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NEW YORK - Prosecutors' recently revealed informant in the infamous missing-child case of Etan Patz is an inmate, a defense lawyer said Friday, shedding some light on a witness who has emerged late in the 35-year-long case.It's still unclear what the person has offered to add to the evidence against Pedro Hernandez, the long-unknown suspect in an abduction that helped build national momentum for solving missing-child cases.

Six-year-old Etan vanished while walking to his school bus stop on May 25, 1979; the anniversary later became National Missing Children's Day.Hernandez was arrested in 2012 after giving a confession his lawyers say was false.

Etan Patz CBS News The Associated Press first reported the informant's existence last week, when prosecutors disclosed it with jury selection under way for Hernandez' murder trial.

They wouldn't give details, including how the person knew Hernandez.Get Breaking News Delivered to Your Inbox That became clearer Friday, when defense lawyer Harvey Fishbein described the person as an inmate during a brief court discussion.

Hernandez has been jailed since his 2012 arrest.

The informant's name has been shielded by a court order, with a judge citing safety concerns.Several demonstrations are planned to protest the apparent chokehold death of Eric Garner, who was black, by a white police officer.

De Blasio is also scheduled to appear with the Rev.Al Sharpton for the first time since a Staten Island grand jury declined to indict the officer.

Sharpton has been a flashpoint in the mayor's tense relations with police.Talking about 'Selma' with someone who was th.

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