NEW YORK (AP) – As the murder case stemming from a New York child’s 1979 disappearance heads to trial, missing-children’s advocates see it as proof that such cases still can be pursued after decades.
Jury selection is scheduled to start Monday in Pedro Hernandez’s trial. He has pleaded not guilty to killing 6-year-old Etan Patz (AY’-tahn PAYTS).
Etan vanished while walking to his school bus stop. His disappearance animated a national push to find lost children and a cultural shift toward hypervigilant parenting.
Advocates say the trial sends an encouraging message to the families of other missing children, if also a reminder that many cases have gone unsolved.
Parenting experts wonder whether retelling Etan’s haunting story will kindle anxiety for moms and dads who grew up in the shadow of his disappearance.