48 Hours Tonight (Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026): Two Encore Cases — Hannah Pettey at 9, Tracker Dakota Black at 10
CBS is running two hours of 48 Hours tonight, and both are encores. Here is the lineup before anything else, because that is the part most people are checking at 8 p.m.
| Time (ET) | Episode | Correspondent | New? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 p.m. | "The Gaslighting of Hannah Pettey" | Anne-Marie Green | Encore |
| 10 p.m. | "Tracker Dakota Black" | Peter Van Sant | Encore |
Is 48 Hours new tonight?
No. Both hours are repeats, which is normal for early September — the show is between seasons.
Season 39 premieres Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026. That is five Saturdays away, so expect encores through the rest of the month.
What is "The Gaslighting of Hannah Pettey" about?
Hannah Pettey, a young mother in Hartselle, Alabama, spent roughly six months in 2021 getting sicker with no explanation. She had a seizure on Jan. 18, 2022, and was taken to UAB Hospital in Birmingham.
Doctors found what CBS News described as an astronomical amount of lead in her body, and the medical mystery became a criminal case. Investigators looked at the people closest to her: her mother, cleared that February, and her husband, chiropractor Brian Mann, who supplied the vitamin capsules she took daily.
Where is Brian Mann now?
Mann was charged with attempted murder in September 2022 and pleaded not guilty. He maintained his innocence throughout.
A jury convicted him in June 2025 after hearing evidence that the capsules had been laced with lead and that he stood to collect on life insurance policies taken out on his wife. He was sentenced to life in prison in August 2025.
Pettey survived. CBS News reported she has recovered from the poisoning — which is why the episode ends closer to a beginning than an ending.
👉 If you only have an hour tonight, the 10 p.m. episode is the one people talk about afterward.
What happens in "Tracker Dakota Black"?
Makayla Meave, a teacher's aide and adoptive mother in Macomb, Oklahoma, disappeared on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023. Her husband, Frank Byers, reported her missing the next morning.
Lt. Dakota Black of the Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office is a trained tracker, and the search began as a missing-person case. Black later told News 9 the team was hopeful early on of finding her alive.
They did not. Meave's body was found five days later, on Sept. 20, about half a mile from her home. Peter Van Sant reports on how the tracking work drove the rest of the investigation.
What happened to Frank Byers?
Byers was arrested 38 days after Meave disappeared. Per CBS News, the evidence included her blood on his work boots and store footage of him buying cleaning supplies.
Prosecutors sought the death penalty. About 15 months after his arrest, Byers pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to life without parole.
How do you watch 48 Hours tonight?
- Eastern: 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. on CBS
- Central: 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.
- Mountain: 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. (check your local CBS station)
- Pacific: 9 p.m. and 10 p.m.
Both hours stream on Paramount+ the next day, and full episodes also live on the 48 Hours FAST channel and the show's YouTube page. Our viewing guide has the full list of apps.
What else is worth reading here?
Last night NBC ran a Dateline repeat of "The Grudge" and ABC aired "The Hungryland Homicide" on 20/20. Tonight we also published a fresh update on the Kouri Richins case, which 48 Hours covered in May. Older follow-ups collect in Case Updates, and everything from this show sits in the 48 Hours section.
FAQ
What case is on 48 Hours tonight? Two: the lead poisoning of Hannah Pettey at 9 p.m. ET, and the murder of Makayla Meave at 10 p.m. ET.
Is 48 Hours new tonight? No — both hours are encores. New episodes start Oct. 10.
When did these episodes first air? "Tracker Dakota Black" on Nov. 15, 2025, and "The Gaslighting of Hannah Pettey" on Jan. 10, 2026, both in Season 38.
Where is Hannah Pettey now? Alive and recovered, per CBS News reporting tied to the episode.
Listings confirmed against the CBS News 48 Hours episode schedule; listings data via TVmaze. Case details are limited to what the outlets below reported.
Sources
- CBS News — 48 Hours episode schedule (Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026; Season 39 premiere Oct. 10)
- CBS News — an Alabama mom was near death from lead poisoning
- CBS News — tracker says cruelty of Oklahoma woman's murder will "stay with me forever"
- News 9 (Oklahoma City) — national spotlight on the Makayla Meave case
- TVmaze — original air dates for 48 Hours Season 38