Florida police are expected to announce that they are ready to close murder investigation of Adam Walsh

Florida police are expected to announce today that they are ready to close the 1981 abduction and murder investigation of Adam Walsh, one of the country's most famous cold cases, law enforcement sources tell ABC News.


The 6-year-old son of "America's Most Wanted" host John Walsh went missing from a Hollywood, Fla., mall more than 27 years ago. His head was discovered two weeks later, though his body was never found.

Hollywood police said they would hold a news conference on the case this afternoon. Police sources did not immediately identify the suspected killer, but Walsh has long said that be believes Ottis Toole, a drifter who died in prison in 1996, killed his son.

The murder tranformed Walsh's life, turning him from a middle-class hotel marketing executive into one of country's best known advocates for missing children.


"We were absolutely devastated, heartbroken," he told Larry King on the 25th anniversary of the incident. "We had nothing in common but the anger and the grief. And [Walsh's wife, Reve] said, 'You know, we're destroying ourselves. This is not something that Adam would want. We've forgotten who the real victim is.'"

Walsh, who will turn 63 later this month, started the Adam Walsh Child Resource Center and co-founded the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. His television show, "America's Most Wanted," debuted in 1988.


Since 1984, the center has assisted law enforcement with more than 148,160 missing child cases, resulting in the recovery of more than 132,300 children.

"America's Most Wanted" went on to become one of the country's longest-running television shows. It began profiling missing persons, especially children, in 1991. It was briefly canceled in 1996, but reappeared after a public outcry. The show says its reports have led to the capture of more than 1,000 fugitives.
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