Kenneth Brent Patterson, 27, disappeared from Church Hill in Hawkins County, Tennessee after being last seen on July 15, 1986. The next day his slate blue 1972 Camaro was found wrecked and abandoned in a field off Goshen Valley Road, having apparently run off the road, struck a ditch and rolled before coming to rest on its wheels. Investigators found no blood or other signs of serious injury at the crash site.

Some of Patterson’s personal effects, including his wallet, were scattered near the car; the placement of the wallet struck some as intentional, as if left to be found. Early in the inquiry investigators considered that a head injury and resulting amnesia could explain his disappearance—Patterson was known to hitchhike and walk long distances and usually kept in touch with family—but that theory lost traction as weeks became years without a confirmed sighting.

Authorities have kept the case open. Over time there have been reported sightings of men resembling Patterson, none confirmed, and investigators identified persons of interest, one now deceased and another serving a long prison term on unrelated charges. The disappearance remains unsolved; anyone with information about Kenneth Patterson’s movements in July 1986 or the Goshen Valley Road area is asked to come forward.