The Lost Boy | Full Episode

Full Episodes | "48 Hours"
28 May 202443:00

Summary

TLDRThe documentary delves into the harrowing case of Etan Patz, a six-year-old boy who vanished in 1979, marking one of New York City's most infamous unsolved cases. The narrative explores the exhaustive 30-year investigation, highlighting key suspects like Jose Ramos and Pedro Hernandez. It unveils the emotional turmoil faced by Etan's family and the relentless efforts of investigators to seek justice. In 2012, Hernandez confessed to the crime, leading to his conviction in 2017. The film poignantly captures the enduring hope and ultimate resolution, though it leaves lingering questions about true closure.

Takeaways

  • 🕵️‍♂️ The case revolves around locating a lost child, Aon F, who disappeared in 1979 at the age of 6, with the investigation lasting over 30 years.
  • 👮‍♂️ The investigation was challenging due to the lack of modern technology like surveillance video and social media, requiring extensive legwork and community engagement.
  • 👨‍👦 Aon F's disappearance was one of the oldest and most significant unsolved cases in New York City's history, with the case remaining open and investigators continuously seeking new leads.
  • 🏠 Aon was last seen walking to his school bus stop near his Manhattan apartment, and his parents maintained hope that he was alive and would return.
  • 🔍 The main suspect, Jose Ramos, had a history of pedophilia and was linked to the case through his confession of molesting a boy in Washington Square Park, but concrete evidence was lacking.
  • 🐕 In 2010, Lieutenant Zimmerman and his team took a fresh look at the case, which included a dog indicating the presence of human remains in a search area.
  • 🗣️ A breakthrough came when Pedro Hernandez confessed to killing Aon F, providing details that only the killer would know, such as the addition of a door after 1979.
  • 👤 Hernandez's credibility was questioned due to his psychiatric condition and the fact that he had confessed to multiple people over the years about harming a child.
  • 📹 The trial of Pedro Hernandez was contentious, with the defense arguing that his mental illness made him unreliable and that police may have coerced a confession.
  • 🗼 The first trial ended in a mistrial due to the jury being unable to reach a unanimous verdict, highlighting the complexity and emotional weight of the case.
  • 🏢 After a second trial and lengthy deliberation, Pedro Hernandez was convicted and sentenced to 25 years to life, finally providing some measure of justice for Aon F after 37 years.

Q & A

  • Who is the missing child being searched for in the script?

    -The missing child is Aton F, who is described as a six-year-old boy weighing 50 lbs, 40 inches tall, with blonde hair and blue eyes.

  • What was significant about the case of Aton F?

    -Aton's case was one of the oldest unsolved missing child cases in New York City, dating back to 1979, and it was significant due to the lack of surveillance and social media at the time, making traditional investigative methods crucial.

  • How did the family and investigators keep hope alive over the years?

    -The family and investigators maintained hope by constantly re-examining evidence, following new leads, and refusing to close the case, believing that Aton might still be alive.

  • What challenges did the investigators face in solving the case?

    -Investigators faced numerous challenges, including the passage of time, the initial lack of leads, and the difficulty in corroborating the suspect's confession due to his mental health issues and the incomplete initial interrogation recordings.

  • Who were the main suspects considered in Aton's case?

    -The main suspects included Jose Ramos, a known pedophile who claimed to have encountered a boy resembling Aton, and Pedro Hernandez, who eventually confessed to the murder but had a history of mental illness.

  • What led to the re-examination of Pedro Hernandez as a suspect?

    -A tip from Jose Lopez, Hernandez's brother-in-law, led to the re-examination. Lopez reported that Hernandez had made incriminating statements about hurting a child in New York, prompting investigators to look into him further.

  • What was the outcome of Pedro Hernandez's trial?

    -Pedro Hernandez was convicted of the murder of Aton Pates in his second trial and was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

  • Why was Jose Ramos initially considered a strong suspect?

    -Ramos was considered a strong suspect because he was a known pedophile who had a history of molesting children, and he had claimed to be 90% sure that he had encountered Aton on the day he disappeared.

  • What impact did Aton's case have on public awareness and other missing children cases?

    -Aton's case significantly raised public awareness about missing children, leading to initiatives like milk carton campaigns featuring photos of missing children and greater media attention on such cases.

  • What was the reaction of Aton's parents to the eventual conviction of Pedro Hernandez?

    -Aton's parents, Stan and Julie Pates, expressed relief and a sense of justice upon Hernandez's conviction, though they acknowledged that nothing could bring their son back.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 The Enduring Search for Aton Pates

The script opens with the decades-long search for Aton Pates, a 6-year-old boy who disappeared in 1979. Despite the lack of modern investigative tools like surveillance video and social media, the case remains a top priority for law enforcement. The narrative emphasizes the relentless efforts of investigators who tirelessly reexamined evidence and interviewed potential witnesses. Aton's case is highlighted as one of the oldest and most significant unsolved cases in New York City's history. The emotional impact on the investigators, the community, and Aton's family is palpable, with the hope that he is still alive being a driving force behind the ongoing search.

05:03

🎒 The Last Day of School and Aton's Disappearance

Paragraph 2 delves into the details of Aton Pates' disappearance on the last day of school before the Memorial Day weekend in 1979. His mother, Julie, allowed him to walk alone to the school bus stop for the first time, just two blocks away from their Manhattan apartment. Carrying a book bag and a dollar to buy a soda, Aton seemingly vanished. His parents only realized he was missing when he didn't return home, leading to a frantic search involving the police and the community. The police's efforts to locate Aton included door-to-door inquiries and establishing a command center in the Pates' apartment. The case deeply affected the investigators, with one detective, Bill Butler, becoming particularly invested in the case before tragically taking his own life in 1986.

