NY NY - Patrick Alford, 7, Brooklyn, 22 Jan 2010 - #2

[Cubby]

Everytime I see this thread bumped I pray for news that Patrick has been located safely. Where could he be? He didn't just disappear into thin air. Someone knows something.

Still praying for answers into Patricks disappearance.

Come home soon Patrick!

 

[tlcya]

This case here, has really bothered me. Like Cubby, whenever I see it pop up on the new postss lists I stop in, hoping against hope, some new news.

It has never made sense to me that Patrick could have run away. 7 year olds just don't effectively run away in the world I occupy. If he had died of exposure after an attempt to run off, IMO his body would have been found.

I have nevere believed any family member had him either.

For me, that leaves foul play of some sort.

This child did not disappear on his own. Some adult disappeared him.

Praying that someday, we will all know exactly who and at least get some closure.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

I fear that they spent so much time focusing on Patrick's mother in the beginning, that it gave them tunnel vision. And then, when he didn't turn up, they said, "Oh crap. Maybe she doesn't have him. Now what..."

No, Patrick most definitely did not leave on his own. And IMO, his family had nothing to do with this. I'm about 85% that the foster family had nothing to do with this. Which only leaves the worst. But still hoping more than anything that he can be found safe. Somehow.

 

[Cubby]

I fear that they spent so much time focusing on Patrick's mother in the beginning, that it gave them tunnel vision. And then, when he didn't turn up, they said, "Oh crap. Maybe she doesn't have him. Now what..."

No, Patrick most definitely did not leave on his own. And IMO, his family had nothing to do with this. I'm about 85% that the foster family had nothing to do with this. Which only leaves the worst. But still hoping more than anything that he can be found safe. Somehow.

Even the worst is hard to fathom in this case. If Patrick did run, he wouldn't have gotten far later in the evening on a cold night. I still believe most people are good. For the worst to have happened, Patrick would have had to have the unfortunate odds of running into the one or few bad people- not as bad as- but similiar to Leiby Kletzky. I'd like to think someone seeing a child out later in the evening would have done something to help him get back home, or at least notify authorities. I can't imagine it being a routine thing seeing a 7 yr old possibly walking, riding public transportation or hailing a cab in the later hours of the evening, especially a 7 year old alone. That leads me back to the foster family. On one hand I can't imagine them doing something, but on the other hand I can imagine them possibly covering something up.

Everytime I see Patrick's photo it just breaks my heart. I have a son near the same age, and I know if Patrick lived in our neighborhood, he'd be one of my sons best friends and he'd be hanging out with the large group of same aged boys in our neighborhood.

It's so much easier for me, in my mind to imagine how someone can disappear in a rural area with so many places not traveled by people. Much much harder to envision the same in a highly populated large city like Brooklyn, someone saw something. Why hasn't that someone come forward?

I too am hoping against hope, someone hid Patrick distrustful of the system and was willing to take that risk. I hope he is out there somewhere safe and comes home soon!

 

[fridaybaker]

Even the worst is hard to fathom in this case. If Patrick did run, he wouldn't have gotten far later in the evening on a cold night. I still believe most people are good. For the worst to have happened, Patrick would have had to have the unfortunate odds of running into the one or few bad people- not as bad as- but similiar to Leiby Kletzky. I'd like to think someone seeing a child out later in the evening would have done something to help him get back home, or at least notify authorities. I can't imagine it being a routine thing seeing a 7 yr old possibly walking, riding public transportation or hailing a cab in the later hours of the evening, especially a 7 year old alone. That leads me back to the foster family. On one hand I can't imagine them doing something, but on the other hand I can imagine them possibly covering something up.

Everytime I see Patrick's photo it just breaks my heart. I have a son near the same age, and I know if Patrick lived in our neighborhood, he'd be one of my sons best friends and he'd be hanging out with the large group of same aged boys in our neighborhood.

It's so much easier for me, in my mind to imagine how someone can disappear in a rural area with so many places not traveled by people. Much much harder to envision the same in a highly populated large city like Brooklyn, someone saw something. Why hasn't that someone come forward?

I too am hoping against hope, someone hid Patrick distrustful of the system and was willing to take that risk. I hope he is out there somewhere safe and comes home soon!

BBM: Respectfully, Cubby, you obviously don't live in Rogers Park.

