Etan Patz was only six on May 25, 1979, when he convinced his parents to let him walk to the bus stop alone. For a while, he had been arguing that all of his friends' parents allowed them to walk the few blocks by themselves, and they finally relented. He was headed for school in the upscale Soho area of New York.
That afternoon his mother, Julie Patz, waited in vain for him to come home. She called the school and then the homes of all his friends. When no one had seen her son, she called police. More than 100 officers and searchers with bloodhounds arrived and scoured the area for several weeks, but they were unable to find any trace of the boy.
Etan's disappearance sparked the nation's awareness of child abduction and led to an increased public focus on missing children. Authorities tried new approaches to searching for abducted children, and Etan's picture was the first of many to appear on the back of a milk carton in the mid-1980s.
Etan's parents still hold out hope that he is alive, although they realize the chances are slim.
While no conclusive evidence in the boy's disappearance has ever been found, a drifter named Jose Antonio Ramos is considered the primary suspect.
Ramos was arrested in 1982 after several young boys from the Bronx complained that he had stolen their backpacks while attempting to lure them into a large drainpipe under a bridge, where he was living. Police found Ramos in the drainpipe, along with numerous photograhs of young blond boys, all of whom resembled Etan Patz.
When questioned, Ramos denied any involvement in Patz's disappearance, but he did mention that his girlfriend had babysat for Etan in the past. Investigators followed this lead, but decided that they did not have enough evidence to charge Ramos with Etan's killing. He was released from custody after the parents of the Bronx boys declined to press charges.
Investigators still believe they are considering the right suspect, but prosecutors say that without a body, there is no cause to bring charges and little likelihood of a conviction.
The NYPD considers Etan's abduction a cold case.
Anyone with information on Etan's possible whereabouts or the person responsible for his disappearance should call the NYPD tip line at 1-800-577-TIPS.
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