Sam Amirante Changed Missing Child Laws

Sam Amirante, the defense attorney for John Wayne Gacy, heard the Chicago murderer confess to more than 30 killings during the investigation that exposed the crimes in 1978. The shocking case revealed how easily missing children could disappear without an immediate police search. Motivated by what he had witnessed, Amirante later pushed for legal reforms to improve how authorities responded to missing child cases. His efforts helped inspire the Missing Child Recovery Act of 1984, which removed the old 72-hour waiting period before police could begin a full search.

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