Overview

Last Seen: March 5, 1957
Location: 3000 block of Piedmont Drive, El Paso, Texas
Age: 52
Classification: Endangered Missing
Missing With: Wife Margaret M. Patterson, age 42

William Durrell “Pat” Patterson and his wife Margaret disappeared from their El Paso home during the night of March 5 or early morning of March 6, 1957. They left behind their vehicles, clothing, luggage, household belongings and Margaret’s beloved cat. Later communications supposedly sent by William raised questions about whether the couple deliberately disappeared, while a witness who surfaced decades later claimed he had seen blood and possible human remains at the Patterson property. Neither William nor Margaret has ever been found, and no homicide has been conclusively established.

Detailed Case Breakdown

William Durrell Patterson Disappearance: The Unsolved 1957 Mystery in El Paso, Texas

Brief Case Summary

Last Seen: March 5, 1957
Location: 3000 block of Piedmont Drive, El Paso, Texas
Age: 52
Classification: Endangered Missing
Missing With: Wife Margaret M. Patterson, age 42

William Durrell “Pat” Patterson and his wife Margaret disappeared from their El Paso home during the night of March 5 or early morning of March 6, 1957. They left behind their vehicles, clothing, luggage, household belongings and Margaret’s beloved cat. Later communications supposedly sent by William raised questions about whether the couple deliberately disappeared, while a witness who surfaced decades later claimed he had seen blood and possible human remains at the Patterson property. Neither William nor Margaret has ever been found, and no homicide has been conclusively established.

William and Margaret Patterson Vanish From Their El Paso Home

William Durrell Patterson, commonly known as “Pat,” was a 52-year-old businessman who operated Patterson Photo Supply in downtown El Paso, Texas. His wife, Margaret M. Patterson, was 42. The couple lived in the 3000 block of Piedmont Drive and appeared financially comfortable, with property, vehicles and business interests that included William’s photography store and property in Mexico.

The last known encounter with the couple occurred on March 5, 1957. A neighbor stopped at their home to deliver Girl Scout cookies and later recalled that Margaret appeared upset while William seemed unhappy about the interruption. Neighbors also reportedly noticed unusual activity around the Patterson home that evening.

By the following day, William and Margaret were gone.

A Home That Looked as Though Its Owners Had Never Planned to Leave

What the Pattersons left behind became one of the most troubling aspects of the case.

Dinner dishes reportedly remained unwashed. Clothing was lying out. Their luggage remained at the residence, as did their automobiles. Utilities had not been disconnected, mail had not been redirected, newspaper delivery had not been stopped and the couple had made no arrangements for their possessions that would normally accompany a lengthy trip.

Margaret was reportedly especially attached to the couple’s yellow-and-white cat, Tommy. Yet the cat was left without normal boarding arrangements. Tommy disappeared from the property and reportedly returned months later malnourished and filthy.

These circumstances have long raised the question of whether William and Margaret truly left voluntarily.

The Mysterious Early-Morning Phone Call

Doyle Kirkland, who worked with William, told investigators that he received a telephone call during the early morning hours of March 6.

The caller identified himself as William and reportedly said that he and Margaret were going away for a while. Kirkland later acknowledged that he had been sleepy when he answered and could not be certain the person on the telephone was actually William.

That uncertainty would become increasingly significant as other communications attributed to William began appearing after his disappearance.

The March 15 Telegram From Dallas

Ten days after the Pattersons were last seen, their accountant, Herbert Roth, received a telegram containing instructions for managing their property and business.

The telegram had reportedly been telephoned to Western Union from a pay phone near Love Field Airport in Dallas. It directed Roth to make several arrangements, including canceling hotel reservations, renting the Patterson residence, selling a mobile home and placing Doyle Kirkland in charge of the photography store.

One detail immediately stood out.

The telegram was signed “W.H. Patterson.”

William’s initials were W.D. Patterson because his middle name was Durrell.

Whether that was simply an error or evidence that someone else had sent the telegram has never been conclusively established.

A Second Message Raises More Questions

The Pattersons’ attorney later received a typewritten letter dated May 29, 1957 and postmarked in Laredo, Texas. It said William and Margaret were leaving the country and would not return.

The letter also contained directions concerning William’s business and property.

Several employees and associates stood to receive substantial portions of the Patterson estate even though William still had living relatives. The document reportedly gave Herbert Roth, Doyle Kirkland and employee Arthur Moreno significant interests in the business, while other property was also directed to associates.

