33 years later

May 24, 2012 11:53 AM

Though the recent excavation of a basement in SoHo did not turn up his remains [previously], today there may finally be some resolution. Pedro Hernandez confesses to having strangled Etan Patz.
posted by komara (12 comments total)

It is important to keep in mind that the police haven't yet publicly said that they have evidence corroborating the confession. People do weird things with really public stuff like this. I hope that, whatever is the case, the Patz family can get some closure from this.
posted by Blasdelb at 12:01 PM on May 24, 2012 [2 favorites]

I am glad the parents have some closure. Is there a good Non-NYTimes article you can reccommend? I'd like to read more.
posted by saucysault at 12:03 PM on May 24, 2012

He says he left the body in a box and Manhattan, went back later, and the box was gone. I am skeptical.
posted by peep at 12:13 PM on May 24, 2012 [2 favorites]

in Manhattan, not and.
posted by peep at 12:14 PM on May 24, 2012

I wonder how many hours of interrogation he went through before confessing.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 12:16 PM on May 24, 2012

"Thirty-three years ago this was a tragedy that broke the hearts of millions of people, especially parents, across this nation,'' Mr. Bloomberg said.

...and the world. Offspring wants to walk to school alone and every time she mentions it the hairs on my back stand straight up and I picture myself being Ethan's mom, waving him off for that walk to the school bus stop.
posted by dabitch at 1:24 PM on May 24, 2012 [1 favorite]

Happened to walk down Prince St this morning. Satellite trucks and on air type reporters setting up for live remotes on every corner.
posted by R. Mutt at 1:26 PM on May 24, 2012

I still don't really get what the first tip was to re-open the case after 33 years and why there is suddenly a different name confessing? Maybe I don't understand it properly.

This case makes me very sad- how do you go on after this happens? As a parent?
posted by bquarters at 2:11 PM on May 24, 2012

According to the police (in the press conference that happened a few minutes ago), Hernandez had told some one (or ones) in the past that he had "done something bad and killed a child." I got the impression that the recent focus on the case--the tearing up the basement in SoHo--had raised awareness again and shaken out the tip. Maybe the person Hernandez had talked to just finally put two and two together?

Interesting that the NYT story says he had been a person of interest in the case before, though.
posted by torticat at 5:00 PM on May 24, 2012

Is this another John Mark Carr?
posted by discopolo at 7:06 PM on May 24, 2012

.
posted by stormpooper at 6:32 AM on May 25, 2012

Hernandez apparently suffers from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. It could be another false confession.
posted by savvysearch at 6:24 PM on May 25, 2012