On June 23, 1991, seven-year-old Jennifer Nicole Patterson vanished from her family’s home in the Holly Hills Mobile Home Park in Spring Lake, North Carolina. Around 1:15 p.m. she left the residence to walk a few houses down to a neighbor’s to play, wearing a one-piece bathing suit with orange, yellow, pink, and turquoise squares and squiggly designs and was barefoot. When she did not return, her family reported her missing about 6:00 p.m.; an immediate search of the area produced no leads and investigators found no evidence that she had left the home that afternoon.

The investigation quickly examined the family’s domestic situation. Her parents were divorced but living together; a custody dispute was ongoing and her father, Alan Patterson, was reportedly scheduled for a paternity test days after the disappearance. Alan failed a polygraph and at first told investigators hypothetically that his daughter was alive and being cared for, a statement he later retracted. Law enforcement has considered him the prime suspect. A tip in early 1992 about a girl seen in Fayetteville was checked but did not resolve the case.

The family separated and moved to different states months after Jennifer vanished and the mobile home park was later abandoned. The case remains unsolved. Anyone who knew Jennifer, saw her that afternoon, or has information is asked to come forward.