Within a day, the Milwaukee Police Department set up a mobile command post, a trailer packed with communications equipment, at a park near Alexis home, according to news coverage at the time. BOTTOM PHOTO: Proclamations recognizing May 3 as Alexis Patterson Forget Me Not Day on display at the event her mother called an awakening., VIDEO: At an event marking the 20th year of Alexis Patterson's disappearance, Ayanna Patterson shares her conviction that her daughter will come home. As he began to dig into her past, he came across Alexis missing persons flyer, where he discovered she and his ex-wife had a similar birthmark in the same place. The entire Facebook page was deleted shortly after. She maintains that Lisa Miller is really her daughter, but police still say it's not a match, and the case remains cold. It has been 19. Being an investigator and being objective, you look at all angles.. Kenya has shared that he mourns the loss of his daughter. Despite this, she kept doing interviews, speaking with politicians and raising awareness about her daughters disappearance. MILWAUKEE . Ayanna questioned the results upon learning about them, saying that the sample theyd used from Alexis could have been corrupted or have come from another source. However, shed had more than a split lip. Ohio Woman Insists She Is Not Alexis Patterson Bryan, Ohio police confirm they interviewed Josh's ex-wife -- and took a DNA sample. While she had gotten a split lip as a result of the fall, she was otherwise fine. Patterson said as much when she spoke with a new Milwaukee cold case detective recently only the second or third conversation she hashad with him since he took over the case more than a year ago. She and Bourgeois split up. Alexis is alive, she said. JOHNSON CITY - East Tennessee State University has announced the names of students who attained a grade point average qualifying them for inclusion in the dean's list for fall 2022. She says that the two have the same mole above their left eye, toward her nose, which is a common trait amongst those in the immediate family. Theres no court case that youd be wrapped up in.. RIGHT: LaRon Bourgeois, stepfather of Alexis Patterson, stands in the intersection near her Milwaukee school, where Alexis was last seen, in 2002. Even Wisconsin senator Lena Taylor said she got chills when she saw the wedding photo of Joshua and Lisa. Because if you pass it, then you can tell anybody you want, Look, I passed this polygraph. If you dont, you dont have to tell anybody. President George W. Bush greets Elizabeth Smart and her. Also remember that nearly 20 years ago we didnt have social media out there tracking everything we do. Bourgeois received immunity to testify against the suspected shooter. I always hope that we as a department be as professional and honest and forthright as possible, he said. At the time Joshuas theory came to light, the pair were in the midst of a custody battle over their son. In 2002, Wisconsin had not yet adopted Amber Alerts. According to the FBIs National Crime Information Center (NCIC) Missing Person File, there are 88,089 active missing person records, of which juveniles under the age of 18 account for 32,121 (36.5%) of the records. From there, scientists at Wisconsins state crime lab sequenced it and compared it to Alexis DNA profile. An FBI spokesman declined to comment. TOP: Ayanna Patterson reacts to a 2016 statement from police that an Ohio womans DNA does not match that of Alexis. If you have any information on Alexis Patterson please contact Milwaukee police at 414-935-7360. Three days later, Milwaukee Police Chief Arthur Jones told reporters he believed Alexis had run away. She was 7 years old, and was last seen wearing a light purple blouse or a blue shirt with horizontal stripes; a hooded red pullover nylon jacket with a grey stripe that ran down each sleeve; light blue jeans; blue and white hightopNike sneakers; and cluster-type diamond sunflower-shaped earrings with yellow gold posts. In 2005 (some sources say 2004), a prisoner told investigators that Alexis remains had been buried in the southern United States, near a metropolitan area. On May 2, 2002, Alexis and her mother got into an argument because shed failed to properly complete her homework, which was due the next day. They probably did my background. 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If she were indeed the missing girl, it would have meant shed have given birth and married Joshua at an unusually young age, as she would have been 14 years old at the time. We all paid attention. Nineteen days after she was last seen, the sheriffs office offered a $10,000 reward. While investigators canvassed Washington Park and set up a command post in the area, divers searched the depths of a nearby lagoon. I poured out my heart to this man, and thats what he says? she said. Their studies have repeatedly found that cases of missing Black people, children and adults alike, are covered less often than whites and their stories dont travel as widely through the nations newsrooms. Watch popular content from the following creators: TheRoseSavage (@therosesavage), Preston Nicholson (@prestonnicholson87), Yuli (@yulisdreams), Meg Whit (@dustivibes), Alexis (@alexis.patt) . Alexis Patterson went missing in 2002 while walking roughly one block from her home to school near 49th and Garfield. