Etan Patz | The Boy Who Vanished on the Way to School

What could the courts establish about a six-year-old's 1979 disappearance when no body was found and the principal defendant's legal status changed across trials and appeals? Sources: U.S. Supreme Court opinion in United States v. Hernandez; Second Circuit opinion in United States v. Hernandez; New York County District Attorney case filings and trial record; NYPD missing-child and investigative records; Associated Press coverage of the trials and Supreme Court ruling