John Lyon, whose decades-long presence on News/Talk WMAL in Washington, D.C. intertwined with one of the region’s most haunting mysteries, has died at the age of 85. Lyon’s 22-year career at the former ABC Radio station at 630 kHz, now a Cumulus Media property at 105.9 MHz, began in the early 1970s, where he became known for his good-natured demeanor.
In March 1975, his life changed irreversibly when his daughters, 12-year-old Sheila and 10-year-old Katherine Lyon, disappeared during a trip to Wheaton Plaza in Silver Spring, Md. The case drew national attention, going unsolved for decades. In spite of the tragedy, Lyon remained a steady presence on WMAL until the station adjusted its programming in 1990 as Adult Top 40 sibling WRQX dropped “Q107” to become “MIX 107.3.”
Beyond the microphone, Lyon dedicated himself to supporting others facing trauma as a volunteer with the Montgomery County Victim Services Center. Otherwise, Lyon and his wife, who died in 2024, chose to keep a low public profile as the investigation unfolded over the years. In 2017, a breakthrough came when Lloyd Lee Welch pleaded guilty to the first-degree murders of the sisters. Welch is serving a 48-year sentence in Virginia. The girls’ remains were never recovered.
After the sentencing, Lyon broke a long public silence to express his family’s gratitude to Montgomery County investigators who had treated his daughters as if they were their own.
— Additional reporting by Adam R Jacobson