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, The Disappearance of Nguyet Thu Wiki Phung, Case Update: Brittanee Drexels Remains Discovered After 13 Years, Suspect Charged, The Disappearances of Tina & Bethany Sinclair. Upon arriving at the Patterson home, police agreed with the potential scenario presented by Alexis parents. We're going to keep fighting until the end,"Quinones said. If I would not have passed, then I wouldnt be standing here, he told a local reporter at the time. Police thoroughly examined this potential lead. And I aint giving up.. Alexis was not in class on the day she went missing, but was reportedly seen by classmates on the playground that morning. The alerts, which are disseminated to the public and the press via cellphones, billboards, news organizations and social media, include childrens photos, descriptions and information about when and where they were last seen. Ayanna and Lisas daughter look very much alike. According to a source, Bryan, OH is a town that is made up of missing children. Is there more to the story? Copyright 2011 - 2021 Theafrolounge.com All rights reserved. Ifeel if I can put her into safety and reunite her with her mother and keep them kids away from that man then I will do anything in my power to do that, Joshua told Fox 6 Now. 1) The primary theory in the case is that Alexis stepfather, LaRon Bourgeois, was somehow involved in her disappearance. Opening Title Production company Cast and crew Genre J A N U A R Y 2: The Killing of John Lennon: IFC First Take: Andrew Piddington (director/screenplay); Jonas Ball, Krisha Fairchild, Gunter Stern, Gail Kay Bell, Mie Omori, Robert C. Kirk: Crime, Drama: 4: One Missed Call: Warner Bros. Pictures / Alcon Entertainment / Kadokawa Pictures: Eric Valette (director); Andrew Klavan (screenplay . TOP: Student volunteers from El Puente High School in Milwaukee gather to hand out flyers and help in the 2002 search for Alexis Patterson. Last Person to See Alexis Patterson Before 2002 Disappearance Dies. Learn how your comment data is processed. Never appearing to drop off or pick anyone up, it vanished after the young girl went missing and has never been seen again. A hard battle. At the end of the day, she didnt come home. Norman would not say whether the earlier news report was accurate. LEFT PHOTO: A photo of Alexis at the event about 100 people attended. Twenty years ago, as police searched for the two girls, some advocates and experts argued that race was a key factor in how authorities and reporters handled their cases. My own thought is that police contribute to the problem by setting the news agenda through what cases they share with media, she said in an email. (843) 298-1644. Schlesingers Saturday Spotlight (3/4)String Art, 80s Prom Shower chances on/off this weekend with winter weather late in Milwaukee native Ernie Johnson, Jr. honored with Award of Excellence Drop your guns, pick up our gloves: Boxing club uses movie Route 20 holds benefit concert for human trafficking victims. USA TODAYs States of AmericaEpisode 2explores how the media and police handle cases that involve missing children of color. That same year, police subpoenaed four Milwaukee television stations, seeking tapes of past news coverage about the case. Despite the DNA results, Ayanna is of the believe that this woman is her missing daughter. Milwaukee police told Patterson it didnt match but she doesnt believe them. The plot of land where the pair lived is now a vacant lot. Currently, her case is classified as endangered missing and police believe she disappeared under suspicious circumstances. All Rights Reserved. Hoping to confirm his suspicions, Joshua travelled to Milwaukee with his son to meet Ayanna. She has fully cooperated with the investigation. On a stage draped in lavender and purple Alexis favorite colors teachers shared their memories of a girl who as a preschooler called her drawings homework andlearned to read beforeshe started first grade. "This is one of those cases, when you think Milwaukee, unfortunately, things like Jeffrey Dahmer and Alexis Patterson are names that come up," says . Tips can also be called into the Milwaukee County Sheriffs Office at 414-278-4788, 414-223-5261 or 414-278-4921, the Milwaukee Field Office of the FBI at 414-276-4684 or the Milwaukee Police Department Cold Case Hotline at 414-935-1212. MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee cold case detectives are following up on new trips related to the 2002 disappearance of Alexis Patterson -- a 7-year-old girl last seen walking to school. Within a day, the Milwaukee Police Department set up a mobile command post, a trailer packed with communications equipment, at a park near Alexis home, according to news coverage at the time. Alexis was not in class on the day she went missing, but was reportedly seen by classmates on the playground that morning. Alexis Patterson, missing 7-year-old girl (handout) On the morning of May 3, 2002, Alexis Patterson's stepfather walked her to the corner and a crossing guard guided the 7-year-old across. The residence was located just a half-block from Hi-Mount Boulevard School, where Alexis was in the first grade and said to have a perfect attendance record. About 100 people attended the gathering, which Patterson called an awakening, to join in prayer, poetry, music and a banquet prepared by Patterson and her family. The agent told Patterson she hadfailed her