Without a Trace is a 1983 American drama film directed by Stanley R. Jaffe and starring Kate Nelligan, Judd Hirsch, David Dukes and Stockard Channing.

Adapted by screenwriter Beth Gutcheon from her own 1981 novel Still Missing, the story is partly based on the real-life disappearance of Etan Patz.

Susan Selky, a prominent English professor at Columbia University, lives in a Brooklyn brownstone with her 6-year-old son Alex (Danny Corkill).

She calls the New York City Police Department, and officers descend on the townhouse, led by Lieutenant Al Menetti.

The investigation drags on, and Graham is at odds with Menetti after budget cuts force him to dismantle the command center in Susan's apartment and run the case from the precinct.

Convinced Philippe is innocent, Susan tries to persuade Menetti to drop the charges, but he refuses, citing undisclosed physical evidence.

The renewed media coverage generated by Philippe's arrest dies down, and Susan faces increased pressure to drop the matter and accept that Alex could be dead.

One day, she receives a phone call from a woman in Bridgeport, Connecticut, named Malvina Robbins, who says Alex is living with neighbors.

[1] Janet Maslin of The New York Times called it "a reasonably well-made film" on its own terms but said it "deserves more thoughtful and imaginative treatment".