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A listener note, this episode contains references to violence that may not be suitable for all audiences.

It's July 27, 1981 in Hollywood, Florida.

It's a sweltering summer's day and 33-year-old Revei Drew Walsh is happy for any excuse to get out of the heat.

So a little afternoon, she heads to the mall to pick up a pair of lamps she's seen in the Sears catalog.

Tagging along is her son, Adam.

In green shorts, yellow flip flops, and a white captain's hat, the six-year-old boy is hard to miss as he trots through the department store at his mother's side.

On their way to the lamps, the pair walk through the toy section, at the center of which is a big screen television,

with the latest video game console attached.

As usual, Adam tugs on his mother's hand and asks if he can stop to play.

There are plenty of other kids milling around, each waiting for a go at the game, so Revei figures Adam will have at least some company while she picks up the lamps.

She points toward the furniture corner of the store, less than a hundred feet away, and tells him that's where she'll be.

After a few minutes of waiting, a salesperson tells Revei that the lamps she wants aren't in stock.

So she leaves her name and phone number, and returns to the video game, expecting to find Adam.

But he's not there. None of the children are.

Trying to stay calm Revei wanders through the aisles, looking for adults she can ask for help.

But there's little anyone can do beyond suggesting places for Revei to look.

As the minutes tick by, she starts to feel that something is very wrong.

Adam is not the sort to wander off, despite the store employees suggesting that's probably what happened.

Through it all, Revei is terrified to venture far from the toy section.

She's hopeful that Adam will come back to the spot to find her if she just stays still.

...