WA WA - Patrick Cress, 13, murdered, Kingsgate, 30 April 1983

Hathor16

Active Member
Joined
May 19, 2016
Messages
93
Reaction score
194
Surprised I couldn't find a thread for 13yo Patrick Cress. Reported missing from kingsgate in 1983. His fellow students were gossiping about his head being "bashed in" before his body was discovered in a ditch. Detectives would like info on a note probably passed during school which reads ""To Michelle, From Kim, It's Important! It's a slight possibility the police don't know yet so don't tell 'cause that might be wrong." https://www.seattlepi.com/local/art...to-help-solve-boy-s-83-1272470.php?source=rss
 
Have you been able to find a picture of the note? I haven't had any luck. I lived only a few minutes away from where he was found. I hadn't heard of this case until a few days ago (I lived in that area 10 years later and didn't get into researching true crime until a few years ago) and have become overcome with wanting to solve this case. I have a lot of mutual connections to the family and I also know people by the names Michelle and Kim who would have been around the right age that went to those schools at that time. I am curious to see if I can recognize the handwriting from the note.
 
Patrick was last seen leaving a friend's home on April 30, 1983. He had spent a Friday night at the friend's house and had arranged to be picked up by his parents the following morning at a nearby supermarket. But Patrick never showed up at the market.

A Puget Power crew working at a construction site near Northeast 132nd Street and 116th Way Northeast found his body on May 18, 1983 in the Kingsgate area of unincorporated King County. Patrick had been beaten to death.

Even before Patrick's body was found, teenagers in the area were circulating rumors that he was dead. The rumors included details about the cause of death and the type of location where he was later found. Investigators were never able to pinpoint the source of those rumors.

Detectives found a note at the time, written on what they described as "typical school paper," which read, "To Michelle, From Kim, It's Important! It's a slight possibility the police don't know yet so don't tell 'cause that would might (sic) be wrong."

Detectives were unable to find either Michelle or Kim.

New details released in 1983 murder of boy, 13
 
patcress.jpg


“On Friday night, April 30th, 1983, Pat asked if he could spend the night at a friend’s house. That friend lived about 500 yards north of where we’re standing right now.” Dick Cress adds, “We gave him permission to spend the night. He said, ‘great,’ grabbed a couple of things took off out the patio door, slammed it shut like he usually did and that was the last we saw of him. Not the last we heard from him, but the last we saw of him.”

“They spent Friday night at the boy’s house. Saturday morning Pat called his parents up and asked if he could stay another night. His parents said no. ‘Come on , we’ll pick you up.’ Pat’s sister even told him, ‘hey come and you’ll go to the Ever Green Speedway races with us Saturday night and Pat said, ‘okay, I’ll do it.’

Pat’s parents were fairly new to the area and didn’t know exactly where Pat was staying so they planned to meet at a Safeway less than a mile away.

“He said, ‘okay’ so we hung up the phone- he said goodbye to that family and right out the door,” his father said.

This was at 12:30pm on a sunny, Saturday afternoon.

“We got there about 5-10 minutes to one. It wasn’t really far from home so.. no Patrick. We waited ‘til about 1:30pm- no Patrick. I think it was between 1.30pm and 1.45pm that my wife called home and talked to Kim and she said, ‘Yea, he called a little while ago and I told him you were on the way to pick him up and he said something to the tune of, ‘okay sis, love you bye.’ That was the last we heard from him.”

Eighteen days later and about 500 yards away- a worker on a new Apartment complex made a gruesome discovery.

more info: Patrick Cress killing: Source of a rumor could solve teen’s decades-old murder
 
https://www.amazon.com/Value-Smile-...=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1213399165&sr=8-3

My name is Dick Cress I began fulfilling a promise to Katherine (Katie) my wife of 30 years, to write a book of our experiences, shortly after her death in April 1993 and began making notes in the early morning hours of May 19, 1983 while waiting for The King County Coroner's Office to report, on whether the remains of a young boy found by an electrical crew earlier that, were those of our son, Patrick missing since May 1.
 
Thanks JerseyGirl! I'll have to start reading. Madisonlee, if I find a note pic, I'll try to post. Youd think they would have gone public with that asap
 
I really hope people see this and talk. I saw his body recovered when I was a kid, his father is a wonderful man who deserves to have some answers. People around here absolutely know what happened, it is way past time to tell what you know.
 
<modsnip> It has more twists than any other cold case I've tried to help solve. Might need Vidoq help at this point. incredibly frustrating

**Summary**

13 yr old Patrick Cress went missing on Sat April 30th after he failed to meet with
his parents at a local grocery store after spending the night at a friend's house.
He was discovered 18 days later on May 18th in a watery ditch loosely covered in straw about 1/4 mile from where he spent the night. Massive cranial fractures.
But here's the twist...

Detailed rumors spread about his demise at his Junior High school the following Monday May 2nd! "Pat's dead his head is bashed in" rumors were all over. A class note between two Jr High girls said "Don't tell the police what you know cause that may be wrong"
It is believed the rumors originated at a weekend party.
The family he stayed at moved shortly after, no contact to express sympathy, nothing....

