Missing Person Photos
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2 to 5 percent of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
Resources for Missing Persons
According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day.
Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends.
Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.
Missing Person Case Updates with Photos
Rose Maria Patterson
Patterson, date, approximate 2015
Date Missing 08/02/2015
Missing From
Gastonia, North Carolina
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Age 43 years old
Height and Weight 5'2, 139 years old
Medical Conditions Patterson has a long-standing addiction to crack cocaine.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair.
Details of Disappearance Patterson's son reported her missing on September 2, 2015, after he had been unable to make contact with her for a month; they usually spoke to each other every day. She was last known to have been in the area of U.S. 321 South in Gastonia, North Carolina, particularly near Clyde Street and Johns Lane. She also had associates throughout Gastonia, as well as in Dallas and Matthews, North Carolina.
For decades prior to her disappearance, Patterson had been addicted to crack cocaine and had multiple run-ins with the law because of this. She lived with her steady boyfriend until the summer of 2014, when he died, after which she became homeless. Despite the problems in her life, she regularly kept in touch with her son and his wife, who lived in South Carolina.
In the summer of 2015, Patterson's son and daughter-in-law asked her to move to South Carolina to live with them. She agreed and said a man named Chris was going to give her a ride there.
A few days after this, her son got a call from his mother's phone, but he didn't pick up at the time and forgot to call her back. A few weeks later, his aunt asked him when was the last time he'd heard from Patterson. He made repeated attempts to call her, but each call went unanswered and would go directly to voicemail. On September 2 he reported her missing.
Both Patterson's son and the police believe drugs were involved in her disappearance. According to her son, one relative "hated" her, and this person was asked to take a lie detector test; her son believes this person may know something about what happened to Patterson. Her remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Gastonia Police Department
704-854-6651
Crime Stoppers of Gaston County
704-861-8000
Other
The Gaston Gazette
North Carolina Arrests
Missing Person Photos
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2 to 5 percent of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
Resources for Missing Persons
According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day.
Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends.
Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.
Missing Person Case Updates with Photos