Editor's note: On July 21, 2025, a federal appeals court ruled that Pedro Hernandez must have a new trial or be released. On Nov. 25, 2025, the Manhattan District Attorney announced he intends to retry Hernandez.

This story originally aired on April 14, 2018.

Etan Patz walked out of his New York City home headed for a school bus stop just two blocks away. The 6-year-old never made it to school that day in 1979 – and he's never been found.

His disappearance is a story that shocked New York City and to this day haunts law enforcement investigators who have spent decades trying to find him. The disappearance of the young boy is more than a missing person's case. Indeed, it changed the way parents watched over their kids.

"I think this was one of the most significant unsolved cases in the

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