Ethan Patz was a six-year-old child on May 25, 1979 when he waved goodbye to his mother before walking a few blocks to a bus stop. It was the first time Patz walked to the bus stop by himself and he was never seen again.NY Magazine: Etan Patz Abduction Overview His was the first missing child photograph to appear on a milk carton. He has never been found.
In 1983, then-President Ronald Reagan declared May 25th National Missing Children's Day.National Center for Missing and Exploited Children: National Missing Children's Day
Timeline of Case
- May 25, 1979:
- 8:10 a.m: Waved good bye to his mother, Julie, in the morning as he walked a few blocks to a bus stop to take him to schoolTruTV: The Disappearance of Etan Patz
- 3:15 p.m.: Did not return home from schoolTruTV: The Disappearance of Etan Patz
- 3:30 p.m.: Concerned, his mother called the school and found out he did not attend classes that dayCNN: Boy on Milk Carton Still Missing After 30 Years (May 13, 2009)
- Julie Patz then called all of his friends' families and her husbandCNN: Boy on Milk Carton Still Missing After 30 Years (May 13, 2009)
- After learning that no one had seen her son, Julie Patz called the policeCNN: Boy on Milk Carton Still Missing After 30 Years (May 13, 2009)
- 5:15 p.m.: NYPD Detective William Butler got the call from his dispatcher
- Evening: More than 100 police officers and volunteer searchers had gathered to look for EtanTruTV: The Disappearance of Etan Patz
- Just before midnight: It started to rain, possibly washing away any scentTruTV: The Disappearance of Etan Patz
- May 26, 1979: Bloodhounds arrived that morning and were given a pair of Etan's pajamas for the scentTruTV: The Disappearance of Etan Patz
- May 27, 1979: A witness came forward who thought they saw a boy who fit Etan's description talking to a "suspicious-looking man" three blocks from where Julie Patz had last seen her sonTruTV: The Disappearance of Etan Patz
- June 6, 1979: The emergency response was terminatedTruTV: The Disappearance of Etan Patz
- 1982:,Jose Antonio Ramos was arrest on a separate crime; claimed his girlfriend used to babysit for EtanTruTV: The Disappearance of Etan Patz
- Police pursued the lead but did not have enough to charge Ramos in connection with Etan's disappearanceTruTV: The Disappearance of Etan Patz
- 1988: Ramos was serving time in a Pennsylvania prison after being convicted of child molestation, was questioned by NY police againTruTV: The Disappearance of Etan Patz
- 2001: Etan Patz was declared legally deadTruTV: The Disappearance of Etan Patz
- 2009: Etan Patz has never been found and no charges have been filed against anyoneTruTV: The Disappearance of Etan Patz
References
Fast Facts
-
Date went missing
-
Age at time of abduction
-
Last seen
-
Parents
-
Fact:
Was on his way to the Independence Plaza School on Greenwich Street in New York
-
1983
President Reagan established May 25th as National Missing Children's DayNational Center for Missing and Exploited Children: National Missing Children's Day
-
2001
Etan Patz is declared legally dead at the request of his parents
-
Fact:
Some evidence indicated Jose Antonio Ramos, now a convicted sex offender, may have been involved with Patz' disappearanceCNN: Boy on Milk Carton Still Missing After 30 Years (May 13, 2009)
-
Fact:
Stan and Julie Patz wanted to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit against Jose Antonio Ramos, the man they believe killed their child. Ramos is currently in jail for child molestation and has allegedly confessed to other inmates that he killed PatzNY Magazine: Etan Patz Abduction Overview
-
Fact:
Manhattan District Attorney's Office prosecutors have not charged Jose Antonio Ramos due to lack of evidenceCNN: Boy on Milk Carton Still Missing After 30 Years (May 13, 2009)
-
Fact:
