National Missing Children's Day has been commemorated in the United States on May 25, since 1983, when it was first proclaimed by President
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
. It falls on the same day as the
International Missing Children's Day, which was established in 2001.
In the several years preceding the establishment of National Missing Children's day, a series of high-profile missing-children cases made national headlines.
On May 25, 1979,
Etan Patz
Etan Kalil Patz (; October 9, 1972May 25, 1979) was a six-year-old American boy who disappeared on May 25, 1979, on his way to his school bus stop in the SoHo neighborhood of Lower Manhattan. His disappearance helped launch the missing children ...
was only six years old when he disappeared from his
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
home on his way from bus to school. The date of his disappearance was designated as National Missing Children's Day. At the time, cases of missing children rarely garnered national media attention, but his case quickly received extensive coverage. His father, a professional photographer, distributed black-and-white photographs of him in an effort to find him. The resulting massive search and media attention that followed focused the public's attention on the problem of child abduction and the lack of plans to address it.
For almost three years, media attention was focused on
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, where the bodies of young children were discovered in lakes, marshes, and ponds along roadside trails. Twenty-nine bodies were recovered in the
Atlanta murders of 1979–1981 before a suspect was arrested and convicted.
See also
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International child abduction
The term international child abduction is generally synonymous with international parental kidnapping, child snatching, and child stealing.
In private international law the term usually refers to the illegal removal of children from their h ...
*
International Missing Children's Day
*
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is a private, nonprofit organization established in 1984 by the United States Congress. In September 2013, the United States House of Representatives, United States Senate, and the Pre ...
References
External links
FBI
{{US Holidays
May observances
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Observances in the United States by presidential proclamation
Children's Day