On May 25, 1979, six-year-old Etan Patz disappeared from a New York street corner on his way to school. His photo, taken by his father, a professional photographer, was circulated nationwide and appeared in media across the nation and around the world. Etan became the poster-child for a movement. The powerful image came to symbolize the anguish and trauma of thousands of searching families.
The widespread attention brought to Etan’s case and several others eventually led to a nationwide movement to help locate and recover missing children. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed May 25th – the day that Etan went missing – as National Missing Children’s Day. Since then, each administration has recognized this day as a time to renew efforts to reunite missing children with their families, remember those who are still missing, and make child safety a national priority.
If your child is missing…
Call law enforcement immediately. Police are required by law to immediately take a missing child report and then promptly enter that report into the FBI’s National Crime Information Center.
After you have contacted local authorities, contact NCMEC at 1-800-THE-LOST© (1-800-843-5678) or online at missingkids.com