On this date in 1979, six year old Etan Patz disappeared while walking from his home in Manhattan to the school bus. The school never alerted Etan's parents to his absence, and his disappearance wasn't noticed until mid afternoon. An extensive search and investigation followed his disappeared, but Etan was never found. Several years later, a drifter named Jose Antonio Ramos would become a suspect in the boy's disappearance. Ramos had dated a woman that used to watch Etan for his parents.
Prosecutors were never able to make a case against him, but Etan's parents successfully sued Ramos in civil court. Years later, he wound up in prison in Pennsylvania on a conviction for child sex abuse. Ramos is scheduled to be released in November 2012.
Further reading:
truTV - All about the disappearance of Etan PatzNew York Magazine -
What Happened to Etan Patz Wikipedia -
Etan PatzNation Center for Missing and Exploited Children
2 comments:
Thanks for this, John. I remember the incident when it first happened. Just read the linked story ... I can't imagine what those parents/the kid went through. A true horror story.
Etan would be 36 years old now ... things like this put life in perspective, that's for sure.
Charlie,
Yes they do. They tend to make all the other aggravations of daily life seem miniscule by comparison.
Post a Comment