The letter carried a handwritten “W.D. Patterson” signature, but handwriting experts found discrepancies when comparing it with known examples of William’s writing and could not conclusively determine that William had signed it. The document also lacked the legal requirements necessary to function as a valid will.

Sightings, Mexico and the Possibility of a Voluntary Disappearance

Numerous reported sightings of William and Margaret emerged in the United States and Mexico following their disappearance.

William had connections to Mexico, including property in Guaymas, Sonora, making reports from the country appear potentially significant. Investigators were nevertheless unable to conclusively verify the reported sightings.

William’s father initially believed his son had deliberately disappeared. He reportedly told investigators that William had “taken off” before and suggested he expected his son eventually to return.

As the years passed with no contact, however, William’s father changed his position and came to believe his son was dead.

The Inquest Failed to Determine What Happened

An inquest was eventually held to examine the Pattersons’ disappearance.

The proceedings produced additional unusual testimony but no definitive explanation.

One witness acknowledged having falsely told others that he had heard from William after the disappearance. According to the witness, William had previously asked him that, if he ever disappeared, he should give people the impression that William was safe and would eventually return.

Investigators still could not establish whether the Pattersons had planned an elaborate disappearance, had been forced to leave or had never left the property alive.

William and Margaret Patterson Declared Legally Dead

After years passed without a verified sighting or communication, William and Margaret were declared legally dead in 1964.

Being declared legally dead did not establish that either person had been murdered. It allowed their unresolved financial and legal affairs to proceed after years without evidence that either was still alive.

Their bodies had not been found, and no definitive cause or location of death was established.

A Witness Comes Forward in 1984 With a Disturbing Story

Nearly three decades after the disappearance, the investigation took a dramatic turn.

In 1984, Reynaldo Nangaray reportedly told law enforcement that he had worked at the Patterson property after the couple disappeared. He claimed he saw blood in the garage, including around or beneath a water heater. More disturbingly, he reportedly said he saw what appeared to be a piece of human scalp caught on the propeller of William’s boat.

Nangaray also reportedly described seeing bloodstained sheets being removed from the residence and placed into a vehicle.

He told authorities he had remained silent in 1957 because he was undocumented and feared being deported if he contacted law enforcement.

The account was potentially explosive, but almost three decades had passed before investigators received it. Nangaray died in a vehicle accident approximately two years later.

His allegations have never been independently confirmed.

Murder, Voluntary Disappearance or Espionage?

Several explanations have persisted for decades.

One theory is that William and Margaret voluntarily abandoned their lives. The post-disappearance telephone call, telegram, letter and William’s reported previous comments about disappearing provide some support for that possibility.

Another is that one or both Pattersons were victims of homicide. The condition of the house, abandonment of possessions and cat, questions about the messages attributed to William and Nangaray’s later claims have all contributed to suspicions of foul play.

A third theory involves Cold War espionage. Former El Paso County Sheriff Leo Samaniego publicly expressed his belief that the Pattersons could have been spies, citing stories that William photographed Fort Bliss and military shipments. However, no publicly established evidence has proven that William or Margaret worked for a foreign intelligence service, and the FBI reportedly had no records establishing them as enemies of the United States.

The spy theory therefore remains exactly that: a theory.

Recent Investigation and Current Status

The Patterson disappearance has been revisited multiple times by authorities over the decades. Public discussion surrounding a March 2022 El Paso Times retrospective indicated that El Paso sheriff’s investigators and police were again taking a fresh look at the case.

No publicly announced identification of remains, arrest, criminal charge or definitive explanation has followed that review.

The case remains publicly listed as an unresolved endangered-missing case. The Charley Project continues to identify the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office as the investigating agency, while the Doe Network continues to carry William as case 4021DMTX.

Recent coverage has kept the mystery alive rather than resolved it. A February 2026 examination of the case likewise described the fate of William and Margaret as unknown despite multiple investigations and decades of theories.

As of August 2026, no credible public announcement has established what happened to William Durrell Patterson or Margaret Patterson.

The Enduring Mystery of William Durrell Patterson

Nearly seven decades after William and Margaret Patterson vanished from their El Paso home, the basic question remains unanswered: did they leave willingly, were they forced to disappear, or were they killed before anyone realized they were missing?

The unexplained communications, abandoned possessions, uncertain sightings and startling 1984 witness statement have prevented the case from settling neatly into any single theory.

William Durrell Patterson remains one of Texas’s oldest and most unusual unresolved missing-person cases—and Margaret remains missing with him.