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Why did the tipster(s) in the of Etan Patz case wait so long to tell police?

Etan Patz photo

                One cannot look at this face and not experience a storm of emotion. 


      Police and prosecutors have good reason to keep certain information from the public. There is an overriding need to nail down every piece of evidence that could possibly affect the outcome of a trial - especially one with the ramifications of this long, long, heart-wrenching case and the ease with which criminal defense attorneys can derail the best efforts of those striving to fight back the forces of darkness.

      Still, I firmly believe that most people support the precept that every effort should continue to be advanced in order to protect the unjustly accused; that we are bound to cheer when new methodologies such as the DNA revolution free the wrongly imprisoned. 

      On another note: the humane proposition that crazy people ought not be punished for having a very sick brain. Of course not. 

     Sadly, after such a long reach of time, the result of the interlocking of two systems, medicine and justice, has yet to produce anything approaching the ideal. 

      The insane live among us. The ramifications of that reality are endless. 

      I beg you to please be patient for just a few more seconds, for that which vexes me most about the Etan Patz tragedy is this: The instant I heard that police had received a tip that led to an arrest, I said, "It had to come from a relative or a close friend."

     The path my mind took to come to this conclusion may have been imperfect and I don't intend to try and trace the spoor that brought me to this hasty conclusion. Nevertheless, my whole being immediately shouted-out the question: why were those who heard the confession from the accused "decades ago," so silent for so long? 

      What punishment, if any, do the cruel withholders of a dark secret deserve?

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-Phil Richardson, 

A story teller and a questioner. I've been both for nearly 85 years. 

If you're interested, I recently published an eNovel through Amazon Kindle called "Water Dream."  It's a cautionary tale about al-Qaida sending terrorists to America with an atomic bomb, hoping to avenge the killing of Osama bin Laden.

If you wish to comment, Phil can be reached at:  

k7os (at) comcast (dot) net

"AgainRight"