Mike Echols Explained

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]

Notes and References

  1. News: Harris . Scott . October 15, 1996 . Shining a Bright Light on a Dark Subject . . 0458-3035 . .
  2. News: Harris . Scott . March 10, 1992 . A Victory for Shadowy Crusader As Persistent as a Nazi Hunter and as Duplicitous as a Con Man, Mike Echols 'Stings' Pedophile Group and Stirs a Tempest in San Francisco . . 0458-3035 . .
  3. News: Mims . Bob . October 28, 2000 . BYU Volunteer Helps Patrol Web For Smut Peddlers . . .
  4. News: Blackwell . Tom . July 25, 2001 . Web site monitored to catch pedophiles: Was based in Montreal . . 1486-8008 . .
  5. News: Inmate death blamed on clot: Jail Officials Say Echols Had Been in Poor Health; Man was found dead in his cell on Friday . . Staff and wire reports . 2003-01-14.
  6. News: Stayner book author dies of heart attack . Finz . Stacy . San Francisco Chronicle . January 14, 2003.
  7. News: Anti-child-pornography crusader sentenced for violating probation . Monterey County Herald (California) . 2002-12-13.
  8. News: Livernois . Joe . January 13, 2003 . Author Echols, wrote book about Steven Stayner, dies in jail . . .