Missing Children Whose Cases Changed How We Find Their Killers

Caylee Anthony. Madeline McCann. The Beaumont Children. The Lindbergh Baby. It's a tragic truth; thousands of children go missing in the United States alone each year. Sometimes they're just lost and they're found safe. Sometimes, one of their parents or another relative whisks them off for some reason. And sometimes, someone chooses an innocent child as their prey. These are the worst cases, the ones that are burned into the minds of everyone who comes across them.

But these cases can serve a purpose; the anguish and suffering of losing one of our most innocent community members can begin turning the wheels of justice, resulting in the creation of programs and legislation that can hopefully keep something like this from happening to someone else's baby. Here are a few of those cases.

Charles Lindbergh Jr.

March 1, 1932. A nurse puts one-year-old Charles Lindbergh Jr., son of the famous pilot Charles Lindbergh, down for a nap. Hours later, she checks on the baby only to find that he's gone, and a note demanding $50,000 is left in his place. Though the ransom is paid, The Lindbergh Baby is found dead on his parents' property two months later.

The FBI eventually had 5000 agents hunting for the killer, and a man named Bruno Hauptmann was arrested. The ransom had been paid in $10 gold certificates, and a gas station manager reported Hauptmann to the police when he attempted to pay for gas with one of them. Though there has been speculation that Hauptmann had an accomplice, or was even framed for the crime, he was found guilty and executed in 1936.

The kidnapping of the Lindbergh Baby, which would be dubbed the "Crime of the Century" by the press, brought about the creation of the Federal Kidnapping Act, also known as The Lindbergh Law. This act made it a federal crime to transport a kidnapping victim across state lines, and it remains active to this day.

Etan Patz

May 25, 1979. Six-year-old Etan Patz has been allowed to walk to the bus stop near his Manhattan home alone. He is never seen again. The search for him is extensive, but his body is never found. His face was one of the first ever to be placed on a milk carton during the missing children campaign launched in the early 1980s, and the day of his disappearance is now known as National Missing Children's Day.

In 2012, a man named Pedro Hernandez confessed to police that he had lured the boy into his home with the promise of a free soda, whereupon he strangled the boy before throwing him out with the trash. However, Hernandez would later recant this confession, and the subsequent trial ended in a hung jury.

Adam Walsh

July 27, 1981. At a Sears in Florida, Adam Walsh's mother leaves him looking at an Atari 2600 for a few minutes while she browses a nearby aisle; when she returns, her six-year-old is nowhere to be found. Two weeks later, fishermen will find his head in a canal.

Enraged by the senseless killing of his son, John Walsh begins a crusade to help find people who prey upon children. Adam's story was made into a TV film called Adam to raise awareness for this cause, and it would be watched by approximately 38 million people.

John Walsh would go on to help establish The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in July of 1984, and the organization is now responsible for assisting with finding the thousands of children that go missing every year. He is also well known for creating the popular TV show America's Most Wanted, which premiered on Fox in 1988, and continues to run today. Finally, on the 25 year anniversary of Adam's disappearance, the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act was signed into law. This act created a registry for child abusers and toughened punishments for those who commit crimes against children.

Serial killer Ottis Toole would confess to Adam's killing in 2008, but he would never be tried or convicted of the crime. Toole is known for exaggerating his crimes, and there is little — if any — evidence to prove that he was involved.

Cherrie Mahan

February 22, 1985. Eight-year-old Cherrie Mahan disappears from a bus stop 150 yards from her home in rural Pennsylvania. Police found that there were no footprints in the snow leading toward the Mahan home, so they suspect that Cherrie was snatched shortly after she got off the school bus.

Those searching for her exhausted every option; she was the first missing child ever to appear on "Have You Seen This Child" mail-outs that were distributed all over the country. Despite the extensive search, there have been no signs of Cherrie and no arrests have ever been made in connection to her disappearance. Her case remains open.

Megan Kanka

July 29, 1994. Seven-year-old Megan Kanka takes a bike ride around her neighborhood in Hamilton Township, New Jersey. She never returns, and it is soon discovered that the little girl has been kidnapped, raped, and murdered by Jesse Timmendequas — a convicted child sex offender that had been living across the street from her home.

The horrific murder of Megan Kanka led to legislation called Megan's Law, which requires authorities to notify a community when a predator convicted of crimes against children moves into their neighborhood.

Amber Hagerman

January 13, 1996. Nine-year-old Amber Hagerman is abducted while riding her bike in Arlington, Texas. Four days later, her body was discovered in a creek behind an apartment complex. There were no suspects at the time, and her case remains unsolved to this day.

Amber Hagerman became immortalized as the face behind the AMBER Alert — The America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response System, which was established later that year. The AMBER Alert system is an incredible tool for finding missing children as fast as possible, and systems like it have been established in countries worldwide.

Jessica Lunsford

February 27, 2005. Nine-year-old Jessica Lunsford is snatched from her bedroom in Homosassa, Florida. She is discovered weeks later buried in a trash can. Convicted sex offender John Couey would later admit to police that he abducted the nine-year-old and held her for several days before burying her alive.

Couey was sentenced to death later that year, and Jessica's Law was passed. The law requires restrictions such as electronic tracking devices on convicted sex offenders, and longer prison sentences for those who commit these horrible crimes.