Adam John Walsh

Adam John Walsh

November 14, 1974 - July 27, 1981

Adam John Walsh was born on November 14, 1974 to John and Reve Walsh. On July 27, 1981, Adam was abducted and murdered. On that day, Adam had been at a Sears department store with his mother. He wanted to go watch some older boys play a game. His mother allowed him to do this while she was just a few aisles away looking at lamps.

The older boys were causing trouble, and a store employee asked them to leave. It is assumed that Adam, being only six years old, had gotten confused and thought that he was supposed to leave too. He went outside the store where he was abducted. His mother went to find her son about seven minutes later, but he and the older boys weren't there anymore. 

Two weeks after this, Adam's severed head was found in a canal. A convicted serial killer named Ottis Toole confessed to killing Adam, but he was never tried or convicted for the crime. On December 16, 2008, police closed the case saying that they were sure that Adam's killer was Ottis Toole. The rest of Adam's body has never been recovered.

However, by the time that Adam's killer was 'confirmed', Ottis Toole was already dead. He had died of liver failure in 1996. Adam's father, John Walsh became the host of 'America's Most Wanted', and an advocate for victims of violent crimes. There is now a 'Code Adam'.