Etan Patz
Etan was mistakenly believed to be the first child to appear on a milk carton; he is arguably the most famous.
Student phone interview with John E. Bischoff III
Executive Director, Missing Children Division of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, on the Etan Patz case
On May 25, 1979, Etan Patz walked by himself two short blocks from his home in Soho, New York, to the school bus stop. After leaving his house, he was never seen again.
An all-out effort was made by the police and volunteers to find him. They utilized helicopters, bloodhounds, door-to-door searches, and distributed posters throughout New York. All to no results: he was never found. Etan's disappearance had a profound effect on mothers everywhere: if he could disappear on his way to school, were any children safe? Etan opened people's eyes to the realization that actions needed to be taken on a national level to protect the children of America. |
To bring attention to this national problem, President Ronald Reagan designated a day to remember missing children:
"Since 1983, our nation has observed May 25th as National Missing Children’s Day. First proclaimed by President Ronald Reagan and observed by every administration since, May 25th is the anniversary of the day in 1979 when 6-year-old Etan Patz disappeared from a New York street corner on his way to school. [...] Etan became the poster-child for a movement. The powerful image came to symbolize the anguish and trauma of thousands of searching families. The widespread attention brought to Etan's case and several others eventually led to a nationwide commitment to help locate and recover missing children." |
Clip on Etan's impact on American society.
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"There's no question Etan has saved countless children."
- Joseph Pollini, Professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and retired detective with NYPD's cold case squad |
Ernie AllenFormer President and Co-founder of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, on the creation of acts and organizations thanks to Etan's case
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“When our son, Adam, was abducted in 1981, my wife, Revé, and I felt no one could really understand what we were going through. Then we met Julie and Stan Patz and found that we were members of a horrible but exclusive club. Their courage inspired us then and inspires us now. Every American needs to know Etan’s story.” |