Latest news with #ColdCase
CNN
22-07-2025
- CNN
WHY SOME NEW YORKERS VOTED FOR TRUMP AND MAMDANI
Missing child case from 46 years ago reopened A federal appeals court overturned the verdict of Pedro Hernandez, the bodega worker who was found guilty in 2017 of kidnapping and murdering Etan Patz in 1979. Patz was 6 years old when he disappeared on the first day he was allowed to walk alone to his school bus stop in New York City.
New York Times
22-07-2025
- New York Times
The Missing Boy Whose Case Keeps Coming Back
Etan Patz would be 52 now, far older than his parents on the day he disappeared. And yet his story remains unfinished, unclear, unquiet. The smiling face of the 6-year-old boy from countless 'Missing' posters in 1979 — a year that rewrote the norms of modern parenting — returns, yet again, to announce a new twist in the case that seems to never end. That twist arrived Monday when a federal appeals court overturned the 2017 conviction of Pedro Hernandez, a troubled former stock clerk at the bodega near Etan's home in SoHo where he disappeared on the way to school. The court found fault with the trial court's instructions to the jury in 2017 and ordered either a new trial or Mr. Hernandez's release, a decision that will fall to the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg. The arrest of Mr. Hernandez in 2012 followed untold hours of police investigation that spanned decades. But then there was a mistrial — hung jury — and, only after a second trial, a conviction. The jury foreman said the deliberations had been fraught. Now, eight years later, there is the prospect of a third trial in a case that can't seem to stay closed. 'Jesus Christ,' said Louis K. Meisel, reacting to the decision and probably speaking for many. He owns the art gallery that Etan walked past for the last time on that fateful morning. He has been involved in the investigation since it began. He saw nothing and knew nothing, but the whole terrible thing happened on his turf. 'His mother watched him cross the street, and I owned the rest of the street,' he said. 'I don't know what to say. I'm surprised as hell.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
NZ Herald
22-07-2025
- NZ Herald
Eddie Peters cold-case killing: Man charged with murder of Hawke's Bay father in 2018
No pleas were entered and he was granted interim name suppression by Judge Bridget Mackintosh and remanded in custody. A 30-year-old Hastings woman was also arrested and charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, which is in relation to the same matter. She too was granted interim name suppression. Both were due to appear in the High Court at Napier on August 8. De Lange claimed Peters was attacked in the early hours of Friday, November 16, 2018, 'and left for dead on the driveway of a home on Diaz Drive in Flaxmere. 'He was hospitalised, but despite the best efforts and care of medical staff, he sadly died at Wellington Hospital on November 24. A map of Diaz Drive in Flaxmere where Eddie Peters was found, as shown on TV show Cold Case. Photo / Supplied 'Since that time, police have continued a challenging investigation to hold whoever was responsible accountable for Eddie's death. The investigation team has worked relentlessly to get today's result, following leads, picking apart information and never giving up on Eddie or his family.' De Lange said police were able to piece together the tragic events of that night thanks to the assistance from members of the Hastings community. 'What happened to Eddie was terrible, and the investigation team has remained focused on establishing exactly what happened, for Eddie's whānau and friends. 'The arrest brings some satisfaction, but I believe there are still more people out in the community who know what happened and can further assist the investigation. I urge them to contact us and discuss what they know.' Anyone with information can contact their nearest police station, or make a report online via 105. Please use the reference number 181116/4372.
