There's no escaping the sadness that hangs over the family of Etan Patz today. Police in New York City think they "might" have located the body of the missing 6-year-old who graced the side of a milk carton 33 years ago. Human remains sniffed up by a cadaver dog have been linked by cops to the first child to ever have his photo show up in the dairy case at grocery stores around the country. And once again, this little boy could be changing the way the world looks at missing persons cases.
These days, pictures of missing kids are everywhere. Commercial breaks of TV newscasts ask us, "Have you seen ...?" Billboards project faces of children at us as we hurdle down the highway. This is the legacy of Etan Patz.
Now. Think fast: when's the last time you paid attention to one? Really paid attention?
I'm ashamed to admit it, but I know I've zoned out more than once during one of those commercial breaks. When I saw a billboard on the highway during my vacation last week, I glanced and moved on. When I get the flyers in my mailbox, I throw them in the recycling bin.
I'm not proud that I do it. But there are just. so. many. Like a song on the radio that gets played out, the means of grabbing attention for the plight of these missing kids is no longer effective because of the sheer volume of attention-grabbing materials out there.
And yet, today, looking at the photos of Etan Patz, reading the story of how he walked off to his school bus stop and never came back, I felt guilty. I felt angry. I felt ... re-energized? Because here this little boy has been missing for 33 years, and his family has been in hell. HELL. And we can't take a few minutes to look at a flyer?
There is no escaping the sadness of what is going on in New York City today. Because if they decide that the remains in the Manhattan basement is Etan's body for sure, that means this family has to face that horror. And if they don't, that means more questions, more not knowing.
But maybe there can be one good thing to come out of this? We can use the reminder of that first little boy on the milk carton to once again make these missing kids a priority ... for everyone.
What do you do with missing persons flyers? Be honest.
Here's more on Etan's case to refresh your memory:
This Hot Dad Wants to Do Your Ironing
This Hot Dad Wants to Cook You Dinner
This Hot Dad Cooks AND Does the Dishes
Kanye West is Gay?! 
Comments 22
Just heartbreaking.
Our local wal-mart hangs the ones about california children or ones that might have come to california, in their entryway. I DO look at those. Almost every time I go.
And I have, though not real frequently, watched "the missing" or whatever that tv show is called.
Every little bit helps.
I remember this case very well. It dominated the news around the country for a marked period of time. My parents were horrified, as were their friends and we didn't even live in NYC. At the time I had a brother the exact age as Etan and my mom was pregnant.. I was the oldest, being born in the mid-60's. He was the first missing child I'd ever heard of and it had a profound effect on me and how I watched over my baby brothers.
Throughout the years, I've never forgotten Etan. I'm actually relieved that they may FINALLY have found him. I know he's long dead, but the pain, horror of NOT knowing where his little body was for all this time has to be unbearable for his parents. Now they can lay him to rest, and `rest' a little themselves.
How sad that people ignore these things! I always pay attention to them and even show the ones in the mail to my husband and ask if he's seen them. Sometimes I even show them to my oldest DD.
God forbid it was YOUR kid out there everyone was too busy to notice. No wonder most missing people are never found! Nobody cares until it happens to them!
I do look at them, but I admit I pay much closer attention if I know they disappeared from my own state or a neighboring state. If they went missing in Texas, for example, what are the odds they'll show up in my small IL town? I mean, it could happen. But I have a hard time remembering faces of people I've actually met. Sadly, I know I cannot commit to memory all of those little faces. I am so heartbroken that we even have to have this discussion, y'know? That there are people out there taking children... it just makes my heart so heavy. :'(