A career in fighting crime is one John Walsh never expected. In 1981, Walsh was a partner in a successful hotel management company.  He and his wife Revé were living the American dream in southern Florida with their six-year-old son Adam.  But then violent crime touched their lives. On July 27, 1981, Adam Walsh was abducted from a suburban shopping mall. For 16 days, a frantic search followed until Adam's remains were discovered more than 100 miles from his home.

The prime suspect in Adam's murder, Ottis Toole, was never charged in the case. He died in prison while serving life for other crimes. Toole took the truth about his possible involvement in Adam's murder to his grave -- denying John and Revé  an opportunity for closure.

The Walsh's turned their grief into action and without a badge or a gun, John Walsh quickly became a nationally recognized leader in the push for victims' rights. In 1987, FOX contacted John about hosting a groundbreaking new reality show designed to track down the country's most notorious and dangerous fugitives by profiling their cases to a national audience. Using AMW as his vehicle for justice, John could now bring to other victims of violent crime the closure he never found.

Despite his years of exposure to the dark sides of humanity, John still believes in the inherent good of people and their power to make positive changes. 

Everything we have been able to accomplish is because of the public, When I think back to everything we did that some people predicted would never happen--the bills they said would never pass, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children they said would never come to be--it was the public that made it work. In 1996, when Fox wanted to cancel America's Most Wanted, the public brought it back. I was amazed at the reaction. It was overwhelming, and it was so gratifying.

John has never let the demands of his America's Most Wanted schedule interfere with his efforts on behalf of victims and their rights.

- John has testified before Congress and state legislatures more than 55  times on crime, missing children and victims' issues.
- John and Revé worked for the passage of the Missing Children Act of 1982
- The Walsh's hard work and determination helped to pass the Missing Children's Assistance Act of 1984 which created National Center for Missing and Exploited Children NCMEC which now serves as the national clearinghouse for information on missing children and the prevention of child victimization.
- Revé  Walsh serves on the NCMEC Board of Directors
- John serves on the Board's Chief Executive Officers Council and National Advisory Board, and acts as an NCMEC spokesperson.
- John is currently advocating a Constitutional Amendment for victims' rights

John has been honored by law enforcement agencies around the country.
     1988 US Marshals Man Of  The Year award
     2000 FBI Man of the Year award
     A Special Recognition Award by the US Attorney      General -- the only private citizen ever to receive this honor
     Honors in the Rose Garden at The White House, four times by three presidents: Clinton, Bush (Sr.), and Reagan (twice)

John is also the author of three best-selling books including Tears of Rage (1997), No Mercy (1998), and Public Enemies (2001).