Stanley K. Patz/AP
FBI agents are searching for the remains of long-missing 6-year-old Etan Patz in the basement of a Prince St. apartment building.
Identifying the long-lost remains of little Etan Patz is do-able if any human remains are ever found in the SoHo site, according to one expert.
Dr. Lawrence Kobilinsky, speaking at the building where investigators were digging for the boys body, cited advances in DNA study as one reason for optimism in identification if anything is found.
But he cautioned that the positive reaction from cadaver-sniffing dogs doesnt mean there are human remains below Prince St. It would be human decomposition, it could be animal decomposition, or it could be somebodys dinner, the professor said. I think its questionable as to whether they will find anything.
According to Kobilinsky, skeletal remains even after decades can indicate the age, height and ethnicity of a victim. Patz disappeared May 25, 1979, and his body was never located.
Over the past 30 years, we have benefited from improved technology in forensic science, said Kobilinsky, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Identifying the bones of Etan Patz is certainly do-able.
The professor also suggested the killer of the 6-year-old boy likely l eft behind clues to his identity. I dont think they know enough forensics to destroy the evidence, said Kobilinsky. So there may very well be, in addition to a body, there may be other trace evidence that still remains even after 30 years.
An anthropologist with the city medical examiner was onsite Friday to analyze any recovered remains as a joint FBI/NYPD team began tearing up the basement.
NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly said advances in other areas, including the use of X-rays and luminol, would aid in the hunt for the remains.
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