The abduction of 1-month-old Peter Weinberger on July 4, 1956, remains unsolved.

The kidnapping of 1-month-old Peter Weinberger on July 4, 1956, in Long Island, New York, led to new legislation passed by former President Dwight D. Eisenhower during his presidency, which allowed federal investigators to become involved in a kidnapping case after 24 hours missing instead of the original 7-day waiting period.

On Independence Day in 1956, Beatrice "Betty" Weinberger put her baby in a carriage on the family's front porch and went inside for a few minutes while the child slept.

Upon her return to the porch, she discovered an empty carriage and a ransom note left by a kidnapper.

According to the New York Daily News, a note written in pencil read, "I hate to do this to you, but I am in great trouble." The kidnapper was not asking for a lot of money but only what he needed, and he was very serious about this.

The FBI's website reported that the criminal demanded $2,000 in small bills for the return of the baby, and threatened to kill the baby if the ransom was not paid. Despite apologizing for his actions, he was desperate for money.

He signed the letter "Your baby sitter."

Morris Weinberger, a drug salesman and husband of Weinberger, requested newspapers not to report on the abduction at the time. However, the New York Daily News included Peter's story as a front page headline, and reporters immediately surrounded the Weinberger residence.

The police placed a decoy ransom package at the kidnapping location, but the kidnapper did not arrive to retrieve it. It was later discovered that the kidnapper had indeed arrived with the infant but was detained by the chaos outside the home.

The FBI established a temporary investigation headquarters for the case in Mineola, Long Island, on July 11, 1956, one day after the kidnapper made a second attempt to collect the ransom money. On July 10, he called the Weinberger home twice and provided new instructions on where to leave the money, but he did not appear at either location.

The FBI analyzed over 2 million writing samples to identify the handwriting of the ransom note, which led them to a location where the baby could be found.

On August 23, 1956, Angelo John LaMarca, a truck and taxi driver from Plainview, New York, was arrested for kidnapping Peter after police matched his handwriting to the ransom notes.

LaMarca initially denied any involvement in the kidnapping, but later it was discovered that he lived in a $15,000 home with his wife and two children that he couldn't afford and confessed to the abduction.

LaMarca confessed to police that he killed the baby to provide for his own children, as he was deeply in debt to loan sharks from Brooklyn. He had been searching for a way to earn money quickly and saw Weinberger leaving Peter on the porch.

According to the FBI's website, the man claimed that he was scared off by the crowd of reporters and officers while going to drop off the infant and receive the ransom money, so he dumped the baby off of a highway.

The FBI discovered the decomposing remains of Peter, who died of asphyxia, starvation, and exposure at around 6 weeks old, at the scene described by LaMarca. Despite attempts by lawyers to argue temporary insanity during the trial, it was ultimately determined that Peter's death was caused by these factors.

In 1956, LaMarca was tried on kidnapping and murder charges and found guilty by a jury. He was sentenced to death, but he appealed multiple times. Ultimately, LaMarca was executed on August 7, 1958, at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, New York.