Joyce Darlene Patterson, age 52, has been missing from Ohio since
1996. She boarded a bus with a couple of individuals who offered to assist
her in getting back on her feet and she vanished. She has not been seen
by her family again.
In 1997, she made a phone call to her sister
in Norwalk, Ohio, in a whispering tone and claimed that she was being held
against her will by religious cult members. The phone call was brief and
she gave no information other than she was in Arizona.
This small
amount of information gave her daughter Miranda, age 14, enough information
to try and start searching for her mother.
It has been 12 years that
Miranda has been searching for her. She has written multiple letters to
the Phoenix Police Department reporting her mother as missing from Ohio.
Phoenix PD failed to assist her claiming that they had contact with Joyce
and she was in deed not missing. Miranda requested that Phoenix Police
Department provide her with the address or phone number to contact her
mother, but they refused explaining that Arizona| Arizona | (air-i'-ZON-u') | The State of Arizona comprises the extreme south-western portion of the United States. It is bounded on the north by Utah, on the east by New Mexico, on the south by Mexico, and on the west by California and Nevada. |
laws states that they can not
disclose that information unless the adult in question chooses to do so
in their own. But how would Joyce know that her daughter is searching for
her if she can not get the word out?
After many failed attempts with
Phoenix authorities, Miranda took to the internet to post requests of anyone
in Phoenix willing to help her locate her mother. A man named Jeff Knapp,
who takes pictures of homeless individuals in Arizona| Arizona | (air-i'-ZON-u') | The State of Arizona comprises the extreme south-western portion of the United States. It is bounded on the north by Utah, on the east by New Mexico, on the south by Mexico, and on the west by California and Nevada. |
, responded to her request.
“He went to amazing lengths to assist me in finding my mother,” said
Miranda. “It was his determination in mailing letters and flyers to officials
that finally got the Phoenix PD to listen.”
November 15, 2008,
Detective Eric Cosgriff with the Phoenix Police Department Missing Persons
Detail contacted Miranda Rhuda and reported that he had opened a case for
her mother and officially declared Joyce Darlene Patterson as a missing
person.
Since that time Miranda says that she has not heard much
from them. “Detective Cosgriff explained to me that they would input
my mother’s information into the National Missing Persons Database so
that if any officers came in contact with her, it would flag her and they
would contact me to let me know she was located. However, they still will
not provide me with her information. They will give her my contact information
and she can choose to contact me.”
Miranda is grateful to Phoenix
PD for the steps they are taking with her mother’s case; however, she
did say, “I wish they would just provide me with the contact information.
I am afraid that my mother is not mentally well or is afraid to contact
me due to the years that have passed without word. If this is the case,
I may never be able to locate and speak to her. It is important that she
knows what has happened in our family over the years that she has been
gone. I need her to know that we are not angry with her and I must find
her for healing to begin in our family. I need closure.”
If you
can help in any way at getting the word out about Joyce Darlene Patterson,
please contact Miranda Rhuda (Skinn) directly at misswriter415@aol(dot)com
Miranda is open to any suggestions and appreciates all responses provided.
Most
recently there has been a possible PO Box listed with Joyce Darlene Patterson’s
name in Narrows, VA. We are not sure if that is really her or if someone
has stolen her identity. Officials are looking into the matter.
01-10-09:
Most recently, upon doing a background check the following have been listed
as addresses for Joyce Darlene Patterson. The date of these addresses is
unknown. Miranda is looking for anyone close to these addresses that may
have known Joyce or seen her. Please pass along this notice, the more people
who see her, the better the chance is of locating her.
She was last
seen by Phoenix PD in the 800 block of West Madison Street, Phoenix, AZ
Tempe
Cascade, 2340 University Dr., Lot 101, Tempe, AZ
1205 3rd Street,
Tempe, AZ 85281
PO Box 545, Narrows, VA, 24124
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