first polygraph and implied they wouldnt help unless shetook another one, according to a recording Patterson made of that phone call. View the latest known address, phone number and possibly related persons. Alexis Patterson's family gathered at Hi-Mount Community School in Milwaukee Tuesday. A month later and more than a thousand miles away, Elizabeth Smart, 14, went to sleep in her bedroom in Salt Lake City. "We're still searching for her, and we're going to search until there's no more. "No matter if you have to go out of the state or out of the country, I will go with her to help her find her child," Quinones said. She always had a beautiful smile for everyone, said former Head Start teacher Benedicta Graves. In July 2016, investigators received information from a man named Joshua Miller of Bryan, Ohio, who believed his ex-wife to be Alexis. It played out again in 2005, when Natalee Holloway vanished on a class trip to Aruba. I didnt finish high school. Hoping to drum up new leads, investigators looked through local sex offender registries, as well as probation and parole files, but were unable to come up with anything. Past residents include Eleanora Elamin, Vickie Patterson, Mary Morrow, Robert Miller and Bonnie Urich. There are conspiracy theorists that say big brother is behind most of the missing children cases in the US. Getentrepreneurial.com: Resources for Small Business Entrepreneurs in 2022. When the DNA results came back from the Wisconsin Regional Crime Lab, it was determined the two samples didnt match, meaning Joshuas ex-wife was not Alexis. An FBI spokesman declined to comment. supports HTML5 video. They would tell you, in todays environment, she said, this is one of the things thats automatically done. That isnt true. MILWAUKEE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Tuesday, May 3 will mark a solemn anniversary in Milwaukee, reaching 20 years since Alexis Patterson went missing. This part of the investigation involved the use of boats, motorcycles, helicopters and horse back and saw hundreds of citizen volunteers lending their time to search alleyways and other nearby parks. Investigators also used polygraph tests in both cases. When she hadnt arrived by 2:55 on that Friday in May 2002, her mother, Ayanna Patterson, began to worry. That theory stemmed from an argument she had with her mother the morning she disappeared. I know thats my child, Patterson told USA TODAY in April. Police records say otherwise. Discover short videos related to alexis patterson lisa miller case on TikTok. They wouldnt state why these tapes were of interest, citing it was illegal to comment on sealed search warrants. He angrily denied the reports. Polygraphs.. However, despite the intensive investigation, very little progress has been made in relation to the case and there has been no physical evidence uncovered to contradict what those interviewed have told police. Two weeks before Alexis went missing, parents at Hi-Mount Boulevard School had received letters warning them of man who had tried to abduct a little boy near the school. Each year, a wreath is laid at Hi-Mount Boulevard School in Alexis honour. It took them approximately an hour to respond. Someone belonging to a Facebook group called The Whole Milwaukee created a post back in July 2016 with this allegation. Schedule a showing for 884 NE 72nd St in Miami, FL. In 2004, Kenya was convicted of drug charges. Thats when I found out that my baby never made it, Patterson told USA TODAY. The resemblance to an age-progressed photo of Alexis posted by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was uncanny. On the morning of May 3, 2002, Alexis Pattersons stepfather walked her to the corner and a crossing guard guided the 7-year-old across the street toward Hi-Mount Community School in Milwaukee. You know, my mom was on drugs, my daddy wasnt around. In order to get Alexis image out to the public, hundreds of volunteers passed out thousands of flyers with her description. Everybody always wanted to sit next to her.. According to Kenya, he had woken up his mother at around 5:00am on November 22, 2013 and told her that the baby had fallen off the couch. Bourgeois failed a polygraph test, but the questions that were failed were not released to the public. Joshuas ex-wife has said she felt agitated and angry over the attention she received as a result of the DNA tests, as some who had read about the case online had gathered outside her home, but also shares that she feels sorry for the family. Kenyas story changed and had several inconsistencies. Alexis Patterson was born on April 4, 1995 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Pay attention to the statement Joshua made after the DNA results were revealed. Two years later, Black journalist Gwen Ifill gave the phenomenon a name: missing white woman syndrome. She coined the term after the disappearance of Laci Peterson, a pregnant California woman whose husband was later convicted of killing her. Described by Ayanna as abusive and threatening, he was ordered to stay away from her before the charges were dropped. Molly Miller & Colt Haynes went missing . Lisa Gross was found dead in her bathtub in 2001. Are Milwaukee and Bryan officials in on the secret? Explore the latest videos from hashtags: #alexispatterson . Her ears are pierced. Thats when I found out that my baby never made it, Patterson told USA TODAY. She demanded investigators perform a new test with her own DNA, but her request was denied. They wouldnt have never treated me this way if I was white.. She cant understand whyMilwaukee policedidnt travel to Ohio to collect Lisas DNA. