Police made mistakes at the start: Read the missing persons report about Alexis Patterson
Show a picture of 7-year-old Alexis Patterson to anyone in Milwaukee, odds are they’ll recognize it, even after more than 20 years. In a poster once plastered all over the city, Alexis has her hair in pigtails, and she’s squinting a little from smiling so big.
Alexis disappeared on Friday, May 3, 2002. I stated working at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel the following Monday, and I remember seeing that photo on the news. The massive search for the missing girl brought the city together like never before – or since.
But there's so much about Alexis and her case that has remained locked in her mother's memories and the police files, until now.
In episode one, "She never made it to school," I speak with Alexis' mother and her teachers about the little girl and the day she disappeared. I'll take you inside the search and the early days of the police investigation and explain how Alexis' stepfather, LaRon Bourgeois, became a prime suspect in the case.
Listen: Episode one: She never made it to school
Because you're a newsletter subscriber, I'll be giving you an early look at some of the police reports we've managed to wrest from the Milwaukee Police Department.
Read the report: Alexis Patterson reported missing
The first is the original missing persons report. You'll see that it contains a statement later proven false – Alexis was not seen after school that day. A police spokesman said that information was provided by a juvenile student and later proven to be inaccurate.
If you haven't already, you can subscribe to the show here: https://audioboom.com/channel/unsolved
For more background about the case or to catch up on previous seasons, check out usatoday.com/unsolved.
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Contact Gina Barton at (262) 757-8640 or gbarton@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @writerbarton.