10:05

🕵️‍♂️ Resurrecting the Cold Case and the Emergence of a New Suspect

In paragraph 3, the narrative continues with the case being revisited by new detectives, including Phil Mahoney, who was drawn to the case by a poem about a missing boy. Despite numerous leads proving fruitless, including a bizarre tip about a cult, the focus turned to Jose Ramos, a man who claimed to have encountered a boy resembling Aton in Washington Square Park. Ramos had a history of pedophilia and was known to travel around the U.S., enticing young boys. Although he was convicted in Pennsylvania for molesting a child, the direct link to Aton's disappearance remained elusive, leaving the case still open.

15:06

🏚️ Unraveling the Mystery: The Search for Physical Evidence

Paragraph 4 describes the ongoing search for physical evidence in the case of Aton Pates. In 2000, Mahoney ordered a search of an apartment building where Jose Ramos lived at the time of Aton's disappearance, based on a tip that Ramos had disposed of Aton's body there. Despite the search yielding no results, the pursuit of the truth continued. The narrative also covers the emotional journey of Aton's parents, Stan and Julie Pates, who held onto hope and the belief that Ramos was responsible for their son's death. The case remained open, and the search for justice went on, even as the years passed without resolution.

20:07

📞 A Breakthrough Tip and the Arrest of Pedro Hernandez

In paragraph 5, the case takes a dramatic turn with a new lead. A man named Jose Lopez contacts the police, implicating his brother-in-law, Pedro Hernandez, in Aton's disappearance. Hernandez, who worked at a corner store near the bus stop where Aton was last seen, had allegedly confessed to harming a child to various people over the years. The police interview Hernandez, who provides a detailed confession and even signs Aton's missing poster with an apology. This leads to Hernandez's arrest, offering a potential resolution to the decades-old mystery.

25:09

🗣️ The Confession and Controversy Surrounding Pedro Hernandez's Arrest

Paragraph 6 presents the complexities and controversies surrounding Pedro Hernandez's confession and subsequent arrest. Hernandez's mental health becomes a central issue, with his attorney arguing that his client's personality disorder and low IQ make him susceptible to suggestion and unreliable as a witness. The prosecution, however, maintains that Hernandez's confession is credible and that he had confessed to multiple people over the years. The narrative also raises questions about the initial hours of Hernandez's questioning that were not videotaped, suggesting potential police misconduct.

30:11

🏛️ The Trials of Pedro Hernandez and the Quest for Justice

In paragraph 7, the narrative follows the trials of Pedro Hernandez. The first trial ends in a hung jury, with one juror, Adam Siris, voting not guilty due to doubts about the confession's validity and Hernandez's mental health. The defense argues that Hernandez's vulnerabilities were exploited by the police to obtain a false confession. The prosecution counters with evidence of Hernandez's social functioning and the fact that he had confessed to multiple people. The case is retried, with the same evidence and issues presented, leading to a second trial that also results in a hung jury.

35:12

🕊️ Justice for Aton: The Conviction of Pedro Hernandez

Paragraph 8 concludes the narrative with the conviction of Pedro Hernandez for the murder of Aton Pates. After a second trial and lengthy deliberation, the jury finds Hernandez guilty, and he is sentenced to 25 years to life. The verdict brings a measure of justice to the Pates family after a long and painful wait. The narrative reflects on the difficulty of the case, the focus on the wrong suspects, and the emotional impact on all those involved, including the investigators and the family.

40:13

💔 Closure and Reflections on the Aton Pates Case

In the final paragraph, the narrative focuses on the reflections of those involved in the case and the emotional aftermath of the verdict. While justice has been served, the case does not provide complete closure for Aton's family or the investigators. The emotional scars remain, and the haunting memories of Aton continue to affect those who were part of the search and the trials. The narrative ends on a poignant note, with the realization that despite solving the case, they cannot bring back the lost child, leaving a lasting impact on all involved.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Aon F

Aon F is the name of the lost child central to the video's narrative. He was reported missing at the age of six and is described as having blonde hair and blue eyes. The case of Aon F is depicted as one of the oldest and most significant unsolved cases in New York City's history, highlighting the persistence of the search for him and the impact on his family and investigators.

💡Missing child case

A missing child case refers to an incident where a minor has disappeared and is believed to be in danger or lost. In the video, the case of Aon F is a prominent example, with the investigation spanning over 30 years. The term underscores the gravity and urgency of such incidents, as well as the emotional and societal impact.

💡Investigation

Investigation in this context refers to the process of searching for clues, questioning witnesses, and gathering evidence to solve a crime or locate a missing person. The video details the extensive efforts of investigators over the years to solve Aon F's case, emphasizing the dedication and perseverance required in such work.

💡Surveillance video

Surveillance video is footage recorded by cameras for security or monitoring purposes. The script mentions the lack of surveillance video as a challenge in Aon F's case, contrasting with modern cases where such footage can be a crucial tool in investigations.

💡Social media

Social media refers to online platforms that allow users to create and share content or participate in social networking. The script notes the absence of social media during the time of Aon F's disappearance, which today can play a significant role in spreading information and leads in missing person cases.

💡Jose Ramos

Jose Ramos is identified as a main suspect in Aon F's case. He is described as having a history of pedophilia and is linked to the case through his own admission of having met a boy in Washington Square Park. His character is central to the narrative as investigators attempt to piece together the truth.

💡Pedro Hernandez

Pedro Hernandez emerges as a key figure in the video, confessed to being involved in Aon F's disappearance. His confession and subsequent arrest mark a significant turning point in the case, leading to a trial that grapples with questions of his mental health and the credibility of his confession.

💡Mental illness

Mental illness is a term used to describe a wide range of mental health conditions. In the video, Pedro Hernandez's mental health becomes a central issue in his trial, with the defense arguing that his psychiatric condition casts doubt on the reliability of his confession to the crime.

💡Confession

A confession in a legal context is a statement in which a person admits to having committed a crime. The video focuses on Pedro Hernandez's confession to the murder of Aon F, which becomes a contentious point during his trial due to questions about its voluntariness and the impact of his mental health.

💡Mistrial

A mistrial is declared when a trial is rendered invalid due to a procedural error, a hung jury, or other issues that prevent a verdict from being reached. The video describes the first trial of Pedro Hernandez ending in a mistrial, highlighting the complexities and challenges in reaching a verdict in such a high-profile and emotionally charged case.

