Authorities renew search in 1979 Etan Patz disappearance

[1990 UM fan]

He was never featured on Unsolved Mysteries (even though I think he should've been), but it's an interesting read.

Here is some new articles: http://www.people.com/people/article...s-topheadlines

http://abcnews.go.com/US/fresh-searc...ry?id=16171740

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/20...soho-basement/

There's more articles but these were the top choices direct from Google.

[Matt C]

I was shocked when I saw a photo of the suspect.

[Necco]

Originally Posted by Matt C

I was shocked when I saw a photo of the suspect.

What do you mean?

[2xJ]

Saw this on my newsfeed yesterday, and my first thought was: "Was this featured on UM?" Kind of surprised it wasn't.

[2xJ]

Also, thought this was interesting, from ]NY Times:

The new search focused on a basement area that had been used as a workshop by a carpenter and handyman from Etan’s building. Investigators are working on the theory that the handyman, Othniel Miller, killed the boy and buried him there, one law enforcement official said.

In recent days, according to the law enforcement official, Mr. Miller was interviewed by agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and when the possibility was raised that the boy had been buried in the basement, he blurted out, “What if the body was moved?” the official said.

[chacha6581]

I really hope that they can resolve this soon. His poor parents.... I saw an interview a few years ago and i felt terrible for them. I recall his father would send clippings or a reminder to the original suspect who is behind bars. Interesting that this suspect was so close as well....

[Steve W.]

Of course it's sad, but it looks like they might finally get this case resolved after all these years, which is probably something very few people expected to happen.

I just don't understand how there could not have been any witnesses that last saw him that morning, being that it's in Manhattan (the same goes for NYC in general) and there's lots of buildings and people all around there.

[TracyLynnS]

Best I can recall, the original suspect, Jose Ramos a convicted child molester, said that he took Etan, attempted to assault him and failed, then put the boy on a train to his aunt's house. But Etan had no family in the area he was "sent" to. Ramos later confessed to a jailhouse informant with much more detail and to much worse acts than an attempted assault.

Ramos was a boyfriend of the woman who was hired to walk Etan to school and back during a busing strike and he admitted he knew Etan's routine. (Also, IIRC, Ramos victimized this woman's son regularly, and he was likely the only reason Ramos was in a relationship with her.) Etan would have known and likely would have trusted this guy. He was found legally responsible for Etan's death in a civil court (not criminal court) several years ago.

The accepted scenario was that Ramos killed Etan and disposed of his body in the incinerator of a building a few blocks over from Etan's apartment (maybe on West 3rd Street?). Over the years, and before the police found out this detail, the furnace had been replaced repeatedly, making an investigation of the original device impossible.

The news reports I've read today say that Etan would have met Ramos through yet another suspect, Othneil Miller, but Miller had only met Etan the day before he went missing. Are they just searching property he had access to based on his connection to Ramos, thinking Ramos may have hid Etan there, or do they think that's a coincidence and that Miller actually killed Etan and buried him in that basement? They checked this basement back during the original investigation but decided not to do a thorough investigation of the space.

This building is on the same street that Etan lived on, not the building a few blocks away, which has been the accepted location of part of the crime for several years. Unless Miller has a history of this kind of thing, I'm still thinking it's much more likely that Ramos is the perpetrator. He's a known and convicted child molester. It would be very odd for Miller to take up child murdering in his 40s yet never commit another crime before or since Etan's death, all the while cooperating with the police on this case.

[Cori aka ChrisSCrush]

So great that the parents are still together after all these years! Of course hope they get closure, but if their suspicions are right the investigation is focused in the wrong place.

[mozartpc27]

Originally Posted by Necco

What do you mean?

I'd like to know the answer to this as well.

[Necco]

Reading his previous posts elsewhere, I suspect I know what he means.

[2xJ]

Originally Posted by TracyLynnS

Best I can recall, the original suspect, Jose Ramos a convicted child molester, said that he took Etan, attempted to assault him and failed, then put the boy on a train to his aunt's house. But Etan had no family in the area he was "sent" to. Ramos later confessed to a jailhouse informant with much more detail and to much worse acts than an attempted assault.

Ramos was a boyfriend of the woman who was hired to walk Etan to school and back during a busing strike and he admitted he knew Etan's routine. (Also, IIRC, Ramos victimized this woman's son regularly, and he was likely the only reason Ramos was in a relationship with her.) Etan would have known and likely would have trusted this guy. He was found legally responsible for Etan's death in a civil court (not criminal court) several years ago.

The accepted scenario was that Ramos killed Etan and disposed of his body in the incinerator of a building a few blocks over from Etan's apartment (maybe on West 3rd Street?). Over the years, and before the police found out this detail, the furnace had been replaced repeatedly, making an investigation of the original device impossible.

The news reports I've read today say that Etan would have met Ramos through yet another suspect, Othneil Miller, but Miller had only met Etan the day before he went missing. Are they just searching property he had access to based on his connection to Ramos, thinking Ramos may have hid Etan there, or do they think that's a coincidence and that Miller actually killed Etan and buried him in that basement? They checked this basement back during the original investigation but decided not to do a thorough investigation of the space.

This building is on the same street that Etan lived on, not the building a few blocks away, which has been the accepted location of part of the crime for several years. Unless Miller has a history of this kind of thing, I'm still thinking it's much more likely that Ramos is the perpetrator. He's a known and convicted child molester. It would be very odd for Miller to take up child murdering in his 40s yet never commit another crime before or since Etan's death, all the while cooperating with the police on this case.

Very nice summary of the case, I really appreciated it!

[TracyLynnS]

Originally Posted by 2xJ

Very nice summary of the case, I really appreciated it!

You're welcome.

[1990 UM fan]

The latest is that they found no remains in the basement they were searching and a stain found was determined to not be blood. They did, however, submit hairs they found to the DNA lab. Only time will tell if they're Etan's hairs. He might've been killed in that basement and buried there and then later moved, or killed there and dumped somewhere else in New York.

[cordwainer1453]

Every once in a while they resurrect one of these old cases, saying they have "new evidence," and of course nothing ever comes of it. Hopefully it will this time.