 

[OldSteve]

I fear that they spent so much time focusing on Patrick's mother in the beginning, that it gave them tunnel vision. And then, when he didn't turn up, they said, "Oh crap. Maybe she doesn't have him. Now what..."

No, Patrick most definitely did not leave on his own. And IMO, his family had nothing to do with this. I'm about 85% that the foster family had nothing to do with this. Which only leaves the worst. But still hoping more than anything that he can be found safe. Somehow.

BBM,

I would think with all the surveillance in the city, they should have seen something, unless he was taken quickly after he left the foster home. Another "unless" would be if by tunnel-visioning in on his mom some/allot of the video surveillance got overwritten.
Knowing what surveillance was available would tell allot about how long and far he would have gotten.

 

[~n/t~]

I fear that they spent so much time focusing on Patrick's mother in the beginning, that it gave them tunnel vision. And then, when he didn't turn up, they said, "Oh crap. Maybe she doesn't have him. Now what..."

No, Patrick most definitely did not leave on his own. And IMO, his family had nothing to do with this. I'm about 85% that the foster family had nothing to do with this. Which only leaves the worst. But still hoping more than anything that he can be found safe. Somehow.

bbm....Seems to be happening a lot in missing children cases.

 

[cocolafay]

Checked in to say I was still thinking of and praying for Patrick and, of course, hoping for a hint of something encouraging after 2 years. Instead I read about Patrick Sr. being shot. Lord help this family.

 

[cinders]

This is just heartbreaking. Sad that we don't hear more about the babies that disappear.

 

[McSpy]

Did Patrick know his way to his mother's home? Also, since he was only wearing a shirt, I'm thinking hypothermia could have got to him and he curled up in a cubby hole somewhere. He could be in a small outdoor space. The only thing that makes me think that may not have happened was that he was in a big city with stores, public and private indoor spaces everywhere.

 

[McSpy]

Here is another question: Was it likely he took a bus or a subway train? If so, did he have money, token or card to use. If a little boy got on a train or bus alone, I would have been concerned if I was the busdriver or ticket agent at the subway station. Although, sometimes, people assume children are with the people ahead of him in line. Is it likely, he could have taken public transportation alone?

 

[katydid23]

I worry that he tried to run back to his mother, and took 'help' from the wrong person. I can easily see him meeting someone at a bus stop or on the subway who offered to help him.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Did Patrick know his way to his mother's home? Also, since he was only wearing a shirt, I'm thinking hypothermia could have got to him and he curled up in a cubby hole somewhere. He could be in a small outdoor space. The only thing that makes me think that may not have happened was that he was in a big city with stores, public and private indoor spaces everywhere.

I'm not sure if he knew the way to his mother's home. He may have THOUGHT he did, though.

Here is another question: Was it likely he took a bus or a subway train? If so, did he have money, token or card to use. If a little boy got on a train or bus alone, I would have been concerned if I was the busdriver or ticket agent at the subway station. Although, sometimes, people assume children are with the people ahead of him in line. Is it likely, he could have taken public transportation alone?

This is just my personal opinion, but I always suspected that Patrick TRIED to get to the bus. Whether he made it onto a bus or not is anyone's guess. But there were two bus stops within walking distance of where he was living that he could have gotten to within minutes.

 

[McSpy]

I worry that he tried to run back to his mother, and took 'help' from the wrong person. I can easily see him meeting someone at a bus stop or on the subway who offered to help him.

This is very likely. Either he went up to someone with a question or they approached him. I can picture the stranger saying, "I'll take you to your mom. Come with me . . "

Unfortunately, this a heartbreaking possibility.

I remember a girl, around 9 years old and in a school uniform, coming up to me and asking what bus she should take to get to a particular street. I told her the bus name and number, but felt concerned that she was lost or confused, so I took the bus with her and made sure she got home. I also was concerned that she felt too comfortable asking strangers for help.

 

[McSpy]

I'm not sure if he knew the way to his mother's home. He may have THOUGHT he did, though.

This is just my personal opinion, but I always suspected that Patrick TRIED to get to the bus. Whether he made it onto a bus or not is anyone's guess. But there were two bus stops within walking distance of where he was living that he could have gotten to within minutes.

