Etan Kalil Patz (October 9, 1972 – possibly c. 1979) was a six-year-old child who disappeared in lower Manhattan on May 25, 1979. At the time, news coverage of Patz's disappearance was made into a media circus in the New York area. He is arguably the most famous missing child of New York City. He was the first child to be pictured on the back of a milk carton.^[1] October 9 is the 282nd day of the year (283rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Look up Circa on Wiktionary, the free dictionary The Latin word circa, literally meaning about, is often used to describe various dates (often birth and death dates) that are uncertain. ... For the song by the Smashing Pumpkins, see 1979 (song). ... The Borough of Manhattan, highlighted in yellow, lies between the East River and the Hudson River. ... May 25 is the 145th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (146th in leap years). ... For the song by the Smashing Pumpkins, see 1979 (song). ... INS agents recover Elián González by force from his uncles house; this photo, taken by AP photographer Alan Diaz, won him a Pulitzer Prize. ... NY redirects here. ... New York, NY redirects here. ...

Disappearance

On the morning of Friday, May 25, 1979, six-year-old Etan put on his prized blue captain's hat and left his SoHo apartment by himself—for the very first time—to walk the two blocks to catch the school bus. He did not reach the bus stop. May 25 is the 145th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (146th in leap years). ... For the song by the Smashing Pumpkins, see 1979 (song). ... Soho is an area of central Londons West End, in the borough of the City of Westminster. ... An IC Corporation CE300 bus transporting Houston ISD students. ...

When he did not return home from school at 3:15 that afternoon, his mother reported him missing. An intense search, utilizing nearly 100 police officers and a team of bloodhounds, began that evening and would continue for weeks. Various circumstances surrounding this case, such as it being Etan's first time outside alone, made it into a greatly media-driven incident. A Bloodhound (also known as the St. ...

Suspect

In 1991, jailhouse informants claimed that Jose Antonio Ramos, a convicted pedophile imprisoned in Pennsylvania, admitted to his murder. Ramos had been a friend of Etan's one-time babysitter. He promised that no body would be found, saying "It's too horrible. No one would ever represent me".^{[citation needed]} In a special feature on missing children, the New York Post, reported on October 23, 1999, that Ramos was the prime suspect in Etan's disappearance. Pedophilia, paedophilia or pædophilia (see spelling differences) is the paraphilia of being sexually attracted primarily or exclusively to prepubescent or peripubescent children. ... Official language(s) English, Pennsylvania Dutch Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area  Ranked 33rd  - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km²)  - Width 280 miles (455 km)  - Length 160 miles (255 km)  - % water 2. ... Day care is the care of a child during the day by a person other than the childs parents or legal guardians, often someone outside the childs immediate family. ... The New York Post is the 13th-oldest[] newspaper published in the United States and the oldest to have been published continually as a daily. ... October 23 is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

Etan was declared legally dead in 2001. His parents, Stanley and Julie Patz, pursued a civil case against Ramos, who was found liable for Patz's wrongful death in May 2004.^[2] They were awarded a sum of $2 million, which they have never collected, as Ramos is serving a prison term for molesting boys in Pennsylvania. He will be eligible for parole in 2014. Without evidence, a body or a crime scene, some New York investigators do not believe they will ever be able to convict Ramos for Patz's death.^{[citation needed]} Civil law has at least three meanings. ...

Legacy

Each year, on the anniversary of Etan's birthday and his disappearance, Stan Patz sends Ramos a copy of his son's MISSING poster. On the back he types the same message: "What did you do to my little boy?". The day of Etan Patz's disappearance, May 25, is now designated National Missing Children's Day.^[1]

In popular culture

In the 1996 movie Ransom, a nine-year-old boy disappears from New York City's Central Park. Brawley Nolte, the child actor, bears an (older) resemblance to the widely circulated image of Etan. Unlike Etan's case, the object of the kidnapping was merely money.

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} Ramirez, Jessica. "The Abductions That Changed America", Newsweek, 20 January 2007, pp. 54–55.
2. ^ Saulny, Susan. "Judge Rules That a Convicted Molester, Now in Prison, Is Responsible for Etan Patz's Death", The New York Times, 5 May 2004.