Police declare Adam Walsh case cleared

HOLLYWOOD, Fla., Dec. 16 (UPI) -- The kidnap-killing case of 6-year-old Adam Walsh, which shocked the nation in 1981, is over, Hollywood, Fla., police Chief Chadwick Wagner said Tuesday.

At a press conference with Adam's parents Reve and John Walsh, Wagner said there is no new evidence in the case that began July 27, 1981, when the boy was taken from a Hollywood, Fla., area shopping mall, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale reported.

However, he said a review of the record and discussions with original investigators led him to conclude that pedophile and convicted serial killer Ottis Toole abducted and killed the boy 27 years ago.

"This is three decades of investigators," Wagner said. "In three decades, Ottis Toole has been the suspect."

If Toole, who died in prison in 1996, were alive, Wagner said he would have probable cause to arrest him for the boy's death. He said the case was "exceptionally cleared."

"Listening to the words that came out of Chief Wagner's mouth penetrated my soul," Reve Walsh said. "In our 27 years, doing what we do, we have educated law enforcement. I think they are more sensitive to the needs of missing children and their families. Its a great day for children, its a great day for my family, its a great day for me."

Not knowing was torturous, John Walsh said, adding that he had a "lot of horrible memories," including events in the police department.

"Now I think it's only fitting that it ends here, in this police department," he said.

John Walsh became a vocal advocate for missing children since his son's death, testifying before Congress, founding the Adam Walsh Foundation and hosting "America's Most Wanted," a crime-fighting television program.