A month later and more than a thousand miles away, Elizabeth Smart, 14, went to sleep in her bedroom in Salt Lake City. Some sources say Kenya had posted a $100 bond in relation to the charge just two days before his daughter went missing. Being an investigator and being objective, you look at all angles.. Bourgeois, who denied having anything to do with Alexis' disappearance, died of a probable drug overdose in 2021. Credit Solution Experts Incorporated offers quality business credit building services, which includes an easy step-by-step system designed for helping clients build their business credit effortlessly. But Patterson's family and the ex-husband of the Ohio woman says, not so f fox6now.com Ex-husband of Ohio woman who provided DNA sample into Patterson case says test was faulty 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. "Alexis, Mama is coming for you, and you know it. Lexi was full of light and personality, with an infectious smile and a happy personality. 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. That theory stemmed from an argument she had with her mother the morning she disappeared. Friends and relatives stayed around the clock to help Patterson care for her infant daughter, born six months before Alexis vanished. Doug Campbell (BFA 85, Live Action) Brenda Chapman (BFA 87, Character Animation) Yarrow Cheney. She is too much like me, says Ayanna. Ayanna believes Lisa is in fact Alexis. 2) Theres a conspiracy theory that states the town of Bryan, Ohio is made up of missing children who dont know who they really are. Sunday's special gathering on Milwaukee's north side featured stories, songs, poems and photos, all in honor of Alexis. Is there more to the story? For months after Alexis disappeared, Patterson almost never left the house. In themorning, Patterson realized Alexis hadnt finished her homework, so she wouldnt let her bring the treats. At 3, Patterson ran to the school in a panic. But Norman confirmed that police still have not ruled out the possibility that Alexis mother and stepfathermay have had something to do with her disappearance. A month later and more than a thousand miles away, Elizabeth Smart, 14, went to sleep in her bedroom in Salt Lake City. Investigators also used polygraph tests in both cases. Ayanna and LaRon separated shortly after Alexis went missing, with both having since moved away from the Milwaukee area. 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. Jamaal on What Really Happened to 106 & Park While investigators canvassed Washington Park and set up a command post in the area, divers searched the depths of a nearby lagoon. Holding onto hope and working to get Alexis home after 20 years. I know thats my child, Patterson told USA TODAY in April. We don't give up," Patterson said. Alexis was born in 1995. It was also announced by Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett that May 3 would be known as Alexis Patterson: Forget Me Not Day. I feel like its because of me being African American. Alexis is Black and still missing. According to a source, Bryan, OH is a town that is made up of missing children. In addition to race, we will examine other factors that may explain the discrepancies, including families incomes, whether they live in urban or rural areas and whether they have had past contact with police. Joshua and Lisa married in 2009 and divorced in 2013. You know, my mom was on drugs, my daddy wasnt around. We need your help. A second man, who has not been named, was also involved, but no charges were ever filed against him. Over the past eightmonths, the case of Gabby Petito, who disappeared on a road trip with her fiance and was later found dead, has once again brought the issue to the forefront of the public consciousness. The Deseret News ran a story the following day. To report anonymously, contact Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS or use the P3 Tips app. The agent told Patterson she had failed her first polygraph and implied they wouldnt help unless she took another one, according to a recording Patterson made of that phone call. His response, according to a recording Patterson made of the conversation, was to accuse her, again, of being involved in Alexis disappearance. In January 2003, sources familiar with the investigation shared that a John Doe investigation had been launched into her disappearance, but this has never been officially confirmed. He still feels she is indeed Alexis, but says she wont admit it because shes afraid of the people she knows to be her current family. She had entered the living room after hearing crying, where shed found the infant bleeding from her mouth and with her left eye deviated, as if she were having a seizure. There was a frenzied approach of, Theres someonemissing in our community, a young one, and were going to put in all the effort, the work, hold no stops, he said in an interview last week. Friday, Milwaukee police confirm that they. This raised doubts in the theory, which were only further raised upon learning that the ex-wife was seven years older than Alexis would have been at the time and had already had two children. Everybody always wanted to sit next to her.. We compiled some ideas that you can DIY for not much money and with pieces you may already have . 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. We all paid attention. Alexis always got home from school around2:50 p.m. Bourgeois received immunity to testify against the suspected shooter. Im not afraid of nothingnow that I know my babys safe, and I know my babys alive.. When she hadnt arrived by 2:55 on that Friday in May 2002, her mother, Ayanna Patterson, began to worry. Milwaukee Police Department set up a mobile command post, Milwaukee Police Chief Arthur Jones told reporters he believed Alexis had run away, law enforcement sources leaked information to the media, The reporter showed Patterson a photo of a woman, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Ayanna and Lisas daughter look very much alike. Im from the 'hood. They wouldnt have never treated me this way if I was white. 