| National Missing Children's Day - May 25 | | | | law-enforcement agencies to help find their son. To |
| Between 1979 and 1981 a series of high-profile | | | | their disappointment, there was no coordinated effort |
| missing-children cases became national headlines. | | | | among law enforcement to search for Adam on a |
| Three such cases contributed to the shock of the | | | | state or national level, and no organization to help them |
| nation’s consciousness bringing attention to the | | | | in their desperation. |
| seriousness of child victimization and forever changing | | | | The tragedies of these children and others exposed a |
| the response by law-enforcement agencies to reports | | | | fundamental flaw. There was no coordinated effort |
| of missing children. | | | | between federal, state, and local law enforcement; no |
| On May 25, 1979, Etan Patz disappeared from a New | | | | national response system in place; and no central |
| York City street on his way to school. Even before | | | | resource to help searching families. When it came to |
| cases of missing children routinely garnered national | | | | handling missing-children cases, the United States was |
| media attention, Etan’s case quickly received a lot | | | | a nation of 50 states often acting like 50 separate |
| of coverage. His father, a professional photographer, | | | | countries. |
| disseminated black-and-white photographs of Etan in | | | | The momentum that began with the disappearance of |
| an effort to find him. The massive search and media | | | | Etan, Adam, and the 29 missing and murdered children |
| attention that followed focused the nation’s | | | | of Atlanta led to photographs of missing children on |
| attention on the problem of child abduction and lack of | | | | milk cartons and, ultimately, a nationwide movement. In |
| plans to address it. | | | | 1983 President Ronald Regan proclaimed May 25 |
| For almost three years national media attention was | | | | National Missing Children’s Day. Each administration |
| focused on Atlanta, Georgia, where the bodies of | | | | since has honored this annual reminder to the nation to |
| young boys and girls were discovered in lakes, | | | | renew efforts to reunite missing children with their |
| marshes, and ponds along roadside trails. By the time a | | | | families and make child protection a national priority. |
| suspect was arrested and identified in 1981, 29 bodies | | | | National Missing Children’s Day is a reminder to all |
| were recovered. The suspect was apprehended, | | | | parents and guardians of the need for high-quality |
| convicted, and now serves a life sentence in prison. | | | | photographs of their children for use in case of an |
| On July 27, 1981, 6-year-old Adam Walsh disappeared | | | | emergency, and for the need for everyone to pay |
| from a Florida shopping mall. His parents, John and | | | | close attention to the posters and photographs of |
| Revé Walsh, immediately turned to | | | | missing children. |