The agency is preparing to mark National Missing Children’s Day, sharing the plight of families who have spent years waiting for information. It was first commemorated after Etan Patz vanished in 1979.
When Etan Patz disappeared on his walk to school on May 25, 1979, he tragically became the first child to be printed on milk cartons as part of the campaign to find him.
Since then, the faces of hundreds of other children who disappeared or were taken have been seen by millions of families over breakfast as the drive became part of American culture.
President Reagan proclaimed May 25, National Missing Children’s Day and today the FBI is marking it by sharing the plight of families who have spent years waiting in hope for their loved ones.