‘Who Killed My Son?’: Discovery+ Documentary to Focus on Pravin Varughese’s Death, Family’s Quest for Justic

In this Discovery+ photo, Lovely Varughese is seen embracing her late son Pravin Varughese. (Discovery+ photo)

India-West Staff Reporter

“Who Killed My Son,” a documentary focusing on the life and death of Indian American student Pravin Varughese, will stream exclusively on Discovery+ beginning March 23.

In 2014, Varughese, a student at Southern Illinois University, went to a house party in Carbondale, Illinois. He was never seen alive again.

It took five days to discover his body, but the push to find out how Varughese’s life truly ended lasted years. Rumors abounded that the 19-year-old’s death was his own doing, and accusations of drugs, alcohol and foul play inundated the case.

But Pravin’s mother, Lovely Varughese, knew her son, and she felt certain there was more to the story than the authorities let on. Fighting what she believed to be prejudice, deception, and a flawed legal system at every turn, Lovely refused to give up on the memory of Pravin, said the channel.

The Varughese family went through great lengths to prove that their only son was not the cause of his own death, and that the truth is worth fighting for, it said.

This two-hour special is executive produced and narrated by acclaimed television journalist Soledad O’Brien as she reports on the nuances behind this case and follows a family as they searched for justice.

“The mystery behind this young man’s death is just too much for any mother to bear. When the criminal justice system failed to get answers, she began an epic fight for justice, marshalling a community of supporters to hold officials accountable. What they discovered was nothing less than shocking,” said O’Brien.

“We are proud to bring this incredibly moving story of perseverance to Discovery+,” added Lisa Holme, group SVP content and commercial strategy for Discovery+. “Lovely Varguhese’s advocacy for her son took years of working against racism and prejudice, and hopefully by sharing her story, other families will not have to endure the same fight.”

This Discovery+ original follows the challenges the Varughese family faced as they fought for an investigation into their son’s disappearance. (Read earlier India-West story here: https://bit.ly/2SChHW4)

“From pushing local authorities for a transparent investigation, to consistently facing what she believed is systemic racism because of the color of their skin, this Indian American family exhausted all avenues to find out what really happened to their son,” said Discovery+.

In the special, Lovely Varughese shares her story, joined by her family’s advocate and interviews with law enforcement, friends and those connected to the case.

Through poignant, emotional and jarring interviews, this special probes for answers to the question: Was Pravin murdered, or was it an accident as law enforcement initially believed? And should someone be put behind bars for his untimely death?

“Who Killed My Son?” is produced for Discovery+ by Texas Crew Productions and SO’B Productions.

Executive producers for the Texas crew are David Karabinas and Brad Bernstein, and executive producers for SO’B are Soledad O’Brien and Jo Honig. For Discovery+, Dianna Sperrazza is executive producer.