Lights, Camera, Hope: On Set with NCMEC

It wasn’t 1980s California, and it wasn’t a Hollywood backlot.

But on a bright spring day in Northern Virginia, a vacant apartment building and its rear parking lot briefly became Oceanside, California, circa 1980. Cameras rolled as a woman sped away with a newborn and a mother cried out in agony – a reenactment of a real crime – the exact moment 17-day-old Kevin Verville Jr. was abducted 45 years ago. See the final video here.

Filming scenes on set of the Verville recreation. (Credit: NCMEC)

The idea of this project took shape around a familiar question for NCMEC: How do we breathe new life into a decades-old case?

“No matter how old a case is, someone out there always knows something,” said NCMEC case manager Michael Houlihan. “Kevin is probably living under a different name, unaware of his past. The more people who know about this case, the stronger our chances are of finding him.”

With the 45-year mark of Kevin’s abduction approaching and a family desperately seeking answers, NCMEC wanted to find a creative way to ignite this case and engage the public. The idea of a new video was born – something bigger and bolder.

“What sets our production team at NCMEC apart is the experience we bring to the table,” said Gavin Portnoy, vice president of the Communications & Brand division. “Our team includes former journalists, producers, film makers – people who’ve spent their careers crafting stories that matter. This caliber of talent as part of our staff is unique in the nonprofit world, and it allows us to approach these cases with the skill to create impactful stories.”

With the green light, our production team took NCMEC’s ongoing work on Kevin’s case to the next level, re-examining the details with a creative lens. The team found long forgotten media archives and worked with the family and law enforcement to better understand the crime. These days, audiences are inundated with dramatized true crime content, and accuracy often comes secondary to entertainment. In NCMEC's approach to this story, it was critical that the voices of those directly impacted led the narrative – authentic, unfiltered and true to their experience.

Casting came next. Using family photos and the original composite sketch of the abductor, the team worked to find actors who could bring truth and emitonal depth to the roles. A team member scoured thrift stores to find 1980s-era clothing and we borrowed a car that matched the original description. As for baby Kevin, we found a realistic infant doll to complete the scene.

Our talented cast of actors on set of the Verville recreation. (Credit: NCMEC)   

On the day of the shoot, our three local actors stepped into their key roles, excited to contribute to a real case. As filming unfolded, it became clear to each of them that this was a special project.

“This is different than a lot of the other acting gigs that I’ve had because this one has an important purpose,” said Missy Merry, who played the role of the abductor. “If I can have any part in helping bring closure to this case, it will be the most rewarding project I’ve ever done.”

Shooting the production sequence: One of the most intense moments of the day. (Credit: NCMEC)

Post-production was done in-house at NCMEC as well. The result was a powerful video that truly moved our audience. It didn’t just inform – it connected. Hundreds of heartfelt comments have poured in across our social platforms, with people expressing deep compassion for Kevin’s family and a renewed urgency to help. The response has been overwhelming, inspiring countless others to step forward and share Kevin’s story far and wide.

"At NCMEC, we know how to take hope and turn it into action,” said Derrick Driscoll, NCMEC’s chief operating officer. “This project is a perfect example of how our team finds innovative ways to get answers for families. More importantly, this is an example of how we never give up, even after decades.”

NCMEC’s production team & actors on set. (Credit: NCMEC)

45 years after his abduction, what happened to baby Kevin is still a mystery. Want to learn more about Kevin’s case? Read our brand-new blog which features the newly released video here: “Stolen at 17 Days: Can New Image Find Kevin Verville?”