2011 2023 TheAfroLounge.com. Lets just say, she looks like Alexis Patterson. Elizabeth is white. He angrily denied the reports. The daughter of parents Ayanna Patterson and Kenya Campbell, she was known for being bubbly and having a bossy personality. There are conspiracy theorists that say big brother is behind most of the missing children cases in the US. If he was involved, Patterson says, he never told her. That isnt true. Pero los secretos no pueden permanecer para siempre y a medida que me acerco a Clark, mis sentimientos por l tambin crecen. She cant understand why Milwaukee police didnt travel to Ohio to collect Lisas DNA. In 2002, Alexis was living in Milwaukee with her mother; her then stepfather, LaRon Bourgeois; and her six-month-old sister, Dysoni. If I went to Ohio and swabbed Lisas mouth myself if I do that, if I bring it back here and its not a match will you tell me what really happened? he asked Patterson. I told him the truth, and he says that?. A hard battle. Currently, her case is classified as endangered missing and police believe she disappeared under suspicious circumstances. Kenyas story changed and had several inconsistencies. I didnt finish high school. Satan and Show Business: What Happened to These Actresses? When I think of all of these other victims, I feel like. She demanded investigators perform a new test with her own DNA, but her request was denied. This story was eventually changed to say that Kenya had woken her up to report the fall. Investigators also used polygraph tests in both cases. She always had a beautiful smile for everyone, said former Head Start teacher Benedicta Graves. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS or use the P3 Tips app. Recalling the phone call, she shook her head. But Norman confirmed that police still have not ruled out the possibility that Alexis mother and stepfather may have had something to do with her disappearance. Getentrepreneurial.com: Resources for Small Business Entrepreneurs in 2022. Another one would be released in 2013, showing what shed look like at the age of 17. That same year, LaRon was arrested on charges unrelated to the case and was being held at the Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility. I don't depend on the police. In Milwaukee, the first story about Alexis was published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Sunday, two days after she disappeared. Investigators also went door-to-door in the days after she went missing, asking people if theyd seen her, and billboards were set up across Milwaukee, asking those with information to come forward. Former sheriff of the Milwaukee County Sheriffs Office, David Clarke, believes LaRon was involved, but says the authorities havent been able to prove it with the evidence theyve uncovered. She was also carrying a pinkBarbie backpack. That isnt true. Learn how your comment data is processed. The centers Long-term Missing Guide for Law Enforcement discusses reviewing past polygraph results but not administering new tests. Joshua and Lisa married in 2009 when Alexis would have been only 14 years old. LaRon has repeatedly denied any involvement in his stepdaughters disappearance and says Sheriff Clarke has no proof he was involved. They wouldnt state why these tapes were of interest, citing it was illegal to comment on sealed search warrants. Her real name isAleisa Quinones, and she has become a close family friend and a voice in Alexis' case. To this day, Ayanna Patterson is certain that her daughter is alive and was previously identified. The fact that missing Black people command less media attention than whites has been well documented by academic researchers. Alexis Patterson was born on April 4, 1995 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. At 8:00am the next day, LaRon walked Alexis to school, which was located at 4291 West Garfield Avenue. The results of genetic testing released Thursday exclude the possibility that an Ohio woman is Alexis Patterson, the Milwaukee girl who vanished on her way to school 14 years ago. Children like Alexis Patterson. A lover of roller-skating and the colour pink, she was often referred to by her nicknames, Lexi and Pie. In other words, the town is filled with people who have no clue who they really are. USA TODAYs States of AmericaEpisode 2explores how the media and police handle cases that involve missing children of color. In 1994, he had been involved in a bank robbery that resulted in the fatal shooting of a police officer in Glendale, Wisconsin. She never made it to school.. Patterson checked with her grandmother, who lived nearby, but she hadnt seen the girl either. Alexis Patterson's family gathered at Hi-Mount Community School in Milwaukee Tuesday. The distance from Hi-Mount Elementary to the Pattersons front door was just 242 steps. Advertisement. MILWAUKEE It's been 20 years since Alexis Patterson, who was 7-years-old at the time, went missing on her way to school. Police gave an Ohio woman a DNA test to see if she is Alexis Patterson, who was 7-years-old when she disappeared while walking to her Milwaukee, Wisconsin elementary school 14 years ago,. Lisa Miller is my daughter," Patterson said. Around the time of Alexis disappearance, a man by the name of Brian T. Werner wrote and distributed racist flyers related to the case. He watched her walk across the crosswalk, toward the schools playground, before he returned to the house. However, given she hadnt yet returned home, they felt that something else may have caused her to disappear after she was seen on the playground. I told him the truth, and he