| On May 3, 2002, Alexis Patterson went missing. Her stepfather dropped her off at Hi-Mount Boulevard School's playground in Milwaukee that chilly morning. Some classmates remembered seeing her there. And then she vanished without a trace. There have been no reported sightings of Alexis since that day. But Ayana Patterson, Alexis' mother, still holds Alexis dear to her heart and firmly believes and hopes that Alexis will come back home to her once again. Patterson was one of many people missing loved ones who attended the Wisconsin Missing Children and Adults Ceremony, hosted by the Wisconsin Clearinghouse for Missing & Exploited Children & Adults, in the State Capitol rotunda May 10. In Ayana's heart and thoughts, Alexis is just as vividly with her today as she was back in 2002. "She's my everything," Patterson emphasized. "She's very smart. She likes to jump rope and to ride her bike. She loves fruit snacks and pepperoni pizza. She looks exactly like me. She has a scar under her right eye. All she ever wanted was a baby sister and now she has two and she's not here now to help me raise and take care of her sisters. Alexis' favorite color is purple. She loves to sing and dance. She loves her Auntie Toya. Her favorite song was "Shoo fly, don't bother me," which she learned in school. I used to laugh whenever she sang it. It used to be so cute. She's nowhere near shy. She loves playing and loves her family. She has a cousin, Kiki, who is a year younger than she whom she is very close to. I keep Kiki all the time. She reminds me so much of Alexis because I always had them together." Alexis' disappearance has had a great impact on Patterson's life, some good and some very bad. She receives a lot of support from people in Milwaukee and on the Internet. Her family has grown closer. But Patterson lost her grandma (it was her grandma who raised her who died from a combination heart attack and stroke. "She died from a broken heart," Patterson emphasized. "Ever since my baby's been gone, my grandma blamed herself. She's in a better place now." Patterson fears the community might forget about Alexis as time passes and memories fade. She pleads for the community to not forget. "The community needs to keep Alexis' name and face out there," Patterson said. "The community needs to acknowledge that she exists. And it's not just her. There are a lot of children missing. My baby's been missing for four years and seven days. Since then, it's been hard. But God's got me. And hope is what I'm going to hold onto." According to Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager, thousands of children and adults go missing each year in Wisconsin, although the vast majority returns to their loved ones within 24 hours. The relatively few remaining cases are the ones that the Wisconsin Clearinghouse and local law enforcement focus their resources on. "We have options like Amber Alerts that are available to us if we think someone is missing and has been abducted and is in danger and we have information that may be useful in finding that person," Lautenschlager said. "But there are other things that we do as well in terms of notification of area law enforcement agencies, sometimes even nationwide where we have the means to circulate photos and other information. We do outreach into communities in order to find people. All of these things come together as we move forward in determining why someone is missing. All of those things come together very quickly. We are working to ensure our response becomes faster and faster as we move forward." Lautenschlager cited the response to the abduction of Holly Ann and Amanda Larson and the beating of their mother by David Larsen, their father as proof that the Amber Alert system makes a difference. "The two children were left at a babysitter's house and the mom placed in a storage locker and left for dead," Lautenschlager recalled. "The fact she's alive today is phenomenal. There are a number of situations where you can say without question that Amber Alert saved a child's life." The ceremony at the State Capitol was a time to keep hope alive for people like Ayana Patterson that their loved ones will be found. For others, like Dennis Frazier, the uncle of Quadrevion Henning who was found drowned in Milwaukee last month, it is a time to offer others support and to bring closure. "I think that sense of not knowing -- from what we hear from these parents and others -- has to be the worst feeling," Lautenschlager observed. "At least when there is closure in these situations -- even if it's in the worst case scenario -- that certainty of where a child is or what has happened to a child brings some form of peace." But for Ayana Patterson, she came for hope and renewal. In her heart, she knows that Alexis is still alive and will be reunited with her once again. Can you help her? If you have information on Alexis Patterson's disappearance or may know where she is, contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (1-800-843-5678) or the Milwaukee Police Department (1-414-935-7401). |
| Missing, but not forgotten by Jonathan Gramling |
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| (Right) Ayana Patterson, mother of Alexis Patterson who has been missing since 2002, and Attorney General Peggy Lautenschlager at the Wisconsin Missing Children & Adults ceremony. |
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