'Criminal Minds' season 12 episode 8 spoilers, news: Damon Gupton makes his debut as BAU deals with a 'scarecrow'

After fending off Mr. Scratch (Bodhi Elfman), at least temporarily, the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) will be dealing with another spine-chilling case in this week's "Criminal Minds" season 12 episode, "Scarecrow."

In this installment, the team will be called to investigate the deaths of a dozen of people, whose lifeless bodies turn up along a creek bed in Yakima, Washington.

The killer, whose face he'd rather not show, wears a mask such as that of a scarecrow, which is where the title of "Criminal Minds" season 12, episode 8 was pulled from.

The episode will also mark the arrival of Damon Gupton as Stephen Walker, an experienced profiler from the Behavioral Analysis Program of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

He will help the team get to the bottom of this heinous crime and will be part of this endeavor in future cases that the BAU will deal with as Gupton will be part of the cast moving forward.

Cast member Aisha Tyler, who plays Tara Lewis in the series, recently spoke to TV Guide about Gupton's arrival in "Criminal Minds" season 12 as its latest series regular.

"Damon's just a great guy and a great actor and I think a really great addition to the team," the actress gushed, describing the actor's character as "a longtime FBI agent with a particular set of skills."

"[Damon's] a lovely guy and incredibly talented," she went on to say, "We're thrilled to have him."

Gupton will help fill the gap left by Thomas Gibson, who played Hotch up until the third episode of "Criminal Minds" season 12, as he was fired in the middle of the production after a physical altercation with a producer.

Gupton's casting was announced back in September, around the same time Gibson was fired from the show.

"Criminal Minds" season 12, episode 8, "Scarecrow," airs Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.