| Mike Echols | |
| Birth Name: | Walter Harlan Echols |
| Birth Date: | 1 April 1944 |
| Death Place: | Monterey County, California, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Author |
| Nationality: | American |
Walter Harlan "Mike" Echols (April 1, 1944 – January 10, 2003) was an American author who wrote several books, mainly dealing with child sexual abuse. These include I Know My First Name Is Steven, which chronicles the kidnap of Steven Stayner, and Brother Tony's Boys, which tells the story of Brother Tony Leyva, a Pentecostal revivalist preacher and pederast.[1]
Echols infiltrated NAMBLA and wrote of his experience in I Know My First Name is Steven.[2]
Echols was known for researching the Internet for pedophile chat rooms and forums. In 1998, Echols created Better a Millstone (BAM), a child-safety advocacy group, that identified and reported pedophiles to authorities. BAM's website also listed child porn sites, including web addresses, in an effort to publicly pressure sites' hosts.[3] [4]
Echols died in 2003 at age 58 in the Monterey County Jail in California from an apparent heart attack.[5] [6] He was in jail for failing to appear in court after being charged with indecent exposure for exposing himself to police, among other misdemeanors.[7] [8]