The Murder of Adam Walsh

Adam John Walsh was an American boy who was abducted from a Sears department store at the Hollywood Mall in Hollywood, Florida, on July 27, 1981, and later found murdered. Adam's death earned national publicity, and Adam's father, John Walsh, later became an advocate for victims of violent crime and the host of the television program America's Most Wanted. Convicted serial killer Ottis Toole confessed to the boy's murder but was never tried for the crime. Although no new evidence has come forth, on December 16, 2008, police announced that the Walsh case was now closed as they were satisfied that Toole was the murderer of Adam Walsh. Ottis Toole had died of liver failure on September 15.

Kidnapping

On Monday, July 27, 1981, Adam's mother, Revé, let him watch a small group of older boys play video games at a Sears store in Hollywood, Florida, while she walked a few aisles away to shop for a lamp. When Revé returned to the video game section, she was frightened to find that Adam was gone. And so was everyone else. She was only gone about seven minutes. She then told a Sears associate, who announced over the intercom for Adam to meet his mother at one of the information desks. Revé later said that she had no confidence that Adam would be able to locate the desks. Adam and his mother were never reunited. There are claims that a security guard threw the children out of the store for bickering over the video game, and perhaps Adam was confused and thought he had to leave too.

Investigators think Adam had been mistakenly associated with a group of older children who were causing trouble and told to leave the shopping mall. It is suspected that Adam was abducted near the front exterior of the store after the other boys went on their way. Adam's severed head was found in a Vero Beach, Florida canal on August 10, 1981; the rest of his remains have never been recovered. This is an extremely upsetting case to explore astrologically, I have a little boy of my own, and this type of crime frightens me, because of it is brutality against the innocence of a child. I have an enormous amount of admiration for his father John Walsh and his wife. John Walsh has been a driving force in changing laws to protect children.



Adam’s natal chart: (no birth time)

Adam was born with Sun in Scorpio, along with a stellium of planets in Pluto’s sign, (Mercury, Venus, and Mars). Scorpio is a fixed and emotional sign, and shows psychological toughness. The Sun is Conjunct Mars, and is descriptive of someone who has tremendous fight. His Sun has courage and deep determination. Mars is connected to anger, violence, and assertiveness in astrology. Mars in Scorpio rules all things hidden and mysterious in life. A stellium of energy is a hotbed of intensity and focus, and the sign of Scorpio is a powerful theme in Adam’s chart, and his tragic death was the catalyst for change and transformation in society.

At the time of his kidnapping and death transiting Jupiter and Saturn were moving through Libra, and made a conjunction to Adam’s natal Pluto. A configuration of Jupiter/Saturn/Pluto, planets that contact Pluto become more obsessive and compulsive and planets that contact Jupiter are expanded and exaggerated, thus the magnification of Pluto is associated with huge power, for better or ill. When an idividual is under a transit of Saturn-Pluto, this can often mark the time of some sort of tragedy, and can create a feeling of powerlessness. Saturn rules mortality, time and physical form, and Pluto rules the underworld and is connected with the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. The transit appears when one cycle is ending and a new chapter in life is beginning. The transits obviously foreshadowed  Adam’s death.

Transiting Pluto opposed natal Chiron in Aries, and forms a powerful opposition. Pluto rules death, decaying, recycling, transformation and Chiron rules our wounds, and represents an area were we have been hurt in life. Transiting Chiron in Taurus opposed his natal Sun/Venus conjunction in Scorpio, and this can mean a wounding to the sense of self worth, and self-expression, it can represent frustrated desires. The energy of Taurus is about personal power and Scorpio is power over others. In Adams case it was severe physical wounding (Chiron in Taurus); unfortunately Adam attracted a very dangerous and disturbed man at this time, who inflicted terrible brutality upon him. Chironic wounding in the natal chart is unfair, unjust, and fills us with deep rage.

John Walsh

After the murder of his son Adam, John Walsh has been involved in Anti-crime activism, and has served on the board of Directors for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. With John’s natal chart there is a wide Mars-Pluto (extreme violence) conjunction in Leo (children). Bear in mind that not everyone with this aspect will be a victim of violence or their families, and it can be used constructively and show an individual that is a powerful force to be reckoned with. After the death of his little boy, John's innate powerful emotional intensity focused on bettering society, and challenging corruption in the world. The Sun is in Capricorn, and Saturn (Sun sign ruler) is in Cancer the sign of childhood, family, and protection, he has been powerfully influential in society and has helped put into place many protective measures for children.

A collection of planets in Libra reflect a highly civilised nature, and justice is a primary motivation. This enables him to be skilled at negotiation, using his diplomatic skills to everybody's advantage. The planet of communcation -Mercury is in Sagittarius and is opposed to Uranus in Gemini, this contact describes how John is spreading the word (Gem-Sag) on important issues and activating awareness and change (Uranus). Jupiter in Libra rules Mercury in Sagittarius,  and both Jupiter and Libra are connected to the Law. Primarily, John has focused on making a new law for the sex offender’s registry, and one that allows the public access to these records. The transits at the time of Adams death reflected in his chart are as follows - Transiting Pluto conjunct Jupiter and Chiron, and transiting Jupiter & Saturn in Libra conjunct natal Neptune.

Ottis Toole: Astrology Chart -

Toole’s was born when the Sun was in Pisces conjunct Mercury and square to Uranus, a willful individual, who can act unstable. His Sun and Mercury are also in trine to Chiron in Scorpio, suggesting he carries his emotional wounds all too easily. Toole's Venus in Capricorn is opposed to Saturn, describing how love is limited in some way, and that he experienced rejection at some time in his childhood. Mars in Pisces is square to Jupiter, showing an excessive will, escapism and poor discrimination. His Saturn is conjunct Pluto in Leo, in a sign that rules creativity, children and the father. Toole's father abandoned him when he was young, and his mother was a religious fanatic, who he claimed abused him and dressed him up in girls clothing. Toole suffered incest at the hands of close relatives. On top of all this, his grandmother was a Satanist, who called him the devils child. It was designated that he was mentally retarded, but he may have scored higher in IQ tests, but had difficulty due to his dyslexia and ADHD. He also suffered from epilepsy which astrolgically is a Uranus condition. Mercury is in fall in the sign of Pisces and squares Uranus, this would confirm difficulty with learning. Plus, Sun-Mercury-Uranus is linked to dyslexia and epilespy. At some point along the way - Ottis became mentally unhinged, and was a danger to society. As a Pisces he is sensitive to the collective - and was a victim in childhood who later victimized others, and he switched his empathy off. His Saturn-Pluto conjunction in Leo needs to be an authority, and this shows a thread of ruthlessness in his nature, he is here to learn about power and powerlessness in all forms. His natal chart is dominated by water, so his moods are extremely changeable.

By Liz Green ~ It seems terribly unfair that a good creature like Chiron, wise and civilized, should have to suffer, merely because he is in the wrong place at the wrong time. When we encounter such events in the modern world, they fill us with helpless rage and bewilderment. ’Why did this terrible thing happen to someone so young…so kind… so good? Why didn’t it happen to someone bad and unworthy? We want to believe in the fairness of life, because this belief makes life feel controllable. The myth of Chiron is really a myth of humanity. We are a mixture of opposites and contradictions, half-bestial and half-divine, with a capacity for great wisdom and goodness and an equal capacity for savagery and brutality."