Etan Patz: The missing child who changed America

On May 25, 1979, six-year-old Etan Patz left his apartment in SoHo, New York City, to walk to school by himself. It was the first time he had been allowed to walk alone. He never made it to school.

Etan's disappearance was one of the first cases to capture national attention, and it helped to change the way America thinks about missing children. Before Etan, missing children were often seen as runaways or victims of parental neglect. But Etan's case showed that even the most innocent children could be abducted.

In the days and weeks after Etan's disappearance, police searched tirelessly for him. They interviewed neighbors, searched buildings, and even drained the Hudson River. But they found no trace of Etan.

Etan's parents, Stan and Julie Patz, refused to give up hope. They founded the Etan Patz Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which has helped to find thousands of missing children over the years.

The case remained a mystery until in 2012, a man called a hotline and told police he believed his brother-in-law, a then-teenaged deli worker named Pedro Hernandez, was responsible. Hernandez confessed to the crime in 2015, saying he strangled the boy to death in the basement of the deli after luring him with the promise of a soda. In his 50s, Hernandez was sentenced to 25 years to life.

JonBenét Ramsey: A case that remain unsolved

 

JonBenét Ramsey was a six-year-old child beauty pageant contestant who was found murdered in her home in Boulder, Colorado on December 26, 1996. Her death sparked a national media frenzy and remains one of the most high-profile unsolved murders in American history.

On the morning of December 26, JonBenét's mother, Patsy Ramsey, found a ransom note demanding $118,000 for her daughter's safe return. John and Patsy Ramsey called the police, but JonBenét's body was found later that day in the basement of the house. She had been beaten and strangled.

The Boulder Police Department initially focused their investigation on the Ramseys, but they were never charged with a crime. In 2002, a grand jury indicted John Ramsey on charges of first-degree murder, child abuse resulting in death, and being an accessory to a crime, but the charges were dismissed by the district attorney due to insufficient evidence.

The JonBenét Ramsey case has been the subject of much speculation and debate over the years. Some people believe that her parents were responsible for her death, while others believe that she was killed by an intruder. The case has also been the subject of numerous documentaries, books, and television shows.

Theories about who killed JonBenét Ramsey

There are two main theories about who killed JonBenét Ramsey:

• The intruder theory: This theory posits that JonBenét was killed by an intruder who entered the Ramsey home. Proponents of this theory point to the ransom note, the lack of forced entry, and the fact that JonBenét's fingerprints were not found on the murder weapon as evidence that an intruder was responsible.
• The family theory: This theory posits that JonBenét was killed by a member of her family. Proponents of this theory point to the fact that JonBenét's body was found in the basement of her home, that she was wearing a blanket from the Ramsey home, and that her fingerprints were found on the ransom note as evidence that a family member was responsible.

The current status of the case

The JonBenét Ramsey case remains unsolved. In 2019, the Boulder Police Department announced that they were reopening the case and that they had new DNA evidence. However, no further information has been released about the case since then.

Conclusion

The murder of JonBenét Ramsey is one of the most tragic and puzzling unsolved murders in American history. It is a case that continues to fascinate and haunt people to this day.