💡Justice

Justice in this context refers to the legal process of holding individuals accountable for their actions and achieving a fair resolution in a legal dispute. The video follows the pursuit of justice for Aon F and his family, culminating in the conviction of Pedro Hernandez and the sentencing that brings some closure to the case.

Highlights

A six-year-old boy named Aon F went missing, described as having blonde hair, blue eyes, weighing 50 lbs, and 40 inches tall.

The case was from an era without surveillance video or social media, requiring traditional investigative methods.

Investigators reexamined evidence and continuously pressed forward despite decades passing.

The case of Aon F, missing for over 30 years, was one of the oldest and most significant unsolved cases in New York City's history.

Aon F disappeared on his first walk to the school bus stop in 1979, which was only two blocks from his home.

The family always maintained hope that Aon was alive and would be found.

Jose Ramos, a primary suspect, claimed to have molested a boy in Washington Square Park around the time of Aon's disappearance.

Investigators continually searched for clues, including approaching new suspects and reexamining old evidence.

The case had a significant impact on the detectives involved, with some experiencing personal turmoil due to the unsolved nature.

Aon's image was widely circulated, becoming a symbol for missing children and influencing public awareness.

Jose Ramos was eventually linked to the case but lacked concrete evidence to be charged.

In 2012, a new team of investigators and a new prosecutor reignited efforts to solve the case.

Pedro Hernandez, a former stock boy, confessed to abducting and killing Aon after a detailed investigation.

Hernandez's confession was scrutinized due to his mental health condition and the lack of physical evidence.

In 2015, Pedro Hernandez was convicted of killing Aon, bringing some measure of justice to the case.

Transcripts

00:00

[Music]

00:04

we are trying to locate a lost Child by

00:06

the name of Aon F he is only 60 years

00:10

old he weighs 50 lb 40 in tall blonde

00:15

hair and blue

00:18

eyes it's not like a case you know

00:21

nowadays where you may have surveillance

00:23

video you may have social

00:26

media so if this case was going to get

00:28

solved you guys had to solve it you had

00:32

to walk you had to talk to people we had

00:34

to look at everything over again take a

00:36

fresh look and we just kept pressing

00:38

forward we just kept looking at

00:39

everything over and over and over again

00:41

every missing child case is very

00:43

important but this was one of the oldest

00:45

ones we had it was 30 something years

00:47

worth of investigative

00:50

steps it's a six-year-old boy you

00:53

know

00:58

six

01:03

I think it was one of the most

01:05

significant unsolved cases in the

01:07

history of New York

01:09

City when Eton was lost in 1979 I think

01:13

the city was in more of an innocent

01:16

state of

01:17

mind I mean this is the first day he

01:19

walked to the school bus you could stand

01:22

at that door and you can see the school

01:23

bus stuff it's like right

01:26

there we have always felt that he's

01:30

alive we have always kept up our hope

01:34

that we would get him

01:36

back we can't determine when it's going

01:39

to end or if it's going to end and we

01:42

will keep hope and we will keep

01:46

[Music]

01:47

looking that photo will always haunt me

01:50

and every single day that I sent my son

01:53

out to

01:55

school I thought of a ton

01:57

Pates and I was one of 8 million New

02:00

Yorkers like

02:02

that this is Washington Square Park and

02:05

this is significant because Jose Ramos

02:08

who was the main suspect in the case

02:09

said he met a boy over there by the

02:12

fountain molested the kid and then said

02:16

he let him go they're trying to hook me

02:18

up with pain

02:20

that's when you looked at the evidence

02:22

concretely about Jose Ramos it was it

02:25

was

02:26

lacking look at this see this here back

02:28

in 2010

02:30

Lieutenant Zimmerman had approached me

02:31

and he says hey you mind taking another

02:33

look at this

02:35

case dog indicated the presence of human

02:38

remains human search here the case is

02:41

always open always looking for the

02:42

needle on the Hy stack we have a suspect

02:45

dead andad that forced the truth out of

02:47

hiding disappearance ofon page the call

02:50

comes into our office onto the phone

02:53

right next to my desk did you ever heard

02:55

the name Pedro Hernandez before no

02:58

sir I grabbed him by the

03:01

neck mhm and I started to chok in

03:06

him is do you recognize this person yeah

03:10

that's him the facts of that confession

03:14

make no sense he's unreliable because of

03:18

his psychiatric condition you thought

03:21

that you were looking at the man who

03:22

killed Aon Pates

03:24

[Music]

03:28

yes

03:35

[Music]

03:44

48 Hours the Lost

03:49

[Music]

03:58

Boy

04:03

after more than 30 years it took a new

04:06

team of investigators and a new

04:08

prosecutor to Breathe new life into an

04:12

old case trying to find out what

04:15

happened to Aton Pates district attorney

04:18

Cyrus Vance Jr you really should never

04:21

close the book on a case if you think

04:23

there's the possibility that it can be

04:28

solved in 2012 investigators were

04:32

literally digging for Clues just blocks

04:35

away from where Aton was last seen after

04:39

thousands of dead end leads the public

04:42

held its Collective breath hoping this

04:44

time the case might finally be

04:54

solved yes I wish I hadn't let him go to

04:56

the bus step that morning alone Aton

04:59

Pates was just 6 years old and like many

05:02

kids that age he wanted some

05:07

Independence it was 1979 the last day of

05:10

school before the Memorial Day weekend

05:13

and eton's mother Julie finally agreed

05:16

to let Aon Walk Alone to the school bus

05:20

stop it was just two blocks away from

05:23

their Manhattan

05:26

apartment um my feelings that morning

05:28

were very positive about got his going

05:30

Aon was carrying a book bag and a dollar

05:33

to buy a soda at the corner store near

05:36

the bus stop and then he seemed to

05:41

[Music]

05:48

[Music]

