John Lyon, who spent 22 years at WMAL radio in D.C., died; In widely-followed case, his two daughters were murdered in 1975

John Lyon, whose 22-year career at WMAL radio in D.C. coincided with his family’s quiet, determined search for answers in the 1975 disappearance of his young daughters, Sheila and Katherine, has died at the age of 85, according to his family, reports WTOP..

“He was a great father, a great model for us,” said Jay Lyon, in a WTOP interview. “The reality is still sinking in.”

“Like many Washingtonians, we first knew John, or maybe his voice, because of his career in broadcasting, here in Washington,” said John McCarthy, Montgomery County State’s Attorney.

According to WTOP, from 1975 through the present, “Lyon and has family “have chosen to remain out of the spotlight, during the search for 12-year-old Sheila, left in photo, and 10-year-old Katherine Lyon, right in photo, who were last seen at Wheaton Plaza, in Wheaton, Maryland, during Easter vacation in 1975. John Lyon’s wife, Mary, died in June 2024.

“In 2017, Lloyd Lee Welch pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree felony murder, in the deaths of Katherine and Sheila Lyon, during trial in Bedford, Virginia, and is serving a 48-year prison sentence at Nottoway Correctional Center, in Virginia. The girls bodies have never been found.”

PHOTO: Lyon appearing on This is Our Town podcast hosted by Andy Ockershausen.