says that?. By then, 14 years had passed. . The area around Hi-Mount Boulevard School, as well as vacant residences, were also searched. The distance from Hi-Mount Elementary to the Pattersons front door was just 242steps. He told Colleen Henry of WISN 12 that Ayanna knows thats her child. He said Alexis and Lisa have a birth mark in the exact same spot.. Glen Mills Schools: Hub for Mind Control/ Social Experimentation on Teens and Young Adults? They wouldnt have never treated me this way if I was white.. Looking for Alexis Patterson online? In August 2002, an anonymous caller contacted a local television station to say that the missing girls remains had been disposed of in the Milwaukee River, near Estabrook Park. Every year since 2012, longtime Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett has recognized May 3 as Alexis Patterson Forget Me Not Day. Before he left office to become the U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg late last year, Barrett signed the proclamation for 2022. Police traveledto Chicago, Louisiana, Texas and Atlanta in hopes that one of them would pan out, but nonedid. Despite be lectured by her mother, she was seen speaking to the same woman two days later, which worried Ayanna. Upon speaking with some of Alexis classmates, it was learnt that a red truck had been spotted parked near the school for most of the week. To download all election summary data click here. The June 5 disappearance of 14-year-old Elizabeth from her Utah home, apparently at gunpoint as her 9-year-old sister looked on, attracted almost immediate national attention. On the morning of May 3, 2002, Alexis Patterson's stepfather walked her to the corner and a crossing. Being an investigator and being objective, you look at all angles.. In July 2016, investigators received information from a man named Joshua Miller of Bryan, Ohio, who believed his ex-wife to be Alexis. At 3:00pm, shortly after learning of her daughters absence, Ayanna contacted local police. Some investigators have continued to focus on Alexis family because they didnt trust her stepfather, who had driven the getaway car after a 1994 bank robbery in which a suburban police officer was killed, according to retired Milwaukee Police Detective Steve Spingola, who was in charge of Alexis'case in the beginning. Even Wisconsin senator Lena Taylor said she got chills when she saw the wedding photo of Joshua and Lisa. For several years, the city of Milwaukee has issued proclamations each month of May in honor of Alexis. To have been abducted, someone had to be . However, despite this, Alexis parents were not notified of her absence until after classes had been dismissed for the day. At 3, Patterson ran to the school in a panic. She couldnt sleep. In 2002, Wisconsin had not yet adopted Amber Alerts. 7 year old Alexis Patterson of Milwaukee, WI went missing in May 2002 after her stepfather, LaRon Bourgeois, walked her to school. It burns me up when people comment about cases like these when they have little to no information about how law enforcement handles it. Local law officials, along with cousins of Alexis Patterson who was abducted while enroute to Hi Mount School 11 years ago was remembered on Friday, May 3, 2013. Police records say otherwise. 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. All Rights Reserved. (as of December 31, 2017)The Second National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway and Thrownaway Children (NISMART-2), released by the Department of Justice in 2002 and spanning the years 1997 to 1999, reported that of the 797,500 children reported missing in a one-year period, 203,900 were abducted by family members and 58,200 were abducted by non-relatives. Nearly every conversation she had with police about Alexis case ended in a shouting match. When she hadnt arrived by 2:55 on that Friday in May 2002, her mother, Ayanna Patterson, began to worry. He had then left for work, leaving his mother to care for the infant. 7 year old Alexis Patterson of Milwaukee, WI went missing in May 2002 after her stepfather, LaRon Bourgeois, walked her to school. The reason why Elizabeths disappearance was so widely publicized is b/c of how she disappeared. Alexis Patterson left her house in tears on the morning of May 3, 2002. Receive small business resources and advice about entrepreneurial info, home based business, business franchises and startup opportunities for entrepreneurs. Utilizing K-9 units, they walked down paths and through buildings, searched Miller Park, and looked around local bodies of water. Despite investigators belief that Alexis was so angryshe skipped school, Milwaukee police acted with extreme urgency, said Chief Jeffrey Norman, who was a detective back then. In 2012, police announced that theyd re-interviewed 60 to 65 people connected to the case, as well as scoured more than 10,000 pages of notes and evidence. He had placed them outside Americas Black Holocaust Museum and on shop doors and car windows, and they questioned why any white person should care about the Alexis having gone missing. Both Alexis parents and Elizabethswere questioned by law enforcement in the early days of their daughtersdisappearances. Through these tests, it was determined she had suffered abusive head trauma, a broken jaw, a fractured rib, a lacerated liver and an adrenal haemorrhage, and bruises to her face, abdomen and chest. He angrily denied the reports. 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. RIGHT: LaRon Bourgeois, stepfather of Alexis Patterson, stands in the intersection near her Milwaukee school, where Alexis was last seen, in 2002. For the rest of us, some last-minute help might be in order. 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. LEFT: Ayanna Patterson reacts to a 2016 statement from police that an Ohio womans DNA does not match that of Alexis.