05:50

vanish Julie and her husband Stan didn't

05:53

realize their son was missing until that

05:56

afternoon when he didn't come home from

05:59

school

06:00

Julie called the school and learned Aton

06:03

never arrived and his friends never saw

06:06

him at the bus stop so she called the

06:09

police I didn't want to start with

06:12

something bad happened to her I would

06:14

rather start in my mind in my heart that

06:17

it was just a missing person former NYPD

06:21

detective Patrick ianello immediately

06:23

headed to the Pat's home and then we

06:26

started to uh knock on doors anyone see

06:29

this boy we worked all that day we

06:31

worked all that night and then the

06:33

following day I got

06:35

home and

06:38

uh I I was ready to break down myself

06:43

because because I I saw my

06:46

son and he was aon's age mhm

06:52

MH a command center was set up right in

06:56

the pes's apartment both my wife and I

06:58

are

07:00

continue to be confident that he is

07:03

alive and uh we hope he's being cared

07:06

for

07:07

by someone who um

07:10

might want a child as adorable as he the

07:14

police did not know us we had to be

07:17

cleared of Suspicion as well as many

07:19

other people eton's image was splashed

07:21

on storefronts and in

07:23

newspapers eton's father is a

07:26

professional photographer and took many

07:28

phot pH of his son these pictures

07:32

captured the Public's heart and captured

07:35

aton's

07:36

Spirit he's just bubbling over with life

07:40

and he always saw the positive side

07:41

where other people saw negative it's

07:43

just he's just an incredible person our

07:46

six-year-old boy is a loving trusting

07:50

child we think an adult could have

07:52

convinced him to come with

07:55

him the police canvased the neighborhood

07:58

talking to people on the

08:00

street interviewing workers at a corner

08:03

store near the school bus stop hi one

08:08

you heard anything anything she justest

08:11

no anybody talking

08:14

anybody saying anything

08:17

nothing okay thanks a lot keep your ears

08:19

open the longer we've gone without any

08:22

bad news I think that's good detective

08:26

Bill Butler was iano's partner uh was

08:29

last seen at uh 7:55 a.m. we have leads

08:34

we don't know where we're going to end

08:35

up on the leads that we have now well

08:37

they pronounce it eight

08:39

time when you go this long on something

08:41

like this you do you you feel like

08:43

you're looking for your own

08:48

son the search for Aton dragged on

08:51

detective Butler a father with six

08:54

children lived and breathed the case how

08:57

did this case influence Bill

09:00

Butler more than I could imagine he was

09:04

very very tight into the

09:07

case in 1986 Bill Butler took his own

09:11

life and there was speculation his

09:14

frustration with this case may have been

09:17

part of the reason

09:22

why the search went on without Butler

09:26

Julian Stan had two other children to

09:28

protect protect eton's older sister and

09:32

younger brother we keep saying we we try

09:35

to lead normal lives but in so many

09:38

small

09:39

ways uh it's just totally impossible I

09:42

mean we have his belongings all over the

09:44

house and yet uh to put them away is

09:47

saying to to us and to our children that

09:50

uh he's gone and he's not coming back

09:52

and if we're patient we'll get them back

09:57

but their patience went unrewarded

10:00

the patas did everything they could to

10:02

keep their story in the news and that

10:05

helped other missing children everyone

10:07

says how many where why what happens to

10:11

them in the 1980s mil cartons showed

10:15

eton's face and then those of others but

10:19

Eton remained among the

10:24

missing by 1998 a new detective was

10:28

heading the the missing person Squad

10:31

Phil Mahoney was drawn to the case by of

10:34

all things a poem titled the missing boy

10:39

it's about a mother and son looking at

10:42

aon's missing poster I read that poem

10:44

and I said that's it I want to work on

10:46

the Aton Fates case it was pretty much

10:48

inactive it had been inactive for many

10:50

years it was cold it was colder than

10:52

gold we had

10:53

to find the the the reports put them

10:56

back together Mahoney sorted through

10:59

nearly two decades worth of work and

11:01

some bizarre tips this tip about this

11:05

cult in Westchester did that Source say

11:07

that Aon was there yeah that Aon was

11:10

killed by that cult and dumped the leads

11:13

LED nowhere but there was someone who

11:17

police were very interested

11:19

in Jose Ramos the man who said he may

11:23

have encountered a boy in Washington

11:25

Square Park not far from where the pes's

11:29

lived did he say it was Aon Pates he has

11:32

said he was 90% sure it was Aon

11:36

[Music]

