NEW YORK – While prosecutors weigh what to do about a suspect who surfaced this spring in the landmark 1979 disappearance case of Etan Patz, the man who was the prime suspect for years is about to go free after more than two decades in prison.

The new suspect, Pedro Hernandez, has been charged with Etan’s murder after police said he confessed this spring. But there’s no public indication that authorities have found anything beyond his admission to implicate him, and his lawyer has said Hernandez is mentally ill. The Pennsylvania inmate, Jose Ramos, was declared responsible for Etan’s death in a civil court, but the Manhattan district attorney’s office has said there wasn’t enough evidence to charge him criminally.