Real Crime Stories/Paranormal Hauntings/Conspiracy Theories Book II

The Murder of Adam Walsh

Adam John Walsh (November 14,1974 – July 27, 1981) was an American boy who was abducted from aSears department store at the Hollywood Mall in Hollywood, Florida,on July 27, 1981. His severed head was found two weeks later in adrainage canal alongside Highway 60/Yeehaw Junction in rural IndianRiver County, Florida. His death garnered national interest and wasmade into the 1983 television film Adam, seen by 38 million people inits original airing. His father, John Walsh, became an advocate forvictims of violent crimes and was the host of the television programAmerica's Most Wanted and currently, In Pursuit with John Walsh. Convicted serial killer Ottis Toole confessed to Adam's murder butwas never convicted for this specific crime due to loss of evidenceand a recanted confession. Toole died in prison of liver failure onSeptember 15, 1996. No new evidence has come to light since then,and police announced on December 16, 2008, that the Walsh case wasclosed, as they were satisfied that Toole was the killer.

Case history

Kidnapping and murder

On the afternoon of July 27, 1981,Adam's mother, Revé, took him shopping with her to the HollywoodMall in Hollywood, Florida (26°00′46″N 80°10′30″W). Theywent together to Sears and entered through the north entrance. Revéintended to inquire about a lamp which was on sale, and left Adam ata kiosk with Atari 2600 video games on display, where several otherboys were taking turns playing them. Revé completed her business inthe lamp department around 12:15 pm. She said that she returned tofind that Adam and the other boys had disappeared. A store managerinformed her that a scuffle had broken out over whose turn it was atthe kiosk, and a security guard demanded that they leave the store. The security guard asked the older boys if their parents were there,and they said that they were not. Adam's parents later conjecturedthat he was too shy to speak to the security guard, who presumed thathe was in the company of the other boys, and as such, the securityguard made him leave by the same door by which the boys entered(which was the Sears west entrance). His parents believe that afterthe other boys dispersed, he was left alone outside the store, at anexit unfamiliar to him. Meanwhile, unable to find Adam in the toydepartment, Revé had him paged over the public-address system andcontinued to look for him throughout the store. By coincidence sheran into his paternal grandmother, Jean, who helped her search forhim. After more than 90 minutes of searching and public-addresspages which failed to locate him, she called the Hollywood Police at1:55 pm.

On August 10, a severed head was foundin a drainage canal alongside the Florida Turnpike near Vero Beach,almost 130 miles from Hollywood, by Detective Ralph E. Latimer Jr.and an unidentified Deputy of Indian River County Sheriff Office. Indian River County and St. Lucie County divers searched the canal. On the morning of August 11, John and Revé appeared on nationaltelevision saying they still hoped that Adam was alive; a $100,000reward had been posted for his safe return. Soon after, therecovered remains were identified as Adam's.

The coroner ruled that the cause ofAdam's death was asphyxiation. The state of the remains suggestedAdam had died several days before the discovery of his head. The restof his body was never recovered.

Investigation

John and Revé personally believed thatthe Hollywood police department botched the treatment of Adam'sdisappearance, first the missing-persons investigation, then theinvestigation into his murder.