CLOSURE 27 YEARS AFTER WALSH MURDER

Newsday

In the end, there was no smoking gun, no new evidence, not even anyone policecould charge.  All they  had was what was right in front of them the whole time. Yesterday investigators finally closed the 27 year old case of Adam Walsh, the little boy whosegruesome killing helped spur improvements in finding missing children and catapulted his father tofame as the host of America's Most Wanted.  Police said the man long considered the leadsuspect, Ottis Toole, was conclusively linked to the murder, but largely with circumstantialevidence that they've had all along. And it came far too late: Toole died in prison more than adecade ago.  Toole had confessed to the killing, but later recanted.  Toole's niece toldJohn Walsh her uncle gave a deathbed confession to the crime.  He died in prison of cirrhosisin 1996 at age 49.  he was serving five life sentences for murders unrelated to Adam's death.
(Hollywood, Florida)