In a new twist in one of America’s most haunting missing child cases, a federal judge has ruled that Pedro Hernandez, who was convicted of abducting and murdering Etan Patz, must be re-tried by June 1, 2026. If there is no trial, he must be released.
The decision, delivered Friday by U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon in New York, marks another dramatic turn in what she called “the nearly half-century-long saga of the disappearance and presumptive murder” of the six-year-old boy.
Read more:
Man convicted in Etan Patz’s murder must be re-tried by June or released: Judge – ABC News
Etan Patz case: Lawyers seek release date after conviction overturned – NBC New York
Etan Patz case: Pedro Hernandez found guilty of murder in boy’s 1979 disappearance – CBS News
The Etan Patz Disappearance Changed America
Etan Patz disappeared in 1979 while walking to his school bus stop alone in SoHo, Manhattan. This case changed the nation’s awareness of child abductions. Etan’s face became the first to appear on milk cartons, igniting nationwide efforts to track and protect missing children.
