Adam John Walsh (1974-1981) was an American boy who was abducted from a Sears department store at the Hollywood Mall in Hollywood, Florida, on July 27, 1981. His severed head was found two weeks later in a drainage canal alongside Florida's Turnpike in rural St. Lucie County, Florida. His father, John Walsh, became an advocate for victims of violent crimes and was the host of the television program America's Most Wanted. Convicted serial killer Ottis Toole confessed to Adam's murder, but was never convicted for this specific crime due to loss of evidence and a recanted confession. Toole died in prison of liver failure on September 15, 1996. On December 16, 2008, police announced that the Walsh case was closed