How Revé Drew Walsh and John Walsh’s Lives Changed after Losing Their Son

Like her husband, Revé Drew Walsh was mobilized to become a victims’ rights activist after the tragic death of their son Adam Walsh, though she has remained behind the scenes. A family friend’s accusations further deepened her harrowing ordeal.

John Walsh’s wife met the TV personality in the ’60s as a student at University at Buffalo. A year after their firstborn’s murder, Revé Drew Walsh had a daughter, Meghan Walsh, followed by sons, Callahan Walsh and Hayden Walsh.

The family still celebrates Adam’s birthday every year. At least one of their children has continued the family activism legacy and has his own TV show.

TV Personality John Walsh, wife Reve Drew, sons Callahan Walsh and Hayden Walsh and daughter Megan Walsh attending 47th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, on September 9, 1995, at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, in Pasadena, California. | Source: Getty Images

Their Family Tragedy Shot Them to Fame

The last time Revé saw her son Adam alive was on the afternoon of July 27, 1981, in the Hollywood Mall’s Sears department store in Hollywood, Florida.

The six-year-old asked his mom if he could watch older boys play video games in the toy department while she continued shopping in another section of the store. When she returned, the gamers had been cleared out by security, and her young child was missing.

The intense search for Adam tragically ended two weeks later when fishermen discovered his partial remains in a drainage canal along the Florida Turnpike close to Vero Beach. It was over 100 miles from where he was last seen.

Reve Walsh and John Walsh speak during The National Center For Missing And Exploited Children, the Fraternal Order of the Police and the Justice Departments’s 16th Annual Congressional Breakfast, at The Liaison Capitol Hill Hotel, on May 18, 2011, in Washington, DC. | Source: Getty Images

The Walshses filed a lawsuit against Sears. Adam’s godfather, Jim Campbell, claimed in a deposition that Revé and her husband were habitual drug users and that he and Revé had an extra-marital affair.

Toole was the partner of serial killer Henry Lee Lucas…

Additionally, Sears had evidence that Adam was left alone for longer than the five minutes his mother asserted. The Walshes dropped the lawsuit to curb the spread of Campbell’s accusations, but the deposition eventually became public.

The killer was never convicted, but Revé and her husband, John, found some closure in December 2008. Over the years, infamous names like Jeffrey Dahmer (the subject of a recent Netflix limited series starring Evan Peters) were put forward during the investigation.

Hollywood Police Chief Chadwick Wagner reviewed the evidence when he took over the role and found that though circumstantial, there was enough evidence to convict Ottis Elwood Toole had he not died 12 years prior in jail for two other murders.

Toole was the partner of serial killer Henry Lee Lucas, the Confession Killer. Toole had confessed to the murder of Adam but recanted his confession. A witness had seen the murderer talk to Adam in the mall on the day of his disappearance.

U.S. President George W. Bush signs the H.R. 4472, the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, while John Walsh gives a thumbs up and his wife Reve Walsh (2nd-L) holds hands with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (L) and members of Congress stand nearby in the Rose Garden, at the White House, July 27, 2006, in Washington, DC. | Source: Getty Images

Revé Spearheads Efforts to Find Missing Children after Her Son’s Case

Revé and John lobbied for the Missing Children’s Act of 1982 and the Missing Children’s Assistance Act of 1984. In 2006, the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act was signed in by former president George W Bush.

They also established the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which has significant social media platforms to raise awareness about cold cases and new disappearances.

John and his wife had three children after the loss of their firstborn. Revé started divorce proceedings in July 2002, asking for full custody of the children. The college sweethearts reconciled and celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2021.

John Walsh (L) and Callahan Walsh of Investigation Discovery’s ‘In Pursuit With John Walsh’ pose for a portrait during the 2019 Winter TCA at The Langham Huntington, Pasadena, on February 12, 2019, in Pasadena, California. | Source: Getty Images

Her Husband Switched Careers Following Their Loss

Seven years after Adam’s murder, John launched “America’s Most Wanted” in 1988. Hosted by John, the show reportedly assisted 43 missing kids to be reunited with their families and helped apprehend close to 1200 criminals, of which 17 were on the FBI’s most wanted list.

At the time of his son’s disappearance, he had been working on his dream project, a $26-million hotel in the Bahamas. However, he left the hotel business soon after Adam’s death.

The show had been canceled and returned several times over its multi-year run with John. “America’s Most Wanted” was revived in 2021 with journalist Elizabeth Vargas stepping in as the host.

His son Callahan executive produced “In Pursuit with John Walsh,” and is now co-hosting “In Pursuit: The Missing.” Callahan said, “My father has big shoes to fill. I’m just honored to continue both of their legacies, hunt down bad guys and find missing people with the public’s help.”