The case suffered from some pretty depressing setbacks from the get go.
1) The police treated it as a runaway case from the beginning. Had they treated as possible foul play before his body was found based on the school rumors they would have probably solved it by now
2) The first detective was a robbery Sgt. All the good homicide detectives were pulled away to work the famous Green River Killer investigation in King County.
3) The case was not really taken seriously until 2008 a local guy now a detective attempted to get answers. He has suspicions but the case is now ice cold and we could use any help possible. I have some details of the investigation I can share since I highly doubt the police will ever get back to it unless there is some major break.

Here is a link to the last update on the case, and my FB group dedicated to help solve this frustrating case. Thank you!
Patrick Cress killing: Source of a rumor could solve teen’s decades-old murder

<modsnip - no posting Facebook links>
 
Last edited by a moderator:
So I read through everything. Definitely a strange case. Questions. Looking at Google maps seems to indicate that 110th place NE is approximately 3.5 to 4 miles from the Safeway, is that correct? It seems a long way for a 13 year old to walk particularly given the timeline ( talked at 12:30 and arrived to pick up Pat at 12:50. That would be about an hour and fifteen minute walk on a good day). Where in relation to all of these points did Pats family live?

It is a strange timeline.I am thinking maybe he disobeyed his parents and decided to stay out another night, possibly to attend the party? Maybe he met with foul play at the party.

Any thoughts on possibly being hit by a car?
 
I’ll pull up the maps and check, but the way I read it, he went missing that Sat afternoon between 12:30 and 1:00. It sounded like it was between the time he talked to his parents/arranged the Safeway pick up and the time he was to arrive at Safeway.

I saw in one of the articles that he had to pass a local hangout spot where (older) kids would meet to smoke and hangout - almost sounded like it was on a dirt path. Thoughts that maybe someone there encountered him walking by and hurt him. That doesn’t really fit with the ditch finding so I must be missing something.

Also, reports say the middle schoolers were all interviewed but nothing about students at the local High school being interviewed as well. Unless I missed it?
 
Just realized there is another 110th place NE in the area.
 
*Update Dec 2019
The case is still unsolved but there has been some progress and new info gathered. Pat's father Dick Cress wrote a book about the case called "The Value of a Smile (Victimization)" in 1998. You can read it free online on the Amazon Kindle trial, or if you have Prime.
Something I missed was a scenario where a local 18 yr old small time drug dealer was ripped off by a few of Pat's close friends. This dealer and some friends pulled up to these guys home with guns and the family had to call the police. New info we gathered that was not in the book is that Patrick was at this incident! That and one of the dealers or friends specifically pointed at Pat and said "You're dead! We're going to get you". This alleged incident took place the weekend before the weekend Pat went missing. Unfortunately the dealer died in 2005, but we are looking into his associates at the time. If he was involved in Pat's murder he had to tell someone. I chatted over the phone with the dealer's ex girlfriend and she said he would get emotional when drunk if the subject of Pat came up later in life. We don't believe he had a close relationship with Pat and this to me screams remorse or guilt in Pat's death. I encourage any web sleuths here who would like to take a crack at examining all the info in this case to join the Facebook discussion group. Just search "Patrick Cress" in Google and look for the "Help Solve" I believe this case will have more answers very soon. Thanks
 
<modsnip>

This is a heartbreaking and maddening case. It was likely solvable just by clever interviewing of the right people (fellow students). I can't believe someone (or some people) has gotten away with murder of an innocent child for almost 40 years now. Wish there were something I could do but at this point all one can do is hope someone comes forward and comes clean.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
<modsnip>

This is a heartbreaking and maddening case. It was likely solvable just by clever interviewing of the right people (fellow students). I can't believe someone (or some people) has gotten away with murder of an innocent child for almost 40 years now. Wish there were something I could do but at this point all one can do is hope someone comes forward and comes clean.


I’m glad I’m not the only one thinking of Pat all these years later—tonight, specifically. I have cried for him as I read about his case on Reddit, and watched his father give a teary interview this week online. I so desperately want to help him—considering writing him a letter, if nothing else.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
A great local reporter just released an updated video on the case in cooperation with the King County Sheriff Department. They showed some previously non public evidence and a new plausible scenario. Please watch and comment. If you would like to join the case discussion on FB, just search HELP SOLVE THE 1983 MURDER OF 13 YR OLD PAT CRESS and it should pop up. Almost 400 members strong now. A mountain of collected data, pics, maps, persons of interest. We really could use all the help possible. The truth is Detective Mellis is hamstrung by his department. Budget constraints and caseload means he can't just check out a lead as it comes in. So it's up to us to get a little closer hopefully.
New video with transcript
Family haunted by cold case murder of Kirkland boy: ‘It doesn’t get any easier’
 
Last edited:

Staff online

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
232
Guests online
1,160
Total visitors
1,392

Forum statistics

Threads
589,168
Messages
17,914,869
Members
227,741
Latest member
Drury Lane
Back
Top