On July 27, 1981, six-year-old Adam Walsh disappeared from the Hollywood Mall in Hollywood, Florida. His mother, Revé Walsh, had left him alone in the toy section of a department store for a few minutes, and when she returned, he was gone. A massive search effort was launched, with police and volunteers scouring the area and distributing flyers with Adam's picture. The investigation into Adam's disappearance was extensive, with numerous leads and tips pursued over the years. In 2008, the Hollywood Police Department announced that they had finally solved the case, identifying Ottis Toole, a serial killer who had died in prison in 1996, as Adam's likely killer. Toole had confessed to the crime in 1983, but his confession was not pursued at the time due to lack of evidence. The case was officially closed in 2008, bringing closure to the Walsh family after over 25 years of uncertainty.