(From L to R) Then-D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier, Seth Rich’s girlfriend Kelsey, Mary Rich, Aaron Rich, and Joel Rich at the scene of the crime in Bloomingdale during a press conference seeking the public’s help last August. (Photo by Rachel Kurzius)

Fox 5’s latest flimsy, conspiracy-peddling story about a murdered Democratic National Committee staffer didn’t make it a day without getting thoroughly debunked by other news outlets.

But that hasn’t stopped the local news affiliate from continuing to push out its report, which uses hearsay to claim that Seth Rich was in contact with Wikileaks before he was fatally shot on July 10 in Bloomingdale. Since then, his death has been the subject of a series of conspiracy theories, largely related to his job.

“At this point, with the body of evidence that is out there, and with the private investigator thoroughly recanting his story, it shows a complete lack of journalistic integrity for them to continue running this story,” says Brad Bauman, the Rich family’s spokesperson. “The family is requesting an immediate retraction, or else we will be looking into other ways we can compel Fox 5 to do the right thing. At this point, everything is on the table.”

On Monday night, Fox 5 reporter Marina Marraco interviewed Rod Wheeler, a former D.C. Police officer (he claims to have been a homicide detective, which MPD has not been able to confirm yet—MPD did say that he was employed there from 1990-1995 and then fired).

The story says that Wheeler was hired by the Rich family to look into the still-unsolved murder of their son, who was discovered shot by police around 4:20 a.m. and died of his injuries at a local hospital. It followed a series of other incidences of gun violence in the Bloomingdale neighborhood.

Wheeler said in the story that there is “tangible evidence” that Rich contacted Wikileaks, and the evidence is on Rich’s computer. He also said that MPD is involved in covering up the investigation, which the police department says is untrue. Wheeler is a Fox News contributor, though wasn’t identified as such in the Fox 5 piece, and has had to apologize in the past for misstatements he made on-air.

The Rich family immediately pushed back against the claim that they hired Wheeler, saying in a statement that “the services of the private investigator who spoke to press was offered to the Rich family and paid for by a third party, and contractually was barred from speaking to press or anyone outside of law enforcement or the family unless explicitly authorized by the family.”

So if not the Rich family, who hired Wheeler? That would be Ed Butowsky, another Fox News guest, says Bauman. While Butowsky originally denied his involvement to NBC News, he copped up to it before the day was over.

But that’s not the only problem with the story. Wheeler is now denying that he ever had evidence Rich was in contact with Wikileaks. “I only got that [information] from the reporter at Fox News,” Wheeler told CNN.

Plus, the claims about Rich’s laptop has been deflated, too. While a Fox News report said that an FBI analysis of the computer found thousands of emails between Rich and Wikileaks, multiple FBI officials told NBC that the claim was wrong on two fronts: the computer didn’t have a correspondence with Wikileaks, and the FBI was never even in possession of it.

As recently as midday yesterday, Fox 5 was sticking with its reporting, despite clear lapses. “We stand by our story,” a Fox 5 spokesperson says in an emailed statement around 1 p.m. on Tuesday. “We didn’t have any unnamed sources. And by the way, maybe you should call the Washington Post—they usually have 30 unnamed sources in their stories.” Our request for comment didn’t mention unnamed sources, making the finger-pointing all the more strange. Fox 5 has not responded to multiple attempts to follow up.

Bauman says he is seeking an immediate retraction and apology from Fox 5, as well as the termination of anyone responsible for the story in editorial and reporting. If that doesn’t happen, “I will pursue this by any means necessarily to clear Seth’s name and get the family the satisfaction they deserve,” says Bauman.

Fox 5 isn’t the only one pushing these claims. Other affiliates, like Fox 7 Austin, are still running with the story. It’s been aggregated many times over. And Sean Hannity’s 10 p.m. Fox News broadcast on Tuesday featured the discredited story, saying it “could become one of the biggest scandals in American history.”

“The folks who are pushing these fake news stories about Seth Rich are simultaneously destroying a family and any hope they have to get the closure they desperately deserve,” Bauman says.

What is the relationship like now between the Rich family and Butowsky and Wheeler, who may have violated a non-disclosure agreement in speaking with Fox 5? “I’m not at liberty to discuss anything further pertaining to either gentlemen who have violated the trust of a grieving family and have manipulated the facts and have harmed the legacy of Seth Rich,” says Bauman.

This wouldn’t be the first time that someone offered to help the Rich family find the truth of their son’s murder, only to surprise them by spewing conspiracy theories on Fox 5. Republican lobbyist Jack Burkman pledged $100,000 in additional reward money and hosted a joint press conference with the Riches in November to announce a new push for information, only to start claiming, without any proof, that “Seth discovered, shortly before he died, Russian involvement in the hacking [of the DNC], and the Russians did away with Seth.”

“It’s like picking a a scab and never allowing it to heal,” says Bauman. “Every single time this happens, the family becomes more and more despondent, and suffers the same wound over and over again.”

Police are asking anyone with information to call 202-727-9099 or text 50411.

More:
Fox 5 Continues Peddling Shameful Hearsay On Murder Of DNC Staffer
GOP Lobbyist Now Opening ‘War Room’ Dedicated To Solving Seth Rich Murder
‘It’s Hurtful’: Seth Rich’s Family Responds To Latest Conspiracy Theory About His Murder
‘We Need Your Help’: Family Of Murdered DNC Staffer Pleas At Crime Scene