On May 25, 1979, six-year-old Etan Patz talked his mother into allowing him to walk to the bus stop all by himself for the very first time. The bus stop was only two blocks away from his apartment in Manhattan, NY, and it was the last day of school before the long holiday weekend. Just before 8:00 AM, Etan's parents handed him a dollar to buy a soda at the corner deli, and out the door he went. However, when Etan failed to return home from school that day, his parents immediately called the police to report their missing son. For the next 33 years, Etan's case went cold, and he became the very first picture of a missing child to be placed on milk cartons nationwide. Finally, in May 2012, a tipster called in with information that would blow this case wide open.

If you have information on missing or exploited children in your area, visit www.missingkids.org or call 1.800.THE.LOST or 1.800.843.5678.

REFERENCES:

6-year-old Etan Patz - boy on milk carton - goes missing

Etan Patz case: 1979 disappearance of NYC boy continues to haunt investigators

Etan Patz case: Pedro Hernandez found guilty of murder, kidnapping

Etan Patz’s parents move out of NYC 40 years after son’s infamous disappearance

The disappearance of Etan Patz