Leoma Patterson
was reported missing on October 20, 1978 from Anderson County, Tennessee
Classification: Missing
Vital Statistics
Date Of Birth: June 11, 1926
Age at Time of Disappearance: 52 years old
Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. She was a "snuff" user at the time of her disappearance.
Circumstances of Disappearance
Patterson was reported missing on October 20, 1978 from Anderson County, Tennessee.
She was last seen at Peggy's Place, a bar that used to be on Clinton Highway. Police reports say she left the bar with two men. Days later, Leoma was reported missing.
On March 12, 1979, children found skeletal remains on the banks of Norris Lake in Twin Cove. Tests at the time concluded that the remains were of Leoma Patterson. The bones were laid-to-rest in September 1985 in Phillips Cemetery in Anderson County, Tennessee. In August 1985, Jimmy Ray Maggard confessed to killing Patterson by hitting her over the head with a tire iron and dumping her body in the same spot where the remains were found. Although there were inconsistencies such as there being no damage to the skull, the body lay buried for almost 30 years.
In 2005, Leonas family hired one of the world's leading forensic anthropologists, Dr. William Bass, to exhume the remains to confirm if this was indeed their mother. DNA samples from teeth taken from the grave were compared with DNA from two different daughters of Leoma Patterson, and there was no match.
The case of the disappearance of Leoma Patterson is again open. Authorities have not been able to identify the remains that lay buried in Leoma's grave for nearly 30 years.
Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation 615-744-4000
Source Information:
WBIR
Body in Grave is Not that of Leoma Patterson
Leoma Patterson.com
doenetwork.org Case File 2143DFTN
was reported missing on October 20, 1978 from Anderson County, Tennessee
Classification: Missing
Vital Statistics
Date Of Birth: June 11, 1926
Age at Time of Disappearance: 52 years old
Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. She was a "snuff" user at the time of her disappearance.
Circumstances of Disappearance
Patterson was reported missing on October 20, 1978 from Anderson County, Tennessee.
She was last seen at Peggy's Place, a bar that used to be on Clinton Highway. Police reports say she left the bar with two men. Days later, Leoma was reported missing.
On March 12, 1979, children found skeletal remains on the banks of Norris Lake in Twin Cove. Tests at the time concluded that the remains were of Leoma Patterson. The bones were laid-to-rest in September 1985 in Phillips Cemetery in Anderson County, Tennessee. In August 1985, Jimmy Ray Maggard confessed to killing Patterson by hitting her over the head with a tire iron and dumping her body in the same spot where the remains were found. Although there were inconsistencies such as there being no damage to the skull, the body lay buried for almost 30 years.
In 2005, Leonas family hired one of the world's leading forensic anthropologists, Dr. William Bass, to exhume the remains to confirm if this was indeed their mother. DNA samples from teeth taken from the grave were compared with DNA from two different daughters of Leoma Patterson, and there was no match.
The case of the disappearance of Leoma Patterson is again open. Authorities have not been able to identify the remains that lay buried in Leoma's grave for nearly 30 years.
Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation 615-744-4000
Source Information:
WBIR
Body in Grave is Not that of Leoma Patterson
Leoma Patterson.com
doenetwork.org Case File 2143DFTN