In his classic novel "Pale Fire", Vladimir Nakabov wrote how after his father's death from a heart attack, every time he heard of a death by heart attack, it wass his father's death again.
I feel the same about unsolved murders.
They are all Elliott Smith.
With no reason to care, I am not even much of a fan, I think about his death all the time and when the Etan Patz story hit the newswires again, it became not just the Patz case, but Smith's case.
And then something amazing happened. The case was solved.
Just to refresh your memory, in 1979 six year old Etan Patz was allowed to walk two blocks to the bus stop near his home in the Lower east Side. Etan was never seen again. A worldwide hunt began, the NYPD were obsessed with the loss of this lovely young kid. They pulled out every stop imaginable and they couldn't discover a thing.
Last week, 23 years later, an employee at a deli was arrested after his sister reported him. He knew details only the murderer would now.
Thousands upon thousands of men hours, and they forget to interview a deli employee who worked on the corner of the street where Etan lived. Unbelievable, right? How about this. The murderer went to the police station and confessed a couple of years ago AND THEY WOULDN'T ARREST HIM. So let's repeat that: th murderer confessed and the NYPD still couldn't solve the most infamous missing child case in New York City's history.
The entire NYPD and they sucked.
Before we get to Smith, Biggie Smalls, a huge hip hop star, was shot dead on Sunset Strip at 11pm, after the Vibe Party, and they couldn't find his murderer.
So if they couldn't discover what happened to Etan and who killed Biggie, what are the chances they can discover what happened to Elliott Smith? Smith had a lousy cop (who was soon after kicked up to an early retirement after botching one case too many), a reticient eye witness and boatloads of wholes in the story and in Smith's torso.
If I was either the cops or the one witness, Jennifer Chiba, I would have wanted this solved as soon as possible. For Chiba, to clear her good name. It might have even helped in her court case against Smith's estate. For the LAPD, because it is asinine to have the one witness to a death in custody and still be unable to fix it. Personal pride.
The problem with the Smith case is that there is really nothing to do but repeat it. If Bruce Springsteen and President Obama got together and insisted the case be refreshed by the LAPD IT STILL WOULDN'T BE SOLVED. The initial incompetence destroyed it. And if LAPD fessed to the mistakes, they could well be sued by Smith's family.
To quote Shakespeare: "O time! thou must untangle this, not I; It is too hard a knot for me to untie!"
I think the deli man killied Elliott Smith but we won't find out for another 20 years.