Kidnap/murder victim. On the morning of May 25, 1979, six-year-old Etan Patz left his Manhattan SoHo apartment to walk to a bus stop en route to school. It was the first time that he had ever gone to the bus stop on his own. He never got on the bus and was never seen or heard from again. The kidnapping of Etan Patz sparked one of the most intense missing person manhunts in the history of the New York City Police Department. It was the most extensive manhunt since the abduction of the Lindbergh baby in 1932, and Etan became the symbol for lost children all across America. THis was one of the first cases to circulate a missing child's photo on a milk carton. Authorities began a worldwide search that led to then-President Ronald Reagan's declaration of May 25 (the day of Etan's disappearance) as National Missing Children's Day. Unfortunately, his remains were never found. In June 2001, Etan Patz was declared legally dead by a Manhattan Surrogate Court Judge who ruled that the child died on May 25, 1979, the day he was kidnapped. The case remained unsolved for 33 years until police received a tip in May 2012 that led to the arrest of Pedro Hernandez for kidnapping and second-degree murder. Hernandez's first trial ended in a mistrial when a single juror held out. His second trial lasted five months and ended with a guilty verdict on all counts. Hernandez was sentenced in 2017 to 25-years-to-life in prison. Etan's parents were awarded $2 million, which they never collected.
Kidnap/murder victim. On the morning of May 25, 1979, six-year-old Etan Patz left his Manhattan SoHo apartment to walk to a bus stop en route to school. It was the first time that he had ever gone to the bus stop on his own. He never got on the bus and was never seen or heard from again. The kidnapping of Etan Patz sparked one of the most intense missing person manhunts in the history of the New York City Police Department. It was the most extensive manhunt since the abduction of the Lindbergh baby in 1932, and Etan became the symbol for lost children all across America. THis was one of the first cases to circulate a missing child's photo on a milk carton. Authorities began a worldwide search that led to then-President Ronald Reagan's declaration of May 25 (the day of Etan's disappearance) as National Missing Children's Day. Unfortunately, his remains were never found. In June 2001, Etan Patz was declared legally dead by a Manhattan Surrogate Court Judge who ruled that the child died on May 25, 1979, the day he was kidnapped. The case remained unsolved for 33 years until police received a tip in May 2012 that led to the arrest of Pedro Hernandez for kidnapping and second-degree murder. Hernandez's first trial ended in a mistrial when a single juror held out. His second trial lasted five months and ended with a guilty verdict on all counts. Hernandez was sentenced in 2017 to 25-years-to-life in prison. Etan's parents were awarded $2 million, which they never collected.
Bio by: Loren
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