Suspect Pedro Hernandez previously told authorities he put the boy 's body in a banana box and carried it on his shoulder before dumping it . His defense team , who say he falsely confessed to the March 9 murder because he is mentally ill , want to show that his claims are not possible . They are asking a judge if they can enter 50lbs of potatoes - the weight Etan was said to be when he disappeared - and a produce box as evidence . Etan Patz , six , vanished while walking to the school bus alone for the first time and his body has never been found .
Suspect Pedro Hernandez previously told authorities he put the boy 's body in a banana box and carried it on his shoulder before dumping it . His defense team , who say he falsely confessed to the 1979 murder because he is mentally ill , want to show that his claims are not possible . They are asking a judge if they can enter 50lbs of potatoes - the weight Etan was said to be when he disappeared - and a produce box as evidence . Etan Patz , six , vanished while walking to the school bus alone for the first time and his body has never been found .