CBS News
22-06-2025
- CBS News
Where is Patrick Alford Jr.? A New York City cold case investigation
"Cold Case with Alice Gainer" looks into disappearance of foster child in Brooklyn "Cold Case with Alice Gainer" looks into disappearance of foster child in Brooklyn "Cold Case with Alice Gainer" looks into disappearance of foster child in Brooklyn It was cold the night of Jan. 22, 2010, and witnesses say 7-year-old Patrick Alford Jr. wasn't dressed for the weather outside. He was merely throwing out the trash inside his apartment building, then he was supposed to head right back to his foster mother's apartment. But police say he seemingly vanished without a trace. Fifteen years later, he still hasn't been found. Patrick Alford Jr., 7, seemingly vanished without a trace from his foster mother's Brooklyn apartment in 2010. Photos provided Who is Patrick Alford Jr.? In 2010, CBS News New York reported that Patrick's biological mother, Jennifer Rodriguez, had admitted to being a drug addict and shoplifting, and she said she called child welfare for help. Rodriguez, who had been living on Staten Island at the time, then handed over custody of Patrick and his younger sister. Patrick was sent to live with a foster mother at the Spring Creek Towers Complex, formerly known as Starrett City, at 130 Vandalia Ave. in East New York, Brooklyn. At the time, CBS News New York reported police said Patrick had been with the foster mother for only three weeks, during which time he threatened to run away and said he wanted to go back to his biological mother. On Jan. 22, 2010, around 9 p.m., Patrick left the 11th-floor apartment to take out the trash and never returned. The elevator and stairwell were next to the trash compactor. Police K-9s were brought in to try to trace Patrick's steps. "The dog actually led them to a bus stop that was right around the corner from the building that he went missing from and that was it, that was where they lost the scent," retired NYPD Det. David Ramirez said. Thousands interviewed after child's disappearance in Brooklyn The police response was immediate and massive. Ramirez and Lt. Christopher Zimmerman, both now retired from the NYPD Missing Persons Squad, lived and breathed the case. Zimmerman, who was the commanding officer at the time, said they interviewed well over 8,000-9,000 people and knocked on over 14,000 doors. "We went around to the traffic cameras, to anybody who got a red light summons," he said. "Receipts for gas stations where people used credit cards. 'Did you see Patrick?' We interviewed bus drivers." Zimmerman continued, "We went as far as interviewing over 150 registered sex offenders, and we came up with nothing on that." Ramirez and Zimmerman added that the Department of Environment Protection and emergency services even searched a nearby water treatment plant. "Everybody was in. Every asset," Zimmerman said. Patrick Alford Jr., 7, seemingly vanished without a trace from his foster mother's Brooklyn apartment in 2010. CBS News New York Patrick's foster mother was on the phone when he left with the garbage, according to Zimmerman. "I had a good vibe about her intentions. From not expecting anybody, the house was immaculate. Her past history as a foster mother was incredible, never a complaint. She meant well and she was visibly upset. This was rocking this woman," he said. "Not that you ever turn a blind eye, you always keep your eye open a little bit just in case something pops up, but she was pretty credible at the time." CBS News New York tried getting in touch with the foster mother multiple times, but was unable to speak with her. Neighbors who have lived in the same building at the Spring Creek Towers Complex for decades had kind words. "Been in my building for years. Nice lady, foster kids," neighbor Tracy Ball said. "I had seen [Patrick] many times. Not that day. His foster mom, she had other kids and I would see her. Nice lady," neighbor Natalie Thomas said. Both women vividly remember the night Patrick went missing. "I always wonder about him, always wonder," Ball said. They also remember another thing missing from that time period – fear. "It was like he just disappeared, which we all thought was kind of strange," Thomas said. "There was no fear, that's why I said it just seemed maybe orchestrated." Missing child's biological mother says she regrets giving up custody A family court judge tossed Patrick's biological mother in jail, believing she was hiding Patrick and demanding she turn him over. CBS News New York reported back in 2010 that Rodriguez took a lie detector test and passed when she said she didn't know where Patrick was, but failed when she said she didn't know anything about his disappearance or how he got away. "I think that's bullcrap because I don't know nothing," Rodriguez said at the time. Late CBS News New York reporter Pablo Guzmán sat down with Rodriguez early in the investigation. "You're the one that the police and the judge, everybody's focusing on," Guzmán said. "I don't know why, and it's not fair for me because I don't have anything to do with it and I don't have anything to hide," Rodriguez said. Patrick Alford Jr., 7, seemingly vanished without a trace from his foster mother's Brooklyn apartment in 2010. Photo provided CBS News New York spoke with Rodriguez again four years later, in 2014, and she recently spoke with CBS News New York's Alice Gainer via Zoom. "I do not know where my son is," said Rodriguez, now 38. Rodriguez was 22 years old when Patrick went missing and was a single mother to three children. She said she gave up custody fully intending to eventually get her children back. "To get the help that I needed to be a better person, a better parent. That's why I did it. I had no choice," she said. "I was a good mom. I mean, I had mental health issues." She wasn't cut off from contact, though, and she spoke to Patrick's foster mother. "He was placed with a foster mother that spoke strictly Spanish," Rodriguez said. "She used to tell me that he would, like, try to run off and that he was hard to deal with." She also spoke