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Posted

The conviction was overturned today for the 1979 disappearance/murder of Etan Patz. Major news story at the time.

For those too young, this is the disappearance of a 6-year old that was one of the reasons for missing kids on milk cartoons, stranger danger, and why parents became more protective of kids leaving the house. GenX kids love to talk about how their parents let them roam free, but his disappearance (& others) scared enough parents to slowly change that stance.

Background

  • 6 year old NYC boy walking 2 blocks to the school bus. He was alone on this walk for the first time.
  • He didn't make it to the bus stop.
  • No body was ever found.
  • In the mid-80s, a child molester was the main suspect with limited evidence. There was a reported jail house confession to another inmate.
    • The suspect admitted to raping other young boys but couldn't recall if Patz was one of his victims. He was clear that he left his victim alive. Disgusting.
    • A civil judgement was won by the parents against the suspect.
  • In 2012, a low-IQ, former convenience store clerk confessed to the murder before he was mirandized. He claimed to toss the body in the trash the day of the disappearance.
  • First trial was a hung jury, second trial led to a guilt verdict with a 25 year sentence.
  • Verdict was overturned today due to jury instruction errors by the judge: https://archive.ph/NLxkg

In today's world it would be unheard of to let a 6 year walk to a bus stop but the 70s were a different time. It wasn't NYC but I walked to the bus stop on my own at that age. It was very common. I have a definite memory of the Patz TV news stories. He would be 52 years old now.

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Posted
14 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

GenX kids love to talk about how their parents let them roam free, but his disappearance (& others) scared enough parents to slowly change that stance.

Adam Walsh.

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Posted
38 minutes ago, South Austin said:

Even after the TV movie about Adam Walsh, my parents still gave me free roam in shopping malls. Now that I think about it, maybe they were trying to get rid of me.

Your mom just needed you out of the house for clients 

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Posted
4 hours ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

In today's world it would be unheard of to let a 6 year walk to a bus stop but the 70s were a different time. It wasn't NYC but I walked to the bus stop on my own at that age. It was very common. I have a definite memory of the Patz TV news stories. He would be 52 years old now.

We either walked or rode our bikes at that age and school was just about a mile away. 

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Posted
1 hour ago, South Austin said:

If you want nightmare fuel, look up the Texas Monthly story on The Heights abductions in the 70s. 

I was a youngster in Htown back when this was going down. My mother and my buddy's mother were worried, but we were pretty big and strong at that time and we convinced them we'd kick his ass if he (The Boogey Man) tried to mess with us.

Posted
2 hours ago, Fudge Nuggets said:

The Atlanta child murders were the first time I remember parents in my hick town getting a little worried. 

I Remember those, but the Adam Walsh thing got a lot of parents who thought nothing of dropping their kid off at the mall.

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Posted
4 hours ago, Fudge Nuggets said:

We either walked or rode our bikes at that age and school was just about a mile away. 

At 6? Different times indeed.

Posted
If you want nightmare fuel, look up the Texas Monthly story on The Heights abductions in the 70s. 

Was that the Candy Man or something like that?
Posted
9 minutes ago, gsoda3 said:

At 6? Different times indeed.

 

When I was in kindergarten (1976), we only lived about two blocks from the school. My folks let me wander over alone, no problem. We moved to another town when I was in the first grade (1977), and I rode my bike alone about a mile to elementary school.

Posted (edited)

Yep.  2 blocks to kindergarten school.

The next year, we moved to a farm in  Texas and the bus stop was 1/4 mile dirt road from the house to the blacktop away.  I'd walk that bitch every school day and be waiting at the bus stop. Now I laugh when I see soccer mom drive their kids to the end of the city street because it's raining.   The first couple of years, I suspect any farmer who came along and offered me a ride would have easily gotten me in their vehicle.

Thankfully I wasn't big enough to milk cows or drive a tractor yet, so the risk was low.

Edited by Iceman
Posted
11 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

Adam Walsh.

I remember that case too because that is my name and I was glad that I did not end up in the creek with my head missing.   I wonder why that dude did that to Adam Walsh.   I think the killer was just some drifter?

Posted
6 hours ago, gsoda3 said:

At 6? Different times indeed.

Yes, at six. Not like our parents were going to take us, gas was expensive to them. It was nothing but neighborhood streets to the school and everyone knew each other so they weren’t worried and we were too dumb to be worried. 

Posted
8 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

I Remember those, but the Adam Walsh thing got a lot of parents who thought nothing of dropping their kid off at the mall.

If I remember the story correctly, his mom didn’t drop him off at the mall. They were together in a JC Penny or Sears, and the mom left him in the toy section while she went to a different part of the store.

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