NEWSJohn Walsh Reflects on His Legacy: 'America's Most Wanted' Revolutionized True Crime Television
John Walsh revisited the legacy of ‘America’s Most Wanted’ and his mission for justice alongside son Callahan.
July 12 2025, Published 8:00 a.m. ET
America's Most Wanted has transformed the landscape of true crime TV since its inception in 1988, leading to the capture of over 1,000 fugitives.
John Walsh, the driving force behind the show and a beacon of hope following personal tragedy, continues to pursue justice alongside his son, Callahan Walsh.
Callahan Walsh, John's surviving son, is helping him carry the 'AMW' torch.
"It was the first reality show. It took off. It just caught the people's fancy, and we tried to do it with dignity," John, 79, shared with a news outlet during the series' June 12 episode.
The show emerged in the aftermath of a devastating event in 1981 when John's 6-year-old son, Adam, was kidnapped and murdered.
This loss fueled John and his family's commitment to assisting others in their pursuit of justice. They established the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
In 1987, John took on the role of host for America's Most Wanted, a platform that has since continued to make a significant impact — just last season, the show helped capture seven fugitives and locate two missing children.
"I said, 'We're never going to cross the lines. It's never going to be gratuitous violence. We're going to pick the stories. Hollywood's not picking the stories. We're not going to be any tabloid show. We're going to try to get justice because it took 27 years to solve Adam's case.' So, I know just where the people were coming from, and the public made this show a hit. We continue to be a hit," John said.
John Walsh launched ‘America’s Most Wanted’ following the abduction and murder of his 6-year-old son, Adam.
Reflecting on the show's legacy, John recalls significant captures, including that of David James Roberts, a man who had long been on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list.
"He was on the FBI's 10 Most wanted for years. He'd escaped from prison. He had raped and murdered two women," John explained. "He was a horrible, bad guy. And I picked him because I'm the father of a murdered child. And we caught David James Roberts."
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Callahan, 40, also shared his own connection to an unsolved case, to which he expressed deep personal feelings.
"Personally, the case of Lindsay Harris. I knew Lindsay personally and she was murdered outside of Vegas. She was being manipulated and trafficked by a horrible individual," he recounts. "Remains were found in Illinois off of sort of a truck stop area off the side of a highway. It took many years, I think six years for the DNA to hit and match that. Those were the remains of Lindsay Harris, my good friend. And the case is still unsolved."
'America's Most Wanted' helps solve high-profile cases.
"I want the person who's responsible for Lindsay's death to be held accountable. I want that person to rot in the jail cell. I mean, they deserve a special place in h---, but that place begins on the inside of the jail cell," he added.
In their pursuit of justice and safety, John and Callahan want to empower parents in protecting their children. "Your child's safety is in your hands, talking about their social media platforms," John emphasized.
Both John and Callahan Walsh continue to advocate for child safety.
He added: "No, you have got to talk to your kids about them and hope that they will trust you enough to tell you if they've got that gut feeling that something's bad's going on and they've seen it online."
Echoing his father's thoughts, Callahan remarked, "The internet has created life for the better in so many different ways, but it has created new ways to harm children and new ways to exploit kids. And so we need to be talking to our children about safety from a very young age."
