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John Walsh
*** Shopping-Tip: John Walsh
John Walsh (born
December 26,
1945 in
Auburn, New York) is the host of the
TV show America's Most Wanted. Walsh is known for his activism against criminals, particularly those who target children. He usually appears wearing a black leather coat, which has become his visual signature.
In the summer of
1981, Walsh was a partner in a
hotel management company in
Hollywood, Florida|Hollywood,
Florida. He and his wife, Revé, had a six-year-old son,
Adam. On
July 27,
1981, Adam was
abducted. His severed head was later found in a drainage canal more than 100 miles away from home, although his body was never recovered.
The prime suspect in Adam's abduction and murder,
Ottis Toole, was never charged in the Adam Walsh case. He died in prison while serving
life for other
crimes.
It wasn't long after Adam's death that the Walsh family turned their
grief into action, helping missing and exploited children. Against bureaucratic and legislative problems, John and Revé's efforts eventually led to the creation of the Missing Children Act of
1982 and the Missing Children's Assistance Act of
1984.
Subsequently, they founded the Adam Walsh Child Resource Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to legislative reform. Recently, the centers, originally located in
West Palm Beach, Florida|West Palm Beach,
Florida;
Columbia, South Carolina,
Columbia, South Carolina,
South Carolina;
Orange County, California,
Orange County, California,
California;_and
Rochester, New York,
Rochester, New York,
New York; merged with the
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), where John Walsh serves on the
Board of Directors.
Today, Walsh continues to testify before
United States Congress and state legislatures on crime, missing children and victims' rights issues. His latest efforts include lobbying for a
United States Congress and state legislatures on crime, missing children and victims' rights issues. His latest efforts include lobbying for a
Constitutional amendment for victims' rights.
Walsh has also been the host of the
FOX television show
America's Most Wanted since 1988. He was selected as host after the program's pilot had been completed and after a lengthy search. By that time, Walsh was already well-known because of the 1981 kidnapping and murder of his son, and for his actions to help missing and exploited children.
In
July 2005, Walsh attempted to assist the family of missing teen
Natalee Holloway. Walsh was critical of the
Aruban crime investigation and, along with T.V. personality
Dr. Phil, urged Americans to boycott Aruba.
Walsh was also the special guest on an episode of
, visiting Colleen Nick, like Walsh the parent of a missing child (Morgan Nick, disappeared in 1995, still missing). Walsh has featured the Morgan Nick case on America's Most Wanted several times.
External links
- America's Most Wanted Profile of John Walsh
- John Walsh at the Internet Movie Database
Category:1945 births
Category:Living people
Category:Irish-Americans
Category:Television personalities
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