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NYPD: Man Implicated Himself In 1979 Etan Patz Murder
By
Jen Chung
Published May 24, 2012
Modified May 24, 2012
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By
Jen Chung
Published May 24, 2012
Modified May 24, 2012
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NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly issued a statement just after 6:30 a.m. this morning, "An individual now in custody has made statements to NYPD detectives implicating himself in the disappearance and death of Etan Patz 33 years ago. We expect to provide further details later today." According to the Daily News, the suspect, Pedro Hernandez, was picked up yesterday in Camden, NJ.
Last month, the 1979 disappearance of Etan Patz was thrust back into the national spotlight when the FBI and NYPD started to investigate a Soho basement previously used by a handyman who was friendly with the then-6-year-old boy. Etan went missing while walking from his parents' loft on Prince Street a few blocks to the school bus stop. His disappearance prompted a nationwide movement to find missing children (Etan's photo was the first to be placed on milk cartons). The April re-opening of the case stirred up old emotions, especially for Etan's parents who never moved from their loft in hopes their son would return one day, and, as yet, uncovered no new evidence.
The NY Times reports, "One law enforcement official said detectives and F.B.I. agents were proceeding cautiously, noting that the man had provided no information to investigators that was not already in the public record. But another law enforcement official said prosecutors and investigators were treating the man’s admissions as a serious lead," adding that Hernandez had been considered "a suspect in the past, one official said, although it was not immediately clear when he became the object of their interest nor what prompted his arrest." A source tells DNAinfo that Hernandez said, "I did it."
Update: According to the Post, "The man in custody told investigators that he lured the boy with candy, stabbed him, cut up his body and put him in plastic bags, a law enforcement source told The Post. The man was known to investigators and lived in Patz's neighborhood at the time of the boy's disappearance."
This unexpected turn gives the NYPD a chance to reassert control of the case from the FBI, which had taken the lead during the excavation on Prince Street last month. The local cops were reportedly unhappy with any suggestion that they had overlooked a suspect in the case, or failed to appropriately investigate reports of a newly poured concrete floor in that building around the time of Etan's disappearance. The NYPD has also been vocal in its unhappiness about not being briefed by the feds on national security issues.
The FBI had re-interviewed handyman Othniel Miller, after his ex-wife claimed he raped a young niece. During the interview, Miller, a stroke victim, allegedly "grew aroused" while shown a book of photos of young children and made the remark “What if the body was moved?" when asked where Etan's body was. Miller's family has insisted he is innocent and emphasized how the elderly man was cooperating with the investigation.
Etan Patz was declared legally dead in 2001, and the earlier main suspect, Jose Ramos, an East Village drifter, was found responsible for Etan's death in a 2004 civil case, based on information from a cellmate, though Ramos always proclaimed his innocence (he said he may have taken a boy who could have been Etan to his apartment for sex, but then released him). Ramos has been serving a prison sentence for child molestation; he's due to be released later this year.
Tagged
1979
etan patz
fbi
missing child
mystery
nypd
soho
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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