Overview

Last Seen: May 3, 2002
Location: Near Hi-Mount Community School, North 49th Street and West Garfield Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Age When Missing: 7
Current Age: 31
Status: Endangered missing person; open cold-case investigation

Main circumstances: Alexis left home for school with her stepfather on the morning of May 3, 2002. She did not attend class and did not return home. Extensive searches and more than two decades of investigation have not located her. A highly publicized 2016 lead involving an Ohio woman was rejected by police after DNA testing. In 2026, NCMEC released a new age-progression image, Alexis’s father renewed efforts with Milwaukee police, and authorities continued requesting information from the public.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Alexis S. Patterson Missing Person Case: Milwaukee Girl Still Missing More Than 24 Years Later

Seven-year-old Alexis S. Patterson disappeared in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on May 3, 2002, after leaving home for Hi-Mount Community School. More than 24 years later, Alexis has never been found, no one has been charged in connection with her disappearance, and the case remains an open cold-case investigation.

Her disappearance has become one of Milwaukee’s most enduring missing-child cases. Decades of searches, tips, publicity, age-progressed images and investigative leads have not answered the central question: What happened to Alexis Patterson?

The Disappearance of Alexis Patterson

Alexis was a first-grade student at Hi-Mount Community School, located near North 49th Street and West Garfield Avenue in Milwaukee.

On the morning of Friday, May 3, 2002, Alexis left home with her stepfather, LaRon Bourgeois, who accompanied her toward school. Accounts from the investigation indicate that Bourgeois said he watched Alexis continue toward the school before leaving.

Alexis never attended class that day.

When she failed to return home after school, her family went looking for her. It was discovered that Alexis had been marked absent. Police were contacted, and what began as a search around her school and neighborhood developed into a missing-child investigation that has continued for more than two decades.

What Alexis Looked Like When She Disappeared

Alexis was 7 years old, approximately 3 feet 8 inches tall and weighed about 42 pounds. She is Black, with brown eyes and black hair.

Her hair was reportedly styled in two French braids pulled back into a ponytail.

Alexis was wearing a red hooded jacket with gray stripes, a purple shirt, blue jeans and white Nike tennis shoes. Identifying features include a scar beneath her right eye and a bump on her left pinky finger.

The Search for Alexis

The disappearance quickly triggered searches throughout Milwaukee. Police, relatives, community members and volunteers searched neighborhoods and other locations while missing-person flyers bearing Alexis’s photograph were distributed.

On May 9, 2002, nearly 100 volunteers participated in a bicycle and foot search around the neighborhood. An organized community effort known as Operation L.A.P. — Locate Alexis Patterson also worked to keep the search active.

Investigators pursued numerous tips and leads over the years, but none publicly established what happened to Alexis.

The case also became part of a larger national discussion about differences in the amount of media attention given to missing children. Alexis disappeared only weeks before the highly publicized June 2002 abduction of Elizabeth Smart in Utah.

Wisconsin did not have its statewide AMBER Alert program operating when Alexis disappeared. The state implemented the system the following year.

The 2016 Ohio Woman Lead

One of the most publicized developments came in 2016, when authorities investigated the possibility that an adult woman living in Ohio might be Alexis.

The possibility generated renewed attention because the woman was believed by some to resemble Alexis and age-progressed images of her.

Milwaukee police ultimately announced that DNA testing excluded the woman as Alexis Patterson.

Alexis’s mother, Ayanna Patterson, has publicly disputed that conclusion and has continued to seek additional testing. Her disagreement with the DNA findings is a family claim; the publicly reported law-enforcement conclusion remains that the 2016 DNA test ruled the woman out.

An Open Cold Case

Alexis has never been located, and no arrest has been announced in connection with her disappearance.

In February 2026, the Milwaukee Police Department confirmed to CBS 58 that the matter “remains an open cold case investigation.”

That statement came as Alexis’s mother announced plans for legal action concerning the handling of the investigation. Ayanna Patterson alleged that investigators made mistakes in the original case and said she wanted, among other things, an independent analysis concerning the woman investigated in 2016.

Those allegations represent Patterson’s claims concerning the investigation and should not be interpreted as findings that misconduct occurred.

New Age-Progression Image Released in 2026

The case received another significant burst of attention in May 2026, 24 years after Alexis disappeared.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children released a new age-progression image showing what Alexis might look like at approximately 31 years old. It was reportedly the first updated age progression of Alexis in seven years.

The image was released in hopes that someone might recognize Alexis or provide information capable of advancing the investigation.

Alexis’s biological father, Kenya Campbell, publicly supported the new image and renewed his efforts to bring attention to his daughter’s disappearance.

Latest Investigation Information

In May 2026, reporting by WISN 12 described renewed efforts by Alexis’s biological father to obtain answers, including recent meetings with Milwaukee police.

Campbell told the station that his goal was to keep Alexis’s face before the public in hopes that someone with information would finally come forward.

Milwaukee police continued asking the public for information about Alexis following the release of the new age-progression image.

There has been no publicly announced arrest, confirmed sighting or recovery of Alexis. No publicly confirmed evidence has established whether she was abducted, left the area under other circumstances, or died.

The disappearance therefore remains unresolved.

Where Is Alexis Patterson?

Alexis would be 31 years old in 2026.

More than two decades have passed since the seven-year-old first grader disappeared near her Milwaukee school, but investigators and her family continue seeking information.

The 2026 age-progression image gives the public a new representation of how Alexis could appear as an adult, while renewed attention from her family and investigators demonstrates that the case has not been closed.

Anyone who knew something in 2002—or who believes they have encountered someone who could be Alexis in the years since—can still provide information to investigators.

Very Brief Case Summary

Last Seen: May 3, 2002
Location: Near Hi-Mount Community School, North 49th Street and West Garfield Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Age When Missing: 7
Current Age: 31
Status: Endangered missing person; open cold-case investigation

Main circumstances: Alexis left home for school with her stepfather on the morning of May 3, 2002. She did not attend class and did not return home. Extensive searches and more than two decades of investigation have not located her. A highly publicized 2016 lead involving an Ohio woman was rejected by police after DNA testing. In 2026, NCMEC released a new age-progression image, Alexis’s father renewed efforts with Milwaukee police, and authorities continued requesting information from the public.