Did he have a bus pass? How does the bus system in that area handle childrens' fares? Are children allowed on for free? If so, the bus driver may have assumed he was with the adults ahead of him, or in back of him as they all got on the bus from one of those stops. If there were no other people getting on the bus at that stop at the same time as Patrick, I'm surprised the bus driver wasn't concerned he was alone. Sometimes, parents may ask the bus driver to make sure the child gets off at a particular stop, but in Patrick's case, there was no adult.

There are so many possibilities here. He could have got on, but had no idea where to get off. If it was dark out, it would have been almost impossible for him to see outside. Buses are brightly lit on the inside, so the reflections on the windows make it difficult to see the outside. It can be very disconcerting, especially after you realize that you got on the wrong bus. I had this happen to me and ended up in a strange neighborhood. He could have missed his stop or took the wrong bus, got off and ended up totally lost. This is very scary stuff.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

A ticket to get on the bus is $2.25. However, I don't think they take cash? It looks like you have to get the ticket at a "vending machine" or have a pre-paid bus pass/card. (I'm not sure if he had one.)

Children can ride for free WITH an adult who pays a fare.

 

[McSpy]

A ticket to get on the bus is $2.25. However, I don't think they take cash? It looks like you have to get the ticket at a "vending machine" or have a pre-paid bus pass/card. (I'm not sure if he had one.)

Children can ride for free WITH an adult who pays a fare.

This is what I was afraid of . . . . The bus driver could have assumed he was with one of the adults that got on the bus from that stop. Yet, maybe Patrick didn't take the bus, but if he said that was his plan, he probably tried. Did the foster mother say he wanted to take the bus to see his mother? Did he say specifically how he was going to get to his mother's? Maybe, I need to read up on the case again to look for the details.

I looked at the weather for that day and it was pretty mild for winter. The day time high was 41f and IIRC, the lows were around 30f, but still pretty cold, if you are not wearing a jacket. Poor kid was probably very homesick.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

I'm not sure what bus traffic is like after dark in Brooklyn. It was around 9:00 pm. What are the chances there would have even been an adult at one of the stops?

I don't believe Patrick ever said specifically a plan. Reports said he was homesick and missed his mother. The foster mom said that he had been trying to run away to see her, but that's just one account. "He's [been] running away from the day he come in."

From looking over the last thread, it was in the low 30s overnight in Brooklyn when he disappeared. It got down to 28 on that night.

 

[McSpy]

Has any psychics looked at this case?

Another thing, maybe he didn't runaway and someone grabbed him when he took out the trash. I'm assuming the apartment complex's video didn't capture him that evening, because it wasn't mentioned in the news articles. Since the foster mother took in many kids over the years, maybe a had an eye on her apartment. I wish I knew a little more about the foster mother and her friends and acquaintances. I wonder how many children she had at the time too. Unfortunately, this case is pretty much at a dead end, because of the size and scope of the city. Hopefully, someone comes forward with a lead. His case needs to be kept alive.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Another thing, maybe he didn't runaway and someone grabbed him when he took out the trash. I'm assuming the apartment complex's video didn't capture him that evening, because it wasn't mentioned in the news articles. Since the foster mother took in many kids over the years, maybe a had an eye on her apartment. I wish I knew a little more about the foster mother and her friends and acquaintances. I wonder how many children she had at the time too. Unfortunately, this case is pretty much at a dead end, because of the size and scope of the city. Hopefully, someone comes forward with a lead. His case needs to be kept alive.

An early article said they had to go to or through the lobby area to take out the trash. Not sure if the receptacle was in the lobby our outside, but I was under the impression that it was in the lobby. That could be wrong, though.

The apartment complex does not have video surveillance. Other cameras in the area captured the foster mother outside looking for Patrick. IF those same cameras also captured images of Patrick, we haven't been told about it.

Patrick's scent was also picked up at a Staten Island man's house. No idea what led them to search there. No idea if the guy was known to the family. No idea if Patrick had been there before. But it was mentioned for about a day or two, then nothing was ever said about it again. That has always made me very curious.

Not much has been released about the foster mother, at all. I'm not sure how many kids she was taking care of at the time. At least 2 (Patrick and his sister). She'd been a foster parent for 20 years without incident, though. But, at least up until this time last year... she has not been removed from the list of approved foster care providers, but she has not been given any additional foster children since Patrick disappeared while in her care.


I agree that Patrick's case seems to be at a major roadblock. But thank you. Seriously. Thank you for taking the time to throw some ideas around. You never know when something will pop loose and we will have a new idea.