The MISSING Pattersons

pics from Herald Post archives at UTEP, graphic commissioned by Capstone Productions.

In March of 1957, a married couple who resided in El Paso, Texas suddenly “vanished.” No clue was left as to why and how they disappeared, even among their family and friends. In the proceeding years, the mystery of their disappearance grew into El Paso lore. Did the Patterson’s, who were business owners, have a double-life? Were they murdered? No one knows for sure to this very day. EP History has compiled newspaper articles from the El Paso Herald-Post, beginning with the first reports of the Patterson’s strange disappearance in 1957, to follow-up articles written in the mid-1960s. Those latter articles will be posted soon.

Below are many of the original Herald Post newspaper articles that came out starting in August of 1957.   The Pattersons went missing on March 5, 1957, but nobody reported them missing until five months later. The Pattersons would go to Mexico monthly, and also took trips all of a sudden, so them missing was not really noticed for months.
It is a more than a weird disappearance. They left their wallets and her purse on their bedroom dresser, their pet cat was found wandering the neighborhood hungry and locked out, and Patterson associates had cleaned out the place and actually rented it out.  Then the sheriff was notified.  It was a closed case, but in the early 200os El Paso Sheriff Leo Samaniego re-opened it. It is still open today. Sheriff Samaniego said he thought, without proof, that the Pattersons were spies and ran afoul of their parent organization.

Pattersons 8-15-1957-1 Where Is Couple Who Left EP In March

Pattersons 8-15-1957-2

Pattersons 8-16-1957-1 Friend Is Not Worried About Missing Couple

Pattersons 8-16-1957-2

Pattersons 8-17-1957 Los Angeles Police Join Search For EP Couple

Pattersons 8-18-1962 Patterson’s Sold

Pattersons 8-19-1957 Sheriff Continues Hunt For Couple

Pattersons 8-20-1957 Find Friend of Pattersons

Pattersons 8-21-1957-1 Missing Couple Found In Texas

Pattersons 8-21-1957-2

Pattersons 8-22-1957 Roth Explains Property Sales

Pattersons 8-28-1957-1 Ask FBI To Hunt Missing Couple

Pattersons 8-29-1961 Father Positive Son is Alive

Pattersons 9-5-1957-1 Six Months Old Today Patterson Mystery Deepens

Pattersons 9-6-1957-1 Patterson Dead Closest Friend Says

Pattersons 9-6-1957-2

Pattersons 9-11-1957 Believes Pattersons Are Dead Too

Pattersons 10-2-1957 Patterson Inquiry Considered

Pattersons 10-26-1957-1 Pattersons’ Boat Found In Valley

Pattersons 10-26-1957-2

Pattersons 10-28-1957 Find Patterson’s Clothes Here

Pattersons 10-29-1957-1 Patterson Mystery Reward Is Started

Pattersons 10-29-1957-2

Pattersons 10-30-1957-1 Woman Gets Patterson Mystery Call

Pattersons 10-30-1957-2

Pattersons 10-31-1957 Article 2 Mrs. Patterson Left Fur Coat 5 Days Before Disappearing

Pattersons 10-31-1957 Pattersons’ Kin Worried To Death

Pattersons 11-1-1957-1 Tommy The Cat Again In Mystery

Pattersons 11-2-1957-1 New Mystery Man In Patterson Case

Pattersons 11-2-1957-2

Pattersons 11-4-1957-2

Pattersons 11-5-1957 Patterson Bank Accounts Sought

Pattersons 11-6-1957-1 Pattersons Have Sent No Word Home

Pattersons 11-6-1957-2

Pattersons 11-7-1957-1 Did Pattersons Have Much Cash

Pattersons 11-7-1957-2Pattersons

Pattersons 11-8-1957-1 Tommy The Cat Lacks Visitors

Pattersons 11-8-1957-2

Pattersons 11-9-1957-1 Mrs. Patterson’s Relatives Sought

Pattersons 11-9-1957-2

Pattersons 11-11-1957-1 Pattersons’ Friend Says They Aren’t In Florda

Pattersons 11-11-1957-2

Pattersons 11-12-1957-1 Confusing Questions Unanswered In Patterson Mystery

Pattersons 11-12-1957-2

Pattersons 11-27-1957-1 Try To Identify Female Skeleton

Pattersons 11-27-1957-2

Pattersons 11-30-1957 Vanishing Persons

Pattersons 12-16-1957 Home Awaits Tennant

Pattersons 12-17-1957 What Happened To The Pattersons

Pattersons Brownwood Bulletin 1-10-1958 Business Of Missing El Paso Couple Placed In Receivership

Pattersons Brownwood Bulletin 1-10-1958 Business Of Missing El Paso Couple Placed In Receivership

Pattersons Kerrville Times 6-4-1958 Lubbock Man Ignores DA

Pattersons Kerrville Times 6-4-1958 Lubbock Man Ignores DA

Pattersons 11-19-1958 Photo Shop Manager Explains Rent To Be Paid For Home

Pattersons 11-24-1958-1 Plan 5000 Reward in Patterson Case

Pattersons 11-24-1958-2

Pattersons 12-9-1958 Juarez Tipsters Seek Patterson Reward Slice