Etan Patz Search: FBI, NYPD Seek New Clues in 1979 Missing Child Case
FBI agents and New York City police officers were in a downtown New York City basement Thursday, searching for clues in the 1979 disappearance of Etan Patz.
CBS New York reports authorities have previously searched the building at Prince and Wooster streets where Patz lived.
Patz vanished without a trace in May 1979 after leaving his family’s Manhattan apartment for a short walk to catch a school bus. It was the first time his parents had let him go off to school alone.
The building they searched on Thursday is about a block and a half away and on the same route Patz would have walked to the school bus.
Police spokesman Paul Browne said a forensic team was looking for blood, clothing or human remains. They are expected to be at the site for as many as five days. He wouldn’t say what evidence led investigators to the property.
“The FBI and the NYPD are looking for evidence in the Etan Patz investigation. It’s one of many leads that we’re pursuing. It is a joint matter between the FBI and NYPD and no conclusions should be made about specifically why we’re here or what we’re looking for,” FBI spokesman Tim Flannley.
Investigators will also be taking down dry wall, possibly a brick wall, excavating the concrete floor and sifting through it.
According to CBS New York, a new search warrant was issued in the last week, allowing this search to begin Thursday.