Police finally solve 1981 murder of Adam Walsh
After 27 years, Florida police say they have finally solved the brutal murder of six-year-old Adam Walsh -- a crime that inspired the boy's father to become the host of "America's Most Wanted."
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Adam Walsh, son of television personality John Walsh, is seen in this undated handout photo. Walsh's murder, which occurred in 1981, was declared a closed case on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2008.
Police in Hollywood, Fla., said that Ottis Toole, a notorious serial killer who died in prison in 1996, killed the young boy in 1981.
"It's not about closure ... it's about justice," said the boy's father John Walsh during an emotional press conference on Tuesday.
Toole was considered the prime suspect in the case, and at one point, he even confessed to the crime. However, since Toole confessed to hundreds of murders, police eventually ruled him out.
But John Walsh said he also suspected Toole was responsible for the killing.
"For 27 years, we've been asking, who could take a six-year old and murder and decapitate him?" said John Walsh.
"We needed to know. We needed to know. And today we know. The not knowing has been a torture, but that journey's over."
The young boy disappeared from a mall in his home town of Hollywood on July 27, 1981. Two weeks later, the boy's head was found in a canal about 200 kilometres away.
No other body parts were never found.
Police also admitted Tuesday that officers made several key mistakes during the crucial early stages of the investigation.
For instance, a piece of blood-stained carpet which police took from Toole's car was lost during the investigation, meaning officials couldn't test it for DNA evidence, and even the car itself.
While the murder remained an unresolved tragedy for the Walsh family, it pushed John Walsh into activism.
Walsh created the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which put the faces of missing children on milk cartons and changed the way police investigated missing kids.
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All I can say about this is finally. John Walsh can finally have some measure of peace knowing that the scumwad that murdered his little boy was not still a free man. I cannot imagine the horrible pain that he must have gone through.:-(
I am thankful that he was able to find a way to climb over his grief and create a show that has helped capture numerous criminals. At least this one good thing was able to come about from such a horrible tragedy.:-(
After 27 years, Florida police say they have finally solved the brutal murder of six-year-old Adam Walsh -- a crime that inspired the boy's father to become the host of "America's Most Wanted."
#msnPlayer_m .last{background:none;margin:0;padding:0}#msnPlayer_a, #msnPlayer_m, .msnInlinePlayer,#msnPlayer_t{display: none;position: absolute;visibilty: hidden;}
Police in Hollywood, Fla., said that Ottis Toole, a notorious serial killer who died in prison in 1996, killed the young boy in 1981.
"It's not about closure ... it's about justice," said the boy's father John Walsh during an emotional press conference on Tuesday.
Toole was considered the prime suspect in the case, and at one point, he even confessed to the crime. However, since Toole confessed to hundreds of murders, police eventually ruled him out.
But John Walsh said he also suspected Toole was responsible for the killing.
"For 27 years, we've been asking, who could take a six-year old and murder and decapitate him?" said John Walsh.
"We needed to know. We needed to know. And today we know. The not knowing has been a torture, but that journey's over."
The young boy disappeared from a mall in his home town of Hollywood on July 27, 1981. Two weeks later, the boy's head was found in a canal about 200 kilometres away.
No other body parts were never found.
Police also admitted Tuesday that officers made several key mistakes during the crucial early stages of the investigation.
For instance, a piece of blood-stained carpet which police took from Toole's car was lost during the investigation, meaning officials couldn't test it for DNA evidence, and even the car itself.
While the murder remained an unresolved tragedy for the Walsh family, it pushed John Walsh into activism.
Walsh created the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which put the faces of missing children on milk cartons and changed the way police investigated missing kids.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All I can say about this is finally. John Walsh can finally have some measure of peace knowing that the scumwad that murdered his little boy was not still a free man. I cannot imagine the horrible pain that he must have gone through.:-(
I am thankful that he was able to find a way to climb over his grief and create a show that has helped capture numerous criminals. At least this one good thing was able to come about from such a horrible tragedy.:-(
