In early June 1980, the Patterson family had relocated from the city of Cerritos to the 1700 block of Peacock Lane in the city of Fullerton. On June 26, 1980, 15-year-old Kerry Louise Patterson went for a walk to a nearby store to buy candy and ice cream. She was never seen by her family again.
The teenager was described as having brown eyes and blonde hair. She was wearing a red Hawaiian print blouse, light blue loose-fitting pants, and white Vans. In addition to her outfit, she was carrying a white macramé purse.
The investigation later revealed that on June 27, 1980, three boys who Kerry went to school with stated they met the teen near Rosecrans Boulevard and Euclid Street on their bicycles. The boys dropped her off down the street from her home on Peacock Lane.
In addition to the first original sighting, a witness reported seeing Kerry at a bowling alley on July 1, 1980 and on July 3, 1980, another witness saw Kerry riding her bicycle in Cerritos. The witness stopped to talk to her, but Kerry refused to reveal where she was staying. The witness gave Kerry $8 and they parted ways.
On Dec. 27, 1980, an oil worker found a skull with some remaining teeth, a left femur, and a left tibia in a field near Tonner Canyon and the 57 freeway in Brea. The remains were collected by investigators and later determined to be Kerry Louise Patterson.
The Orange County Homicide Cold Case Task Force is continuously searching for new leads regarding Kerry’s case. Any unexplored clues could lead to closure for the Patterson family.