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that We were all expected to have some type of role.. She knows. BOTTOM: A Milwaukee Police officer climbs out of a boarded up home on the 2100 block N. 33rd St. in Milwaukee during the search for Alexis. Lisa Miller is my daughter," Patterson said. When Patterson tried to get the FBI involved in verifying the identity of the Ohio woman, she received a similar response. Kenya learnt of his daughters disappearance via local news coverage. They probably did my background. They show an officer in Ohio swabbed Lisas cheek in front of witnesses, then sent the sample to Milwaukee police via FedEx. It was a miracle that the young women in Ohio were found. Public officials walk the route she would often take to school before saying a prayer in her remembrance. Like so many other little girls her age, Lexi had a passion for pink and loved roller skating when she could. In Milwaukee, the FBI didnt join Alexis case until three days after she vanished. Both Alexis parents and Elizabeths were questioned by law enforcement in the early days of their daughters disappearances. VIDEO: At an event marking the 20th year of Alexis Patterson's disappearance, Ayanna Patterson shares her conviction that her daughter will come home. I poured out my heart to this man, and thats what he says? she said. She has also went to the state capitol in Madison, Wisconsin and to Washington, DC in support of Alexis. Family and friends are staying supportive, saying gatherings like this are important to keep Alexis' name alive. An abusive boyfriend? By the next morning, she was gone. She and Bourgeois split up. Ayanna believes Lisa is in fact Alexis. We have seen, unfortunately, (sometimes) those who are entrusted with the welfare of their own children have broken that trust. I always hope that we as a department be as professional and honest and forthright as possible, he said. If you have any information regarding the case, you can contact the Milwaukee Police Department at either 414-935-7401, 414-935-7302 or 414-935-7360. Around this time, a relationship was re-established with the Patterson family. Based on your tips and our own research, reporters around the country will tell the stories of missing children who have yet to be found. A federal law designed to help states implement Amber Alerts nationwide was passed in 2003 the year after Alexis and Elizabeth vanished and all 50 states had set them up by 2005. What Really Happened to Alexis Patterson? In the morning, Patterson realized Alexis hadnt finished her homework, so she wouldnt let her bring the treats. . Law enforcement officials are trying to determine if a woman living in Ohio is Alexis Patterson, the Milwaukee girl who vanished 14 years ago, a mystery that remains an open wound to those. However, Ayanna questioned the results stating that the police department used a toothbrush from 2002 that may not have belonged to Alexis. Demetria Patterson Lisa Burke Martha Miller Del Jean Ross Mickie Brown Madelyn Miller Carole Phillipson Wanda Aponte Piper Zinn Jess Kostella Jennifer Hawkes Chase Miller Brian Giardina Contact Gina Barton on Signal at 262-757-8640 or at gbarton@gannett.com. In 1994, he had been involved in a bank robbery that resulted in the fatal shooting of a police officer in Glendale, Wisconsin. The reward was funded by drug forfeiture money. Recalling the phone call, she shook her head. However, police have said he wasnt released until May 6, 2002, three days after her disappearance. Both Alexis parents and Elizabethswere questioned by law enforcement in the early days of their daughtersdisappearances. I'm not just saying that just to say it. If alive, she would be 24 years old. Receive small business resources and advice about entrepreneurial info, home based business, business franchises and startup opportunities for entrepreneurs. Polygraphs.. Milwaukee Police Track New Lead In Alexis Patterson Missing Person Case Her stepfather told. Alexis Patterson | Source 7-year-old Alexis Patterson lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with her mother, Ayanna Patterson, her stepfather, LaRon Bourgeois, and her 6-month-old sister, Dysoni. The woman had strikingly similar features, including matching birth marks and a bump on her finger. She has a bump on her left pinky finger, a scar under her right eye and a mole above her left eye. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS or use the P3 Tips app. She was just 7 years old. To receive this honor, undergraduate students must pass a minimum of 12 credits (excluding audits, incompletes, repeats, and pass/fail) with no grade below 'B-' in any course taken, and a grade point . 7 year old Alexis Patterson of Milwaukee, WI went missing in May 2002 after her stepfather, LaRon Bourgeois, walked her to school. A song by Black gospel singer Yolanda Adams played on repeat: There is no pain Jesus cant feel, no hurt he cannot heal, for all things work according to his perfect will. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. Ayanna also stated that she had just given the investigators her own DNA a day prior to the results being released.