Jane Schelly On ‘20/20’

Fri., Dec. 4, 1998

By Jim Camden jimc@spokesman.com (509) 879-7461

The search by Spokane teacher Jane Schelly for her kidnapped husband, Donald Hutchings, is one of the scheduled segments on tonight’s “20/20” at 10 p.m. on KXLY-Channel 4.

News magazine film crews spent time with Schelly at her Spokane Valley home and accompanied her last summer to Kashmir for part of her trip to find clues to the fate of Hutchings, who was kidnapped in 1995.

The Arlington Elementary School physical education teacher spent six weeks in India and Pakistan, talking to local officials and promoting a $2 million reward the U.S. State Department has set up for information about Hutchings and three other Western men who were seized by a shadowy guerrilla group.

Schelly and Hutchings, a local neuropsychologist, were trekking in the Himalayan foothills when the group kidnapped him at gunpoint. The guerrillas want to exchange their hostages for political prisoners in India, but that country’s government refused.

Neither the hostages nor the guerrillas have been heard from since late 1995, but Schelly continues to look for information about Hutchings’ whereabouts or proof that he’s been killed.

Also scheduled for the newsmagazine is Barbara Walters’ interview of actor Michael J. Fox, who recently revealed he has Parkinson’s disease.

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.