s, executive produced by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman; The Last Movie Stars, directed by Ethan Hawke about the lives and careers of actors and humanitarians Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman; Grammy® Award nominee Little Richard: I Am Everything, directed by Lisa Cortés; The Many Lives of Martha Stewart; This is Life with Lisa Ling; Primetime Emmy® and duPont-Columbia Award-winning, RBG, directed by Betsy West and Julie Cohen; See It Loud: The History of Black Television, executive produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter; the Producers Guild Award and three-time Emmy® Award-winning Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy; BAFTA nominee and Directors Guild Award winner, Three Identical Strangers, directed by Tim Wardle; and the five-time Emmy® Award-winning United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell; The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper; and Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?. CNN Originals can be seen on CNN, the CNN Original Hub on Max and discovery+, and for pay TV subscription via CNN.com, CNN apps and cable operator platforms.

About Warner Bros. Discovery

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Press Contacts

The Whole Story Press Contacts

Jordan.Overstreet@cnn.com

Sophie.Tran@cnn.com

Laura Coates Press Contact

Danielle.desser@cnn.com