Alexis S. Patterson was 7 years old when she disappeared in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on May 3, 2002. She was a first grade student at Hi Mount Community School and lived with her mother, Ayanna Patterson, and her stepfather, LaRon Bourgeois, in the city’s Washington Heights neighborhood.
Alexis was described as a quiet and intelligent child who was remembered by teachers, relatives and classmates. At the time of her disappearance, she was still young enough to depend heavily on the adults around her. Her home was located only a short distance from her school, making the circumstances of her disappearance especially difficult to understand.
The distance between Alexis’s residence and Hi Mount Community School was approximately half a block. It was a route that should have taken only a few minutes to walk. Yet somewhere during that brief morning journey, Alexis vanished without leaving behind a confirmed trail…