When you think about summer in Florida, thanks to the depictions in movies and television
shows, it is common to think of the sun and the beaches the state has to offer. For those
who don’t live there year-round, it is easy to think of Florida as nothing more than a
vacation destination. However, much like every other place on Earth, there are inhabitants
of Florida who have made the state their home. Amongst the population of Floridians in 1981,
you could find the Walsh family. This small household consisted of the father, John, mother,
Revé, and the couple’s young son, Adam. The months were passing, and the summer had
officially reached the point where it was closer to the start of the new school year
versus the end of the prior one. This didn’t stop people from enjoying the time they had
left, though, whether they chose to soak in the sun or avoid the sticky heat.
It was one faithful day in July of 1981, the 27th of July to be exact, that a general trip
to a nearby mall would forever change the lives and paths of the Walsh family. This
is the story, and the legacy, of Adam Walsh. John and Revé Walsh had been together for
many years, beginning well before the birth of their son, Adam. The two had grown up in
New York and met while John was in college. The couple hit it off quickly and married
in 1971, relocating themselves to Hollywood, Florida. On November 14, 1974, the couple
welcomed Adam into the world. On July 27, 1981, Revé was on the hunt for
a lamp she had seen on sale. The Sears catalog was a popular home staple before smartphones
and computers allowed for easy browsing. The catalog worked to show the options for home
décor and more you could purchase from your local Sears. The local Sears for the Walsh
family happened to be located at the Hollywood Mall in Hollywood, Florida.
A sunny Monday, 6-year-old Adam would be with his mother, more than likely excited for time
out of the house himself. After all, Sears had its own toy department he would be able
to take a gander at. This is precisely what he did, too, after he and his mother entered
the store from one of its various entrances. On display were an Atari and a variety of
games, which had gathered a group of young boys around it. They were each taking turns
playing with the displayed console, and Adam had his attention caught. Revé decided to
allow him to stay watching the game as she briefly consulted with a Sears employee about
the lamp. She was gone for only a short amount of time, but Adam and the group of boys were
gone upon her return to the toy department. One of the managers on duty informed her of
a situation that had occurred: some boys got into a brief scuffle over whose turn it was.
A security guard on duty had broken up the scuffle and asked the older, fighting boys
if their parents were around. When the boys responded that their parents were not around,
the security guard must have assumed Adam was with the boys. As a result, they were
all escorted out through a different entrance than Adam had entered.
Revé assumed the situation would be rectified quickly when she had the store use their public
speaker system to make an announcement for Adam to return to the store. However, when
this announcement went unanswered, she began to search around the store, the panic surely
beginning to settle in. During the search of the store, she crossed
paths with John’s mother and her mother-in-law, Jean. Briefly calmed, she assumed that Adam
had found his way to her. When it became apparent Jean had not seen Adam either, though, the
panic increased. For over an hour and a half, there was a search for Adam around the premises.
The Hollywood police were finally called around 1:55pm and Adam was officially reported as
missing. The Walsh family has gone on record to say
they believed the investigations by officials were botched from the beginning. Still, it
is documented searches were held for Adam after he was reported as missing. Searches
with helicopters as well as investigations on foot were conducted. Unfortunately, neither
of these uncovered any new information or potential evidence.
The Walsh family tried to form their own searches and forces with their wealth and connections.
Immediately, there was a $5,000 reward for the safe return of their son, and they were
passing out fliers. The photo selected for Adam displayed him posing with a baseball
bat, dressed in a uniform, and giving a smile. It was enough to pull at the heartstrings
of anyone. As the days passed, the reward grew, reaching
an exponential $100,000. Police were sketching multiple suspects described by witnesses who
placed Adam with them and releasing them to the public. The search for little Adam was
losing no momentum thanks to his parents. Despite the tireless efforts of his family,
though, there was nothing that would be bringing Adam home in the way his parents hoped. On
the night of August 10, 1981, two weeks after his disappearance on July 27, the severed
head of young Adam would be discovered over 100 miles away in a drainage canal. The dismembered
head was found by officers from the Indian River County police. John and Revé Walsh
would appear on national television the following morning, speaking with the public about how
they had hope Adam was still alive. It would only be a short amount of time before
the Walsh family was made aware of the findings of the Indian River County police. The head
would be positively identified as Adam. While the waterways of the area where Adam's head
was found were searched, the rest of his body was never found.
