Who Are Etan Patz's Parents, Stanley and Julie Patz? Their Little Boy Disappeared in 1979

Everyone's talking about Etan Patz, a 6-year-old boy who disappeared in 1979. Etan's parents, Stanley and Julie Patz, are also in the news after a court ruled that the man convicted of killing the little boy, Pedro Hernandez, should be released or granted a new trial, per CBS News.

The Manhattan District Attorney's office is reviewing the July 21 Federal appeals court decision that ruled Hernandez should be granted a new trial or released from prison.

Etan disappeared in 1979 after leaving home to go to school. He disappeared on his way to the bus stop, which was two blocks away. The missing child was one of the first to be featured in the campaign that put missing children on milk cartons

The parents of Etan Patz are Stanley and Julie Patz. The 6-year-old boy was never seen again after he disappeared on his way to school on May 25, 1979. The bus stop was just two blocks away, but Etan never made it.

The police canvassed his SoHo neighborhood and interviewed at a corner store nearby, as well as people on the street or by the bus stop, but they never found him.

Julie notified the NYPD when he didn't come home from school, and more than 100 officers began combing the city to no avail.

Stanley, a photographer, used professional pictures of his son on the missing children posters, and Etan's disappearance dominated headlines. His face was eventually one of the first used in the campaign to feature missing children on milk cartons.

At the time, the NYPD didn't communicate with law enforcement agencies the way they do today, and a person had to be missing for 24 hours before they could be reported missing.

Etan was never found, but he was declared dead in 2001. In 2012, a family member of the man eventually convicted of killing Etan — Pedro Hernandez — told the police that he was talking about having killed Etan.

Hernandez worked in a bodega by the bus stop, and he later confessed to killing him. He was convicted in 2017. However, he has a "documented history of mental illnesses,” “low IQ,” and delusions, and the argument is that his lack of mental health contributed to a false confession.

The United States Court of Appeals overturned the conviction, and he could get a new trial or be released. Another trial occurred before his 2017 conviction, but it ended in a hung jury.

Julie and Stanley kept Etan's picture in the news, which led to more publicity for the cases of other missing children. The campaign to put missing kids' faces on milk cartons was launched, and Etan's face was among the first to be on them.

Etan's case also changed how missing children’s cases are conducted by law enforcement, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was created.