Man Arrested in Etan Patz Disappearance: I Killed Him

Police have arrested a man who has implicated himself in the 1979 disappearance of Etan Patz, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly confirms today. A man who sources name as Pedro Hernandez was arrested yesterday in New Jersey and is now being questioned in New York. But beyond that the details get murky: A police source tells the Post that Hernandez explained that he used candy to lure Etan, before stabbing and dismembering him and disposing of him using plastic bags. The Times, however, reports that Hernandez told investigators that he strangled Patz and put his body in a box that he discarded in Manhattan; several days later, the box was gone, he reportedly said.

Sources tell NBC New York that Hernandez was not new to the case. He lived and worked in the same neighborhood as Etan when the 6-year-old disappeared, 33 years ago tomorrow, and was first brought to investigators' attention at that time. "An individual now in custody has made statements to NYPD detectives implicating himself in the disappearance and death of Etan Patz," reads Kelly's statement. Investigators resumed their search for Patz last month, but called it off without finding much new evidence. (More Etan Patz stories.)