There were no leads for the first two years and, therefore, no answers for who committed
this heinous crime against a 6-year-old boy. However, when American serial killer Ottis
Toole – famously known for the partnership he had with Henry Lee Lucas, another serial
killer – was in prison in 1984, he confessed to the murder of young Adam Walsh.
He told detectives he had been in the Hollywood area when he saw Adam by himself and asked
the boy to get into the car. Toole said he promised the boy candy and toys, which convinced
the young boy to get into Toole’s white Cadillac. The recount continues, Toole saying
the boy panicked the longer the two drove away from the mall. Adam got so panicked that
Toole decided to strike the boy, which only made Adam panic more. This led to Toole knocking
the boy out with another slew of strikes. Toole continued to drive until he made a stop
at a deserted area, where he realized Adam was still breathing. To finish off the young
boy, he strangled him with the seatbelt, which matched the story of death by strangulation
the coroner had provided when Adam’s head was found. After Adam was dead, Toole used
his machete to behead Adam before continuing home.
He allegedly burned Adam’s body alongside an old refrigerator and kept Adam’s head
in his car for a few days. Toole says he forgot the head was in the car for a bit, but he
drove to a nearby canal to dispose of it when he remembered.
Toole would never be tried for this crime, as it was mere weeks after his confessions
that police lost the bloodstained carpet of the car, Toole’s machete, and the impounded
car itself. He would also go on to recant his confession, as he and his partner were
known to do. Toole died in prison at the age of 49, his cause of death being cirrhosis.
John Walsh and his family firmly believed from the time of his confession Toole was
the man responsible for Adam’s death, and it would be December 16, 2008, when the case
was officially closed. No new evidence had been found, but the police and Walsh family
were happy to close the case, deeming a deceased Toole as the killer based on circumstantial
evidence. This circumstantial evidence includes Toole’s niece going to the Walsh family
after Toole’s death to tell them about his deathbed confession to the crime once more.
After Adam’s passing, John and Revé Walsh both began to work towards securing children
in the future, founding the Adam Walsh Child Resource Center not long after the tragedy.
This center would go on to be incorporated into the National Center for Missing and Exploited
Children, where Walsh works to this day. The centers work hard to pass legislation
nationally which are meant to protect children, as well as helping to represent exploited
children. The work they put in immediately after Adam’s demise is seen in the legislation
passed during the following years, two acts of law passed by 1984.
There would also be a movie, Adam, which was released in 1983 on the crime. After showing
the film on television, children who were missing or endangered around the nation were
shown on the screens. The television film was shown in 1983, 1984, and 1985, showing
different children each time. The 1983 showing led to the return of 13 children, 1984 led
to 19 children returned, and 1985 showing led to the return of 5 children.
John Walsh would continue to launch America’s Most Wanted, a show that highlighted criminals
and unsolved crimes, hoping those who watched would be able to lead the cases to closure.
America’s Most Wanted ran from 1988 to 2012, leading to the capture of over 1,000 fugitives
who were shown during its lifetime. The death of Adam Walsh is also what started
the Code Adam protocol in places such as supermarkets. Code Adam is a protocol in which the store
will lock and man their doors if a child goes missing, doing their part to close off their
controllable area to stop what may be a kidnapping or other crime against a child in process.
The Walsh family has continued working to help children through the law as much as possible,
and John still appears in crime-related shows. After the murder of Adam, John and Revé had
gone on to have three more children: a daughter and two sons. They are all still alive today,
though both John and Revé are quick and firm to remind everyone that none of their current
children could ever replace Adam. Though there will never be enough physical
evidence to conclusively determine who killed Adam Walsh, his family has finally found justice,
allowing no doubt for that chapter to finally close. From the closing of the case to modern-day
and even further, the Walsh family will continue to bring justice to millions of Americans
and even some cases worldwide. Adam Walsh has been gone for 40 years today,
at the time of this video posting. He was a beautiful young boy with a family who loved
him and whose story continues to rock the world today. Though the story of Adam Walsh
ended so soon and abruptly, the legacy his family established in his name will live on
forever. The Walsh family took a horrendous tragedy
of their own and used their grief to propel America and its legislation forward. Working
to protect some of society’s most vulnerable members, Walsh and the teams he works with
will undoubtedly continue their mission until their last breaths.
For more information on what John and Revé Walsh do and how they work to ensure the world
is a safer place for children, you can find more information on the National Center for
Missing and Exploited Children website missingkids.org. Did you know the story of Adam Walsh? Do you
think Ottis Toole was actually Adam’s killer? What other crimes would you like to see covered?
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