Etan Patz's mother testified Tuesday for the prosecution in the trial of the man charged with murdering her boy nearly 36 years ago. NY1's Michael Herzenberg filed this report.
Julie Patz has struggled through an unimaginable ordeal. Her 6-year-old vanished in 1979 walking two blocks alone to his school bus stop.
Her family's SoHo apartment turned into police headquarters for the search. The NYPD tried to track down every lead.
Police picked up Jose Ramos in 1982 for allegedly trying to lure other boys into the Bronx drainpipe where he lived. He became a prime suspect.
He admitted he dated a woman named Susan Harrington who frequently walked Etan home from school, but police didn't have enough to charge him.
After Ramos was convicted of molesting another child, investigators put informants in his cell and these cooperating criminals claimed to have heard Ramos imply he murdered Etan and was at one time in the Patz apartment.
Tuesday prosecutors called Julie Patz as a rebuttal witness, after the informants testified on behalf of Pedro Hernanez, the man now on trial for Etan's death.
Prosecutor: "Did Susan Harrington ever stay at your home by herself?"
Julie Patz: "No."
Prosecutor: "Did Susan Harrington ever babysit your son by herself?"
Julie Patz: "No."
Prosecutor: "Has Mr. Ramos ever been in your home?"
Julie Patz: "No. Not to my knowledge."
The goal of prosecutors was to strike at the defense's theory that Ramos is responsible for Etan's death..
They plan to present more witnesses to prove Pedro Hernandez's many confessions are not the ramblings of a dim witted, mentally ill man as the defense claims.
The murder trial of Pedro Hernandez could go to the Jury by as soon as next Thursday or perhaps in the following week.