11:53

Pates you ever have a kid named Anon

11:56

pots yeah that was in the papers in 79

12:00

in 1982 Jose Ramos was picked up by

12:04

police for stealing some books from

12:06

children he was homeless living in a

12:09

drainage tunnel in New York City and

12:11

former Lieutenant Phil Mahoney recalls

12:15

Ramos had some disturbing photos he had

12:18

a bunch of photos of kids that look like

12:20

Aon Pates he was a shaky character so he

12:24

enjoyed looking at these photos so Ramos

12:26

was questioned by investigators

12:29

about the photos what what is it about

12:31

that people say it looks like eaten the

12:34

smile I think how about the hair maybe

12:37

the hair not that much Susan used to

12:40

take care of him Susan

12:43

Harrington Susan Harrington Ramos's

12:46

girlfriend walked Aon to school during a

12:50

bus strike shortly before Eton

12:53

disappeared did you know where he lived

12:55

in

12:56

SoHo it was in the papers investigators

12:59

suspected Ramos was a pedophile who

13:02

could have ties to Aon there was enough

13:06

there there was a lot there to draw

13:07

attention to him

13:09

certainly Aton often played in

13:11

Washington Square Park a place Ramos was

13:15

known to visit Jose Ramos has said

13:18

several times that on May 25th 1979 he

13:22

was here and a young small sevenish

13:25

blonde kid came up to him and started

13:27

talking to him and Jose Ramos said at

13:29

that point he eventually took the kid

13:32

back to his apartment Ramos told that

13:34

story to Federal prosecutor steuart grab

13:38

who had been working the case since

13:40

1985 grab and the FBI had Through The

13:44

Years tracked leads around the world but

13:48

they always came back to Ramos in June

13:52

1988 Ramos was uh brought to my office

13:56

and uh proceeded to state that he was

13:59

90% sure that the young boy he took that

14:02

day May 25th 1979 was the same boy whose

14:05

picture he saw both in newspaper and on

14:07

television that being atamp

14:10

Pates investigators learned Ramos had

14:13

sexually molested children around the

14:16

country one of the things he did was to

14:18

travel around the United States in a

14:20

converted School Bus giving out Matchbox

14:23

cars and toys and baseball cards to

14:26

children to young boys to entice them on

14:28

to the bus grabois wanted to prosecute

14:31

Ramos even if it wasn't for the Aon

14:33

Pates case he succeeded in Pennsylvania

14:37

in 1990 Ramos pled guilty to molesting

14:40

an 8-year-old boy and was sentenced to

14:43

10 to 20 years in prison you've got a

14:47

known pedophile who says that he's 90%

14:49

sure that he picked up Aton Pates you

14:52

know around the time that he disappeared

14:54

why didn't you just go okay case

14:56

closed because you didn't have that

14:58

corroborating evidence you didn't have

15:00

that one person who said yeah I saw him

15:03

and Aon in Washington Square Park you

15:06

got the information investigators hunted

15:08

for more evidence in 2000 Mahoney

15:10

ordered a search of an apartment

15:12

building Ramos lived in when Aon

15:15

disappeared Ramos had allegedly told a

15:18

fellow inmate this is where he disposed

15:22

of aton's body when he was in jail Jose

15:26

Ramos said that he put a on into the

15:29

furnace in the basement this building

15:31

this building and you know burned up the

15:34

body but like so many tips in the Aton

15:37

Pates case nothing came of it there was

15:41

just never that next thing to make you

15:43

say yep that's it close the books we got

15:45

the guy Mahoney felt they didn't have

15:47

enough on Ramos to charge him with aon's

15:50

disappearance neither did the Manhattan

15:52

da at the time but Stan Pates and Stuart

15:56

grabois were becoming more convinced

15:59

Ramos was their man I believe this man

16:02

stalked my son I believe he lured him

16:05

back to his

16:07

apartment I think he used them like

16:09

toilet paper and I think he threw him

16:11

away Brian OWI is a prominent New York

16:14

attorney and started representing the

16:16

Pates he was friends with Stuart grabois

16:20

and in 2000 he approached grabis with an

16:24

idea I said you know you have an

16:27

opportunity you may not have thought

16:29

about it but of taking a civil case

16:33

against

16:35

Ramos it would be a wrongful death suit

16:38

Odo hoped Ramos would be subpoena and

16:41

might say something incriminating to

16:44

help bring a criminal case but before

16:47

the wrongful death case could proceed

16:50

OWI had to ask the Pates to officially

16:54

give up hope they would have to ask a

16:57

Court to declare their Son dead it's one

17:01

of the toughest things I've ever done in

17:02

my

17:03

practice and on June 19th

17:06

2001 a judge declared that Aon Pates was

17:11

officially dead I used to have fantasies

17:14

of of a taxi cab pulling up in front

17:20

and Aon coming out of it but uh that was

17:23

a long time ago I don't entertain those

17:26

fantasies

17:27

anymore the pes's attorney went to the

17:30

Pennsylvania prison where Ramos was

17:32

being held to interview the man he

17:35

believed had killed Aon Pates this was

17:40

evil incarnate if I met him on the

17:42

street I would have been very scared and

17:44

what did he say he said that yes indeed

17:46

he was on the street that day and he

17:49

picked up a little boy by the name of

17:51

Jimmy this time Ramos did not say eton's

17:54

name were you convinced that Ramos was

17:57

the guy

17:59

absolutely Ramos would never answer more

18:02

questions or testify in court and the

18:05

Pates won the civil case against him

18:09

once and for all at least have a final

18:11

declaration by a court of law that Jose

18:15

Antonio Ramos caused the death of Aton

18:17

Pates it was a victory but it was not

18:20

the end of the fight the ultimate

18:23

objective was to get a criminal

18:24

prosecution did you think it was enough

18:26

to prosecute him criminally I did the

18:28

Manhattan da disagreed he still would

18:32

not charge Jose Ramos he thought he

18:35

couldn't prove it Beyond A Reasonable

18:36

Doubt do you keep thinking about this

18:38

case or did you move on no I never moved

18:40

on never moved

18:43

on Jose Antonio Ros was in prison

18:47

unpunished for what he believed was the

18:50

death of Aon Bates but 33 years after

18:54

Aton disappeared there was a tip this is

18:58

where it all started and it could change

19:01

everything in this

19:17

[Music]

19:18

case I think about my son every day he's

19:22

he's he's gone but I will never forget

19:25

him as time passed for Stan and Julie

19:29

Pates Eton was and is Frozen in Time as

19:34

a six-year-old gone missing they

19:37

remained convinced that Jose Ramos the

19:39

pedophile who was behind bars in

19:42

Pennsylvania was responsible for aon's

19:46

death I send him a a poster twice a year

19:50

and I write on the back what did you do

19:52

to my little

19:54

boy from the time Aton disappeared in

19:56

1979 until until 2009 one man held the

20:01

position of Manhattan da Robert

20:04

morganthall he never felt there was

20:06

enough evidence to indict Ramos but

20:09

morgantha was retiring I support

20:13

sance Cyrus Vance Jr was running for the

20:16

office the Pates family reached out to

20:19

me and Stan asked me if I would look

20:21

into the

20:22

[Applause]

