• Missing Since 10/20/1978
• Missing From Anderson County, Tennessee
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Female
• Race White
• Age 42 years old
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female.

Details of Disappearance

Patterson disappeared from Anderson County, Tennessee on October 20, 1978. In March 1979, a set of skeletal remains were found on the banks of Norris Lake in Campbell County, Tennessee. Testing determined the body was probably Patterson's.

In 1985, Jimmy Ray Maggard confessed to beating Patterson to death and said he dumped her body where the skeleton was found. Maggard is currently incarcerated, serving a life sentence for other crimes.

In 2005, however, Patterson was re-listed as missing after two of her daughters had their DNA tested against the Norris Lake body and the tests indicated the body wasn't Patterson's. The issue remained unresolved until July 2008, when investigators announced more sophisticated testing had been conducted and conclusively identified the Norris Lake body as Patterson.