Today in History: A Missing Child

On this day (May 25) in 1979, Etan Patz disappeared on his way to school in New York City. He was six years old. He was the first child to have his photo placed on a milk carton as part of a campaign to help find missing children. In the 1980s the boy’s murderer, Pedro Hernandez, apparently confessed in open church to the crime and in 2012 his brother-in-law finally came forward and told the police. Hernandez confessed again, but lawyers wrangled over whether his confession was valid. His first trial was declared a mistrial, but in his second trial he was found guilty and sentenced to 25 years to life.