20:25

case and when Vance became hatan da in

20:30

2010 he did look into

20:34

it Side dance is like listen we'd like

20:36

to re you know fresh that eyes relook at

20:38

it go backwards see what was missed

20:40

Lieutenant Chris Zimmerman headed the

20:42

missing person Squad at the time and

20:45

part of the fresh look included another

20:48

look at Jose Ramos we looked at the case

20:51

for quite a while and I never was

20:54

convinced that there was proof Beyond a

20:56

reasonable doubt that Jose Ramos was

20:58

aon's

21:01

killer and so the search for another

21:04

suspect continued the FBI had been

21:07

involved on and off since aon's

21:09

Disappearance in April of 2012

21:13

investigators took another look at this

21:16

handyman who used to work for the PES

21:19

along with the NYPD they started that

21:22

day it was at the former site of the

21:25

handyman's workshop we're EX uting a

21:28

search warrant regarding The

21:30

Disappearance of Aon Pates it was not

21:32

far from where the peses still live

21:36

excuse

21:41

me the Dig went on for 5 days as

21:45

investigators sifted through

21:47

Subterranean spaces and decades old dirt

21:51

it was starting to look like there might

21:53

finally be some answers we're cautiously

21:56

optimistic we'll find evidence in the

21:58

end nothing was found the handyman was

22:02

cleared at this point there's no obvious

22:04

human remains but this was not just

22:07

another dead end far from it in fact it

22:11

led to the first major turning point in

22:14

this case the call comes into our office

22:18

onto the phone right next to my desk it

22:21

came from Jose Lopez who called police

22:24

after he watched news coverage of the

22:26

Dig can can you tell what brought you to

22:28

the police thank you very much okay

22:30

that's what I went he said his

22:32

brother-in-law might be involved in the

22:35

case detective Dave Ramirez helped lead

22:38

the

22:39

investigation and who was his

22:40

brother-in-law Pedro Hernandez did you

22:43

ever heard the name Pedro Hernandez

22:45

before no sir no what did he tell you

22:47

about his

22:48

brother-in-law um that he had made

22:51

statements to various people about him

22:54

having done something really bad to a

22:56

child in New York

23:01

Pedro Hernandez worked as a stock boy at

23:04

that corner store by the bus stop he was

23:07

18 when Eton disappeared and soon after

23:12

Hernandez left that job and moved home

23:15

to New Jersey over the years he had been

23:18

divorced remarried and had children he

23:22

worked on and off at menial jobs and had

23:25

no criminal record but he had told

23:28

people about hurting an unnamed child so

23:33

who had Hernandez spoken to there was a

23:35

religious group apparently there was a

23:37

retreat that they had gone on they all

23:39

had information to the fact that M

23:41

Hernandez did something to this child

23:44

Ramirez learned Hernandez also told his

23:46

ex-wife and a friend similar stories

23:50

detectives notes from 1979 show police

23:53

at the time knew Hernandez worked at the

23:56

store but it is is unclear if he was

24:00

ever questioned why do you suppose he

24:02

was not a suspect before I don't have

24:05

the answer for it I wasn't there you

24:07

know I I never got Clarity on that and I

24:09

don't think he did either about two

24:11

weeks after they learned about Hernandez

24:14

on May 23rd

24:16

2012 police went to his New Jersey home

24:19

to talk to him I had a told him that we

24:23

were investigating an old missing

24:25

person's case in New York City at that

24:27

point he like he lost all the color in

24:30

his face still Hernandez readily agreed

24:34

to go to the prosecutor's office in

24:36

Camden New Jersey to be questioned was

24:39

it hard to get him talking no no he

24:42

talked for 6 hours without a lawyer or a

24:45

recording of the conversation and during

24:48

that time he was shown a missing poster

24:50

of Aon Pates later the video camera was

24:55

turned on can you start telling us again

24:58

exactly what you just told us before

25:00

about what happened and Hernandez told

25:03

them about seeing a boy outside the

25:06

store where he worked who was waiting

25:08

for the school bus who was waiting for

25:10

the school bus what's his name and P

25:15

these are the words that changed the

25:17

course of one of America's most

25:19

heartbreaking cold cases Hernandez went

25:23

on telling police he offered Aon a soda

25:28

then I asked him I asked him to go to

25:32

the in the basement with me to get the

25:34

soda it is hard to listen to his story

25:38

then what happened after that then I

25:40

choked

25:41

him yeah when I choked he went this what

25:45

made you do this I don't know I don't

25:47

know it was something that just happened

25:51

he signed aon's missing poster writing I

25:54

am sorry and choke him and you recognize

25:58

this to be the boy that you choked that

26:02

day after the confession Hernandez

26:05

showed investigators where he said it

26:07

happened 33 years earlier Lieutenant

26:11

Zimmerman recorded the walk with his

26:14

cell phone so Hernandez told you here

26:17

that this was the basement entrance yes

26:19

so according to Hernandez Aon was that

26:22

way from where we are yes and he lured

26:25

him in into the basement through this

26:27

door yes sir Hernandez said he put Aon

26:30

in a box after choking him put him in a

26:34

box and then put the Box on his I'm

26:36

carry the Box up out of here at this

26:37

point I said could you show us exactly

26:39

the way you walk that day we crossed the

26:42

street on to the other

26:45

side and how far down did he go then he

26:48

went down to the

26:49

corner he went this way right yes he

26:51

crossed the street here and um he stops

26:54

here at this location he said he went

26:57

down some steps he he took the body down

27:00

here yes and then he put the box down

27:03

police believe the box was picked up by

27:05

garbage

27:08

collectors Hernandez was interviewed

27:10

again hey Mr Hernandez hello hours after

27:14

the Soho Walk This Time by a prosecutor

27:17

in the Manhattan DA's office then I

27:19

choked him and I tried to let go but I

27:22

just couldn't let him go he repeated the

27:24

same story and later that day Pedro

27:28

Hernandez was arrested we have a suspect

27:32

in custody who has made a statement to

27:35

the

27:36

NYPD implicating himself in The

27:39

Disappearance of Aton Pates 33 years ago

27:43

he had confessed to killing Aon Pates it

27:45

was a credible confession so says the

27:48

prosecutor but soon questions were being

27:50

asked about the 6 hours when Hernandez

27:54

was questioned before the videotape in

27:58

began why weren't those first hours

28:12

[Music]

