America's Most Wanted
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- AMW redirects here; for other uses of that term, see AMW (disambiguation).
America's Most Wanted is a long-running TV show produced by 20th Century Fox and running on Fox that profiles fugitives wanted for violent crimes, often including those currently on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list (see FBI ten most wanted fugitives). The fugitives' crimes include rape, white collar crime, murder, armed robbery, gang violence, terrorism, drug trafficking, and child molestation.
The host of the show, John Walsh, started it in the aftermath of the 1981 kidnapping and murder of his seven-year-old son, Adam Walsh. The show began profiling missing persons, especially children, in 1991. As of 2005, 846 fugitives have been captured and 42 missing children have been returned alive to their families. Among the most famous examples is John List, a fugitive mass murderer for 18 years who was captured only a week after his case was broadcast.
Running since February 7, 1988, the show was cancelled for a month and a half in 1996, but protests from the public, law enforcement, and even government officials brought it back.
The show expanded its focus to also cover criminals in the War on Terrorism when, on October 12, 2001 an episode aired featuring 22 most wanted men considered to be terrorists by the United States. The show was put together due to a request by US President George W. Bush, who had presented the same list of men to the nation two days earlier.
External link
- Official site (http://www.amw.com)
America's Most Wanted is also the name of professional wrestling tag team of Chris Harris and James Storm.