Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – Every week John Walsh conveys victory and rage when announcing that his television show has helped nab yet another of America’s most wanted “scumbags.”
Yet the case closest to his heart remains unsolved.
Exactly 25 years ago today, Walsh’s 6-year-old son, Adam, was abducted. His severed head was found in a Vero Beach, Fla., canal two weeks later.
To this day, the image of a gapped-tooth little boy with the baseball cap remains synonymous with the missing-children’s movement and has served as the catalyst for change in how police handle child abductions.
“Before this case, there was no such thing as children’s rights. There was no public awareness for missing children, and there wasn’t a nationwide center for missing and exploited children,” said Fort Lauderdale attorney and child advocate Michael Christiansen. “The horror of that case swept a prairie fire and ignited all sorts of calls for action.”
The latest measure will come today when President Bush signs a new law designed to track sex offenders nationwide and toughen penalties against those who prowl the Internet to find young victims.
The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act mandates 10-year prison sentences for sex crimes against people under the age of 18 and creates a national database of sex offenders.
It also outlaws depictions of the sexual abuse of children and the transfer of obscene material to minors.
“I was in my mid-20s, and I remember that the (Walsh) case startled me,” said Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., a prime sponsor of the new law. “It described the end of innocence for South Florida.”
Since 1988, John Walsh has hosted “America’s Most Wanted,” a show credited with capturing dangerous criminals.
Police in Hollywood, Fla., have since admitted to critical mistakes in their investigation of Adam’s murder, including losing evidence and sloppy police work.
The prime suspect, a drifter named Ottis Toole, died in prison in 1996.