28:14

[Applause]

28:17

videotaped it was a day or twoo shy of

28:20

the 33rd

28:23

anniversary it was a day or two shy that

28:25

we made the arrest this evening the New

28:28

York City Police Department is

28:29

announcing the arrest of Pedro Hernandez

28:33

age 51

28:35

of Mr Pat was taken back a little

28:39

surprised and I would say

28:42

overwhelmed you know it had a sink in

28:45

you know 30 something years it had a

28:47

sink

28:50

in you know I can't imagine not having

28:53

an answer for that many

28:56

years for decades Stan and Julie Pates

29:00

believed another man was responsible for

29:02

their son's Disappearance in

29:06

1979 I believe this man stalked my

29:09

son I want him to admit it now someone

29:13

was admitting it but it was this man

29:17

Pedro

29:18

Hernandez he was waiting for

29:21

this then he went down the

29:23

stairs right he went like this after

29:27

Hernandez was arrested he was thought to

29:29

be a suicide risk and taken to Belleview

29:33

hospital I met him at uh the prison Ward

29:36

Harvey fishbine is Pedro Hernandez's

29:39

court-appointed

29:40

attorney I walked out of there and I

29:43

said the man has an issue that needs to

29:45

be addressed I hear voices sometimes

29:48

talking to me a defense psychiatrist

29:51

diagnosed Hernandez with a personality

29:53

disorder that can leave a person unable

29:56

to different iate between what's real

30:00

and what's not I

30:04

had Vis do you think Pedro Hernandez

30:08

knows if he killed Aton Pates or not I I

30:11

I think he knows he didn't and that's

30:13

think are you sure it's hard to look

30:15

into someone's mind which is one of the

30:18

real problems we have here the diagnosis

30:20

of mental illness would be a major part

30:23

of Hernandez's

30:25

defense and in January of

30:28

2015 2 and 1/2 years after his arrest

30:32

Hernandez went on trial for the murder

30:36

of Aon

30:37

Pates Aon Pat's father walked silently

30:41

past reporters in the courthouse finally

30:43

hoping to see Justice served nearly 36

30:46

years after his young son's

30:49

disappearance at trial the defense would

30:52

argue that Hernandez's mental illness

30:54

made him make up the whole story of

30:56

murder ing Aton starting with seeing him

31:00

by the bus stop Pedro says I saw him

31:03

standing there he was waiting for the

31:06

yet no parent that was at the bus stop

31:08

that morning who knew Aon saw Aon that

31:12

morning so the fact that Pedro said that

31:15

he saw the child there when no one else

31:17

did immediately raises questions as to

31:21

did this actually happen or not

31:24

Hernandez told investigators he tried to

31:26

hide aon's book bag in the basement of

31:29

that store so I took the book bag and I

31:32

threw it behind the freezer but fishbine

31:35

says the police would have searched that

31:37

store and if they did they should have

31:39

found the bag or some other evidence

31:43

that bag was never recovered the defense

31:45

also argued that Hernandez has a low IQ

31:48

and is susceptible to suggestions we

31:52

argued to the jury he's unreliable

31:54

because of his low intellect because of

31:59

his psychiatric condition and of course

32:01

the story in the end does not make sense

32:04

but the prosecution experts interviewed

32:06

Hernandez I'm going to say some words

32:10

and concluded he is not mentally ill and

32:13

that the jury could believe his

32:16

words prosecutors had home videos

32:19

showing Hernandez socializing like

32:22

anyone

32:23

else and they pointed out that Hernandez

32:26

never reported any mental illness on a

32:28

driver's license renewal form he filled

32:31

out do you believe that he was competent

32:33

to confess absolutely I think there was

32:36

ample evidence that Pedro Hernandez was

32:40

not fabricating uh this uh homicide as

32:44

the product of Mental Illness but that

32:46

he in fact was admitting to something

32:48

that had tortured him and he confessed

32:50

but fishbine wants the jury to wonder

32:53

what happened during those 6 hours

32:56

before this videotaping began can you

32:59

start telling us again exactly what you

33:01

just told us before there was an

33:03

affirmative decision not to videotape

33:07

what was going on all it would have

33:09

taken was the pushing of a button why

33:11

wasn't that taped uh I think it was not

33:13

taped because there was no legal

33:16

requirement that it be taped how do you

33:17

know that they didn't feed him

33:18

information how do you know they didn't

33:21

Bering the way you assure yourself is by

33:24

talking to the witnesses who were there

33:26

uh after speaking to those who were

33:28

present and being informed of what

33:29

happened I did not doubt that uh there

33:32

was uh anything but a fair handling of

33:36

Mr Hernandez and uh the appropriate

33:38

questioning of him did you give him any

33:41

information about the crime when you

33:43

were talking to Mr Hernandez no did

33:47

you try and influence him I wouldn't say

33:50

no this was all of him just talking to

33:53

you volunteering this stuff yes the

33:56

defense argued police prayed on

33:58

Hernandez's vulnerability and

34:01

manipulated him to confess Pedro is a

34:05

very religious person one of the

34:07

detectives says thank you ped I can't be

34:11

to tell you how proud I am of you that's

34:14

the strength of the Lord right there is

34:16

strength that's the strength of the Lord

34:18

what's the strength of the Lord that he

34:22

said something that they said they

34:24

needed in order to make people feel

34:26

better than family to resolve

34:28

it but the police would counter and the

34:31

prosecutors would counter that this guy

34:34

confessed to so many people over the

34:36

years that he corroborates his own words

34:39

well they they would like to say that

34:41

that's I know and I don't think that's

34:43

accurate the prosecution called those

34:45

church members Hernandez's ex-wife who

34:48

did you tell you said you told your

34:51

ex-wife right and his friend who all

34:54

said Hernandez told them he he did

34:57

something bad to a young boy but at the

35:00

time they never reported anything

35:03

because they didn't know whether to

35:04

believe him if it was one statement in

35:07

isolation that would be one thing there

35:10

were a number of people to whom he

35:11

unburdened himself but fishbine told the

