'Forget Me Not Day' honors Alexis Patterson 10 years later

MILWAUKEE -- More than 10 years after her disappearance, Alexis Patterson's case is still open and active in Milwaukee.

"Our commitment is to find a resolution to this case and determine the truth, and make sure the community knows what happened to this young woman," Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm said at the Saturday, May 12th 'Forget Me Not Day' event at Washington Park.

Public officials, like Chisholm, Common Council President Willie Hines and State Senator Lena Taylor joined family and friends to honor Alexis and other children who have gone missing.

"It lets me know that they're still riding. Even when I thought they forgot, they didn't forget about her," Ayanna Patterson, Alexis' mother said. "It means a lot to me and my family, and it makes us happy and it lets us know that the world, the community has not forgotten about Alexis."

"There's a lot of people that wrote poems and songs and they're all for that same purpose, to show the mom, the family that we love them and that we've not forgotten about them and the children that are here," Deborah Armwood, the event's organizer said.

Ayanna Patterson is still focused on finding her daughter, who's 17th birthday was April 4th.

"What pushes me forward is my daughter being gone anyway. Me not having her, that's what pushes me forward. That's what makes me continue to look for her," Ayanna Patterson said.

Chisholm says that local, state and federal law enforcement officials are also still trying to find answers.

"Not to know what happened to them, that is every parent's worst nightmare," Chisholm added.  "That's again why our commitment is to find the truth and find what really happened and be able to answer that."

That is why Armwood and dozens of others showed up to Washington Park Saturday afternoon. "We don't want to ever forget that there's a girl out there that's not with her family," Armwood said.

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