News out of Cleveland is reminder for many of Alexis Patterson case

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- The rescue of three women (Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight) were able to escape from a home in Cleveland, Ohio on Monday, May 6th -- the home they were seemingly held in for years. The rescue of these women after so many years brings hope to other families across the country whose loved ones are missing.

The woman found in Cleveland were missing for about 10 years -- about the same amount of time seven-year-old Alexis Patterson went missing, disappearing near a Milwaukee elementary school.

"It just goes to show, you know, Alexis Patterson, a lot of kids out there are still missing 10-11 years later. You don't give up hope because one day will be that break of news that we find them," Christopher Schwartz, director of Operation Locate Our Children said.

Schwartz and several volunteers formed the organization when the search for Patterson began.

"It's just a matter of, you know, getting the word out there, putting out fliers, following leads, tracking these kids down. Some are harder than others," Schwartz said.

On Friday, loved ones gathered at the site Patterson was last seen, marking the 11th anniversary of her disappearance.

"I would like for my granddaughter to come home," Patterson's grandfather, Frank Jackson said.

"A lot of people speculate as to what happened to Alexis, but in my heart, in my mind I believe she's still alive and I think we'll find her one day," Schwartz said.

The Patterson case remains open. Anyone with information is asked to contact police or the Sheriff's Office.