35:13

jury those accounts varied and Hernandez

35:16

may have been making them up to look

35:19

tough and he offered the jurors another

35:22

suspect the man many including the PES

35:25

first thought killed

35:27

Aon Jose Ramos the known pedophile whose

35:31

girlfriend knew Aon I feel certain that

35:35

if the District Attorney's office tried

35:37

Jose Ramos he would be

35:39

convicted the evidence against Pedro

35:42

Hernandez was much stronger than it had

35:44

ever been against Jose

35:47

Ramos the prosecutors had one piece of

35:49

evidence they considered critical it was

35:52

something Hernandez said when he showed

35:55

police where he said he dumped aon's

35:58

body he noticed there was a door where

36:02

he didn't remember one and he says there

36:04

wasn't a door there was when they

36:08

researched the building's history

36:09

prosecutors discovered Hernandez was

36:12

right the door was added after

36:16

1979 that's a fact that was not known

36:20

publicly that we believed only the

36:22

killer would know but the defense says

36:24

Hernandez wasn't even sure which

36:26

building it was which one you

36:29

remember he said I thought maybe this is

36:32

it and then he looks and he says no this

36:35

is it

36:37

right it was a lot for the jurors to

36:40

sift

36:42

through the trial took nearly 3

36:46

months and in April

36:49

2015 they began

36:52

deliberating and

36:55

deliberating for 18

36:58

[Music]

37:06

days what happened after that then I

37:08

ched

37:10

him yeah when I ched he went

37:13

back for 18 days the jury considered

37:17

Pedro Hernandez's confession to the

37:20

murder of Aon Pates a big bone of

37:22

contention was the mental health issue

37:24

we debated that for days

37:27

Adam Siris was one of the jurors the

37:30

other issue that was very sticky at

37:32

first was the confession everyone felt

37:34

very upset about not being able to see

37:36

the entire interview the jurors

37:37

disagreed on whether the confession

37:39

could have been coerced twice they told

37:42

the judge they were at an impass and the

37:45

third time they reported they could not

37:47

reach a verdict on May 8th

37:50

2015 this has been a very long trial and

37:53

a very long deliberation the judge

37:56

declared cled a

37:58

mistrial our long ordeal is not over

38:02

when they said they were unable to reach

38:04

a decision we believed it was going to

38:06

be 11:1 for a quiddle it was 11:1 but

38:10

not for a quid only one juror voted not

38:14

guilty it was Adam Siris do you remember

38:17

the date

38:21

[Music]

38:24

no he found the confession hard to

38:27

believe not knowing what went on before

38:30

the camera started rolling you know it's

38:33

very hard for people to wrap their minds

38:35

around the idea that somebody would

38:37

confess to murdering a child if he

38:40

didn't actually do it yeah and a lot of

38:42

the jurors said that in our

38:44

deliberations but the whole reason why

38:45

you don't just throw someone in jail

38:47

when they confess is that there's a lot

38:48

of people out there with mental illness

38:50

that could confess to lots of crimes and

38:52

doesn't mean they're all guilty but the

38:54

rest of the jurors believed Hernandez

38:56

was guilty Pedra Hernandez you know what

38:59

you did still 11 out of 12 is not enough

39:03

to convict and Stan Pates was obviously

39:06

disappointed this man did it he said it

39:10

how many times does a man have to con

39:12

confess before someone believes him Stan

39:14

was uh was unequivocal in his support

39:18

that the case should be retried and so

39:19

he did about a year and a half later

39:22

Pedro Hernandez went on trial again the

39:25

evidence and the issues were the same as

39:28

the first trial and like the first trial

39:31

it was long more than 3 months and this

39:35

trial also ended with a long

39:38

deliberation nine days did it start

39:41

fueling like the first time to you um

39:44

nothing felt like that 18 days the first

39:47

time but yes it was reminiscent of that

39:49

and we were just trying to understand

39:52

what was going on it's impossible to try

39:54

to read a jury but unlike the first

39:56

first trial this jury reached a verdict

39:59

Pedro Hernandez was convicted of killing

40:03

Aon Pates 37 years after the first

40:07

grader left home and

40:10

vanished the Pat's family has waited a

40:12

long

40:14

time but we finally have found some

40:16

measure of

40:18

justice for our wonderful little boy

40:22

Eton I am truly relieved and

40:26

I'll tell you it's about time it really

40:29

is it's about time Pedro Hernandez was

40:32

sentenced to 25 years to life why do you

40:38

think this case was so hard to solve why

40:41

did it take so

40:43

long I think people had great intentions

40:46

I think people got focused on people

40:48

like Ramos not criticizing anybody

40:51

independently because it made a lot of

40:52

sense he's an evil man he's just not our

40:54

evil man it's a feeling now shared by

40:58

others who were once convinced Jose

41:00

Ramos murdered dayon Pates before police

41:03

found Pedro Hernandez if I were on the

41:07

jury I would have come with the same

41:09

verdict do you still think of Aon pides

41:12

I do what do you think

41:14

about it could have been my

41:18

son that is the thought that still

41:21

haunts so many involved in this

41:24

case my kids are like 22 and I still

41:28

think about it when I'm when they're out

41:30

of sight and out of

41:32

mind we were kind of hoping that it

41:34

would be like a movie ending where the

41:36

the boy would eventually walk in the

41:38

door but it didn't work out that

41:41

way I notice a couple of times you've

41:45

looked down at

41:46

this why why do you does this still mean

41:49

something to you yeah this this is this

41:51

is the poster we remember the most I

41:53

would say this is the kids looking right

41:55

at you

41:57

I feel for the family I'm a father

41:59

myself and so is Dave case is solved but

42:02

solved but I never give them complete

42:04

closure I couldn't give him their son

42:07

back would have loved to give him their

42:09

son

42:10

[Music]

42:25

back

42:26

[Music]

42:55

he

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العلامات ذات الصلة
True CrimeMissing ChildCold CaseNew York1979InvestigationMysteryHopeFamilyJustice
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