Hell and Gone Murder Line: Etan Patz

The morning of Friday May 25, 1979, started out like just another day for Julie Patz; her husband Stan, a photographer; and their children, eight-year-old Shira, six-year-old Etan and two-year-old Ari.

It was a busy morning. Julie ran a daycare out of her Soho loft at 113 Prince Street in New York City, and she was getting her own kids ready for the day and at the same time, preparing for the influx of kids who would be arriving soon.

Shira didn’t want to roll out of bed, but Etan, who his family described as a sweet, loving and friendly boy, was excited to start the school day.

Six-year-old Etan asked his mom if he could walk the two short blocks to the school bus stop alone - for the very first time.

Since it was the last few weeks of the school year, his mom said that would be okay.

Etan had a plan. He had a dollar in his pocket, which a neighborhood handyman had given him the day before when Etan helped him in his workshop. Etan was going to stop at the corner bodega at Prince and West Broadway, and buy a soda before getting on the bus.

Julie walked Etan downstairs, and as she watched him walk down the street before going back upstairs, she told herself that it was only two blocks.

That was the last time that Julie ever saw her son.

This case became a huge story not just in New York but in the entire country. Etan Patz became the literal poster child for missing children, and Julie and her husband Stan were the living embodiment of every parent’s worst nightmare. What if your child disappeared one day, and you never found out what really happened to them?

Forty-six years later, this case is still active.

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