John Walsh Biography

Fast Facts

• Was a successful hotel developer in the 1970s and early '80s
• Suffered a family tragedy in 1981 when his 6-year-old son Adam was abducted from a Florida shopping mall and was found murdered 16 days later
• The case remained unsolved until December 16, 2008, when police named Ottis Toole---a convicted murderer who died in prison in 1996---as Adam's killer
• Was portrayed by Daniel J
• Travanti in two made-for-TV movies that chronicled his son's abduction and his family's crusade for children's rights: Adam (1983) and Adam: His Song Continues (1986)
• Cofounder of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, established in 1984
• Began hosting America's Most Wanted in 1988
• The long-running reality series has been responsible for more than 1000 captures
• Named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World by People magazine in 1996
• Featured in Outsiders: Wanted, the third volume of a DC Comics series of graphic novels
• Honored by the U
• S
• Marshals, the FBI and several U
• S
• presidents for his child-protection efforts, which resulted in the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006
• The act was signed by President George W
• Bush on the 25th anniversary of Adam's abduction