with Patrick, who she says couldn't communicate with his foster mother since he only spoke English. "It was always so crushing like, 'Mommy, I want to come home. Please. I love you.' It just takes my breath talking about it because I can hear his little voice. He didn't understand what was going on," Rodriguez said. "I regretted it. I was like, what did I do?" "Patrick vanished" Rodriguez remembers all the heat on her after Patrick went missing. "It was the most scariest and traumatic time in my life. I was like, my son is missing and you're locking me up? I felt so hopeless because it's like, I'm in jail, you're focusing on me, and he's out there," Rodriguez said. Rodriguez thinks that maybe her son did initially try to run away, but then something happened to him. "Maybe he's like, 'I'm getting out of here.' You know, kid being a kid. I'm thinking somebody took him. Ain't no way he gonna just disappear," she said. "A normal person would be like, 'OK, let's go find your family.' Patrick vanished. Vanished." Zimmerman said police didn't find anything that would've tied Rodriguez to the disappearance. Patrick's biological parents won a $6 million settlement after they filed a federal lawsuit against city agencies involved in the case. It's been put in a trust for Patrick if he returns home. Police also say Patrick's biological father cooperated with the investigation. He recently died. Zimmerman said police checked on relatives outside of the New York City area and flushed out tips that came in from as far away as Minnesota, Indiana, North Carolina, Puerto Rico and Florida. "There was a lot of theories," Zimmerman said. At one point, there was a private investigator involved in the case. CBS News New York has not heard back from them. "Eventually, the truth's gonna come out" Today, the Missing Persons Squad has a cabinet filled with thousands of files dedicated to the Patrick Alford case. "I always go back to these files, give it a fresh look," NYPD Det. Ezequiel Burgos said. "The case is still an active case," NYPD Lt. Christopher Torrisi said. "And we canvas the area multiple times a year." Torrisi said the department has received many tips, but none have panned out. "We've gone to other countries where other people have seen him, supposedly," he said. Still, nothing has been ruled out. Left: Patrick Alford Jr., 7, in 2010; Right: A digitally produced age progression photo showing what Patrick may look like today at age 22 Photos provided Patrick would be 22 years old now. Zimmerman said he believes Patrick is still alive, and if he is out there somewhere, living his life, it's still important to call police. "Those resources, if he's found alive and healthy, could be elsewhere helping another case," Zimmerman said. "Eventually, the truth's gonna come out, and somebody knows something about where he is or what happened," Ramirez said. Rodriguez said she still celebrates her son's birthday every year and has a message for him. "I love you. If there's any way out there for you to find a way home safely, to come home ... We never gave up on you," she said. "We pray about you every single day." CrimeStoppers is offering a $13,000 reward for information in this case. Anyone who knows anything is asked to call 1-800-577-8477 (TIPS).
Los Angeles Times
20-06-2025
- Los Angeles Times
‘American Nightmare' rapist pleads guilty to additional charges
Matthew Muller, a convicted kidnapper whose crimes were portrayed in the Netflix documentary 'American Nightmare,' pleaded guilty to an additional, 32-year-old kidnapping and sexual assault on Wednesday, according to the Sacramento County district attorney's office. In 1993, a 16-year-old Muller held a couple at gunpoint while they camped at Folsom Lake in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Muller then tied up the male victim and proceeded to carry away and sexually assault the female victim, according to the district attorney's news release. The district attorney's Cold Case, Science & Technology Unit was 'instrumental' in uncovering additional evidence in the case, the news release added. The latest conviction is part of a string of similar sex crimes committed by Muller, who is currently serving a 40-year prison sentence for a 2015 kidnapping and sexual assault in Vallejo, Calif., and a life sentence for two 2009 kidnappings and assaults in Santa Clara. The 2015 crimes and a subsequent, flawed investigation were the subject of 'American Nightmare,' which premiered last year. Muller was sentenced to 11 years to life for the latest conviction. The sentence will be served consecutively with his other sentences. In 2015, Muller broke into a Vallejo home and drugged and bound a couple, Aaron Quinn and Denise Huskins. Muller then kidnapped Huskins in Quinn's car and held her for three days in his family's cabin in South Lake Tahoe. Muller sexually assaulted Huskins until he eventually released her in Huntington Beach. Huskins was accused by Vallejo police and FBI officials of fabricating her accusations before more of Muller's crimes were uncovered. Huskins and Quinn were treated as suspects until an attempted home invasion in Dublin, Calif., revealed Muller as the perpetrator. 'We knew there was more to this from the beginning, and clearly how things were handled from the beginning led to a lot of errors,' Huskins told The Times earlier this year. According to court documents, Muller drugged his victims with a cocktail of '¼ of a bottle of Diazepam and Nyquil,' and threatened them with violence if they did not comply. Muller's tactics apparently became more sophisticated after the 1993 gunpoint kidnapping, court documents said. Muller, a Harvard-educated immigration lawyer and former Marine, later admitted his involvement with the 1993 crimes to law enforcement, the news release said. 'This case is a powerful reminder that the pursuit of justice never ends. Matthew Muller's admission to the horrific kidnapping and sexual assault of a young girl in 1993 brings long-overdue justice for the victims,' Sacramento County Dist. Atty. Thien Ho said in the release.
