John Walsh (television host)

John Walsh
Walsh in September 2008, filming for America's Most Wanted at the National Museum of Crime and Punishment.
Born	John Edward Walsh, Jr. (1945-12-26) December 26, 1945 (age 71) Auburn, New York, U.S.
Nationality	American
Alma mater	University at Buffalo
Occupation	Television personality, anti-crime advocate
Years active	1981–present
Television	America's Most Wanted, The Hunt With John Walsh,"The Justice Network"
Spouse(s)	Revé Drew-Walsh (1971–present)
Children	Adam (1974–1981) Meghan (b. 1982) Callahan (b. 1987) Hayden (b. 1994)
Awards	Operation Kids Lifetime Achievement Award 2008

John Edward Walsh, Jr. (born December 26, 1945) is an American television personality, criminal investigator, human and victim rights advocate, and the host, as well as creator, of America's Most Wanted. Walsh is known for his anti-crime activism, with which he became involved following the murder of his son, Adam, in 1981; in 2008, the late serial killer Ottis Toole was named as the killer of Walsh's son. Walsh was part owner of the now defunct Museum of Crime & Punishment in Washington, D.C. He also anchors an investigative documentary series, The Hunt with John Walsh, which debuted on CNN in 2014.

Walsh was born in Auburn, New York. He attended the University at Buffalo. After college and marriage to the former Revé Drew in 1971, the newlywed Walshes settled in South Florida, where John became involved in building high-end luxury hotels.

In the summer of 1981, Walsh was an official with Paradise Island Hotel and Casino in The Bahamas, and worked in Hollywood, Florida. He and his wife, Revé, had a six-year-old son, Adam. On July 27, 1981, Adam was abducted from a Sears department store at the Hollywood Mall, across from the Hollywood Police station. Revé had left Adam in the toy department at the Sears while she looked for a lamp. When she returned several minutes later, Adam was missing. Police records in Adam's case released in 1996, show that a 17-year-old security guard instructed four boys to leave the department store. Adam has been thought to be one of them. Sixteen days after the abduction, his severed head was found in a drainage canal 120 miles (190 km) away from home. His other remains were never recovered.