As many of us have known since May 25, 1979, six year old Etan Patz disappeared on his way to school in New York on that morning. As everyone involved in the case has known, there have been no clues, and Etan has never been found. But, very recently, after some digging was done in a nearby basement in an attempt to find evidence connected to Etan Patz, someone who claims to know all about the whole matter appeared from seemingly nowhere....ok, New Jersey......to tell us all what happened to Etan. A man named Pedro Hernandez says he killed Etan. Ok; if this is true, perhaps Etan's family can get some closure and hopefully, find peace. There is; however, one more person who claims to have known these facts for the past thirty-three years......Pedro's sister, Norma Hernandez.
The press, along with Norma, herself, seem to want to spin this as if Norma had gone to the police the minute she heard Etan Patz was missing, and heard that her brother was involved, and begged and pleaded with them to listen to her. She claims that she spoke up, over the years, and that her "testimony" was ignored. Yet, police in both New Jersey, where Pedro Hernandez quietly moved after not going to police with his story, and investigators in New York, insist that they have not heard the testimony from Norma Hernandez. She also claims that when she communicated her tip, she was asked by police if she was "angry" with her brother, and if that was why she was giving them the infomation. Here's the problem with that: some of the best tips given to law enforcement are from angry people. Seriously....never commit a crime and leave a witness, accessory, or an accessory after the fact angry with you; they can send you up the river later on in life. Every police officer worth his salt knows this. It is unlikely that Norma's information was discounted because of any friction between her and her brother. Also, while technology in 1979 was limited in terms of finding evidence and linking it to a suspect via DNA, thirty-three years have elasped. Norma Hernandez could easily have reiterated her testimony over the years, especially as she noticed differences in the way law enforcement treats missing child cases. She has had every day of every year in a thirty-three year span to do this. She could also have gone to the FBI, not only at the beginning of this nightmare, but at any time since May 25, 1979.
Norma Hernandez also sat on the information she knew, concerning the Etan Patz case, in 2004, when Jose Ramos, who had never been charged with that crime was sued in civil court for wrongful death. If police could not take a statement from her, Ramos's attorney would certainly have enjoyed introducing her information. She could have cleared this whole matter up in 2004. She didn't.
Stan and Julie Patz have not been quiet about their desire to know what happened to their son over the years. Could Norma Hernandez not see this? Why didn't she write them a letter, or contact the National Center For Missing And Exploited Children? There are many people who could have listened to her story, taken her statement, and investigated. Why did Norma wait until police in New York and the FBI started looking at other possible suspects and digging up basements in the SoHo neighborhood, where she and her brother used to work and where Etan went missing? She obviously knew Etan would not be found in the basement that was being excavated. Was she worried that another basement or hidden spot might yield clues that would bring law enforcement and the Patz's closer to the truth? Was she scared that if her brother's DNA was found on anything having to do with Etan, that he would testify that she was the person who knew about this, along with him? It is abundantly clear that we have not heard the whole story here. Could Norma Hernandez be more than just a reluctant accessory after the fact, as she would have us believe? It's just a question.
The press, along with Norma, herself, seem to want to spin this as if Norma had gone to the police the minute she heard Etan Patz was missing, and heard that her brother was involved, and begged and pleaded with them to listen to her. She claims that she spoke up, over the years, and that her "testimony" was ignored. Yet, police in both New Jersey, where Pedro Hernandez quietly moved after not going to police with his story, and investigators in New York, insist that they have not heard the testimony from Norma Hernandez. She also claims that when she communicated her tip, she was asked by police if she was "angry" with her brother, and if that was why she was giving them the infomation. Here's the problem with that: some of the best tips given to law enforcement are from angry people. Seriously....never commit a crime and leave a witness, accessory, or an accessory after the fact angry with you; they can send you up the river later on in life. Every police officer worth his salt knows this. It is unlikely that Norma's information was discounted because of any friction between her and her brother. Also, while technology in 1979 was limited in terms of finding evidence and linking it to a suspect via DNA, thirty-three years have elasped. Norma Hernandez could easily have reiterated her testimony over the years, especially as she noticed differences in the way law enforcement treats missing child cases. She has had every day of every year in a thirty-three year span to do this. She could also have gone to the FBI, not only at the beginning of this nightmare, but at any time since May 25, 1979.
Norma Hernandez also sat on the information she knew, concerning the Etan Patz case, in 2004, when Jose Ramos, who had never been charged with that crime was sued in civil court for wrongful death. If police could not take a statement from her, Ramos's attorney would certainly have enjoyed introducing her information. She could have cleared this whole matter up in 2004. She didn't.
Stan and Julie Patz have not been quiet about their desire to know what happened to their son over the years. Could Norma Hernandez not see this? Why didn't she write them a letter, or contact the National Center For Missing And Exploited Children? There are many people who could have listened to her story, taken her statement, and investigated. Why did Norma wait until police in New York and the FBI started looking at other possible suspects and digging up basements in the SoHo neighborhood, where she and her brother used to work and where Etan went missing? She obviously knew Etan would not be found in the basement that was being excavated. Was she worried that another basement or hidden spot might yield clues that would bring law enforcement and the Patz's closer to the truth? Was she scared that if her brother's DNA was found on anything having to do with Etan, that he would testify that she was the person who knew about this, along with him? It is abundantly clear that we have not heard the whole story here. Could Norma Hernandez be more than just a reluctant accessory after the fact, as she would have us believe? It's just a question.
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