Etan Patz was assumed kidnapped and murdered. His body was never found and his abductor never apprehended. Manhattan District of Attorney Cyrus Vance is to reopen the case as the boy's suspected assailant is soon to be released from prison. His suspected assailant, Jose Antonia Ramos, was convicted of molesting two other boys. According to interviews on ABC's 20/20 and Nightline, the suspected abductor bragged about sexual molestation of the boy when he was in prison. The boy was 6 years old when he disappeared in 1979.

Allen

pufferfish

Is that Manhattan NY?

Yes, NY.

Here's the link:

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/etan-patz-missing-boy-case-reopened-31-years/story?id=10749565

pufferfish

Thanks Allen

Investigators are to dig up the concrete floor looking for remains of Etan Patz in Manhatten apartment building.

http://gma.yahoo.com/etan-patz-investiga...topstories.html

They are investigating reports that a handyman "gave" Etan $1 a few days before he disappeared.

If Etan were still alive he would now be 39 years old.

Puffer

Per the wikipedia article the address being dug up is at this link. It has street view so you can see the front door.
Go to Google Maps and put in 127b Prince Street, New York, NY.

Just hit the plus button on the zoom and it goes right onto it, the building with kidrobot on it is the one. The street view brings you to the basement door.

*

Here's another news report:

http://gma.yahoo.com/video/news-26797925/etan-patz-case-fbi-conducts-new-search-29010655.html

It shows that the public really wants to see justice served. Male survivors will probably take comfort in the fact that law enforcement is taking this case seriously.

Puffer

I was living in NYC when that happened. Not to blame the parents at all, but as the crime rate in 1979 in NYC was off the charts, I was always surprised that they would have allowed Etan to walk to the bus by himself. I know parents of ten year old kids even today who won't let them walk to school unaccompanied.

Plus Soho back then was still a bit of a rough and tumble area back then- not full of art galleries and boutiques that it is now.

More news:

http://gma.yahoo.com/etan-patz-may-disappeared-just-steps-home-150252993--abc-news-topstories.html

Latest Update:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/etan-patz-offic...14#.T5MJRtXVHkY

I remember seeing him in the news several times since 1979. Never forgot that name.

ABC 20/20 Story

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/video/25th-1979-year-vanishes-7713038

I sorta have to agree with pluckmemory, here.

I was born in NYC in the early 80's (1981) and always knew the city to be very dangerous- the police force was really corrupt and unorganized, in fact the crime rates only dropped dramatically after Rudy Giuliani Became the Mayor and cleaned up the city to the point where one could walk, alone, at night throught central park with out getting, mugged/robbed, raped, etc. It was that bad, before!

I tried yesterday to read all of the links, but it got too much for me. I hope the rest of you can understand that.

This story breaks my heart, not only for the child, but for how these cases were handled with such disconcern, or rather.... I don't know what the best word/term would be as a time in our recent history that such incedents were brushed aside so casually and not persued to the end of the earth for all that I truly do care.

I can feel nothing but sadness and horror for the parents to only be able to imagine what their own son went threw!!! I saw it in the fathers reaction after all of this time--he has tortured himself to try to understand his onw sons last moments............... Fking Heartbreaking.

Logan

An arrest was made today in the disappearance of Etan Patz.

Confession was made by Pedro Hernandez, a New Jersey man, who says he "choked" Etan and put the body in a plastic bag which he put in the trash.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/etan-patz-suspe...36#.T77hQcWwV7k

Additional announcements are expected soon in this case.

Puffer

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Poster child for male victims: Etan Patz

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etan_Patz

As far as I've read, there is no evidence to connect a sexual assault done to Etan. It's a tragedy, none-the-less. I'm sitting on the porch right now with my 6 year old grandson visiting from Austin. When I read about Etan, the boy becomes very real.