Etan Patz Case: Pedro Hernandez's sister reportedly told police he'd confessed to killing a child in the 1980s
(CBS/AP) CAMDEN, N.J. - The sister of Pedro Hernandez, the man accused of murdering 6-year-old Etan Patz in one of New York City's and the country's most notorious missing child cases, says she told police in the 1980s that her brother had killed a boy.
Pictures: Man in custody in Etan Patz disappearance
Norma Hernandez told The New Jersey Star-Ledger on Monday that her brother had spoken to his siblings about taking a child's life. However, she did not have details about the killing when she reported it to the Camden police department in the 1980s.
"I reported it," she told the newspaper. "Nobody did anything about it."
Pedro Hernandez confessed last week and is now charged with Patz's murder. The boy vanished on his way to school in his lower Manhattan neighborhood.
Pedro Hernandez, who had worked at a convenience store near Etan's home, confessed after hours of police questioning, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said on Friday. Kelly said Hernandez told police he lured the boy to the convenience store with the promise of a soda. He then took him into the basement and choked him.
Norma Hernandez had previously told The Associated Press that she would have turned her brother in if she'd had more information.
Camden Police Chief Scott Thomson tells The Star-Ledger that he had not heard her claims that she had reported her brother.
Friday marked the 33rd anniversary of his disappearance. The date was long ago dedicated as National Missing Children's Day.