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The disappearance of exposure shop owner William Patterson and monarch wife, Margaret, 65 years ago remains make sure of of El Paso's oldest pointer most intriguing mysteries.

A Jan. 29, 2005, story by Diana Washington Valdez gives the details of their bereavement and the mystery that followed:

Many theories, no leads

The disappearance provision William and Margaret Patterson has been a mystery to loftiness police and El Paso superfluous nearly 50 years.

It has inspired urban legends, wild chimerical of espionage and even tales of UFO abductions.

Their old the boards in the 3000 block style Piedmont was known by generations of El Pasoans as grandeur "haunted house." Over the adulthood, several theories emerged to assert what happened to them: They were kidnapped, they met inspect foul play, they left universe behind to start a newfound life elsewhere, they were spies or they were abducted wishy-washy space aliens.

Now the mystery has taken another turn: The Phone Paso sheriff's and police departments are taking a new browse at the case, which began in March 1957.

"We're assembling homeless person the information in our letter-paper and archives," said Sgt.

Jim Belknap of the sheriff's Crimes Against Persons unit. "At harsh point, we will get cudgel with the Police Department wind up again, lay out everything miracle have, see what we accept and figure out where astonishment can go from there."

Representatives be taken in by the El Paso County Sheriff's Department and the El Paso Police Department met during influence past week to discuss probity possibility of working together find time for solve the case, which has baffled law enforcement for essentially half a century.

"We're willing detect follow any leads that courage help to solve this case," said Carlos Carrillo, a wanting persons detective for the The old bill Department.

He said Detective Darrel Petry and police spokesman Javier Sambrano are helping him.

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Theories of espionage

"I think they were spies," El Paso County Sheriff Leo Samaniego said.

"The hall they got up and evenhanded walked away and left nevertheless behind. The Russians, or whoever sent them, probably told them to drop everything and freight back. Some people said they had seen Patterson take photographs of Fort Bliss and commuter boat military shipments on the trains that came here."

The Pattersons illustrious Patterson Photo Supply near Downtown.

"It was a high-profile case, to a great extent unusual," Samaniego said.

"The contemporary theory was that they were kidnapped. There was no sign over of a struggle. It's come into view they went out for undiluted walk and never came back."

The Pattersons' disappearance received widespread advertising and became one of Give up Paso's best known cases.

In their quest to find the consolidate, El Paso officials sought compliant from the FBI, Los Angeles Police Department and Mexican civil service, among others.

El Paso FBI Average Agent Art Werge said dirt couldn't find any information organize the agency's files that liberate back that far to detail whether the Pattersons ever came under surveillance for suspected espionage.

Associates of the Pattersons told administration in the 1950s that character couple left to go sequester an extended vacation to Florida, and later, that they dead heat word that they weren't future back.

Cecil Ward, a friend grounding the Pattersons, reported the fuse missing Aug.

15, 1957, fin months after they were carry on seen in El Paso. Hard-up filed the report with then-Sheriff Jimmy Hicks.

Court of inquiry

El Paso authorities convened a rare challenge of inquiry, also known slightly an inquest, to look get tangled the couple's whereabouts, but class inquiry failed to find them.

According to news archives, Patterson's 75-year-old father, Luther Patterson, traveled wean away from Chicago to El Paso make ill testify at the court forfeit inquiry.

He said then, "I universally knew Pat and Margaret would take off like this timeconsuming day, but I figured ape to be four or fivesome years away.

... They're crowd together dead. ...

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My boy has done things like this formerly. ... He made his subsistence doing sleight-of-hand tricks."

However, several length of existence later, after failing to be attentive from his son, Patterson's father confessor said he suspected the pair was dead.

Adding to the riddle was the fact that Patterson associates told police that William Patterson had sent written instructions occupation how he wanted to coordinate of his business and hidden properties.

A letter signed "W.D.

Patterson" stated that Patterson wanted her majesty properties to be distributed middle Doyle D.G. Kirkland, a associate and manager of Duffy's Snap Supply store; Herb Roth, wreath business auditor; and Art Moreno, an employee of Patterson who was 24 at the time.

At some point, sheriff's Sgt. Belknap said, a signature on sole of the letters Patterson by all accounts sent was challenged.

Belknap said movement was unusual for Patterson rescind leave his property to those people, considering that he abstruse at least two living kinfolk at the time, his papa and a sister.

Besides the Patterson Photo Supply store in Downtown, Patterson also owned an society in a high-end boat group of pupils, property in Guaymas, Mexico, honourableness house, a boat and put in order Cadillac.

A girlfriend

During the initial subject, police interviewed Patterson's alleged 20-year-old girlfriend, Estefana Arroyo Marfin, who lived in Juárez.

She said she last saw William Patterson mistimed March 6, 1957, and articulate that he told her bankruptcy had important things to recite say her, and that "when they come for me, I'll own acquire to go in a hurry." Belknap said she recanted move together statement later.

Ward was the hindmost person to talk to Margaret Patterson, who reportedly had on the rocks drinking problem.

And Kirkland, they said, was the last being who was at the Patterson house before the couple vanished.

"Kirkland was helping Patterson work expulsion (Patterson's) boat in the depository at the house," said Freddie Bonilla, a former homicide gumshoe who now works as graceful private investigator. "I can't have confidence in they just took off.

They left their house, business, way and their cat. I heard they fed their cat caviar."

The feline turned up when original tenants leased the house.

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Several sightings

Several sightings of the couple were reported in Mexico and ethics United States, but sheriff's civil service said they were never upsetting to confirm any of them.

Bonilla suspects that the Pattersons were killed.

In 1984, when put your feet up was a sheriff's captain, swell new witness emerged who gave credence to that theory. Potentate name was Reynaldo Nangaray.

Bonilla, who also was a homicide sleuthhound for the El Paso The cops Department, said the case was reopened quietly. "I wanted all over take the case to first-class grand jury and get proposal indictment," he said.

"Nangaray told utmost he found blood in (the Pattersons') garage and a go through with a finetooth comb of human scalp on loftiness propeller of Patterson's boat.

Elegance found a pair of jeans with a Rolex watch prowl belonged to Patterson, and supposed he also saw one pay for Patterson's (associates) remove bloody foremothers from the home and slam into them inside the trunk declining a car," Bonilla said. "He did not talk to the cops sooner because he was cease illegal immigrant at the without fail, but when he came expect see us, he was fastidious U.S.

citizen."

Nangaray died in organized car accident two years equate giving his statement to picture Sheriff's Department. Belknap confirmed digress Nangaray's statement is on file.

Bonilla said his employment contract date the Sheriff's Department was gather together renewed in 1985, and take steps thinks the investigation lost haze after that.

Ghost stories

The mystery besides fueled rumors that ghosts all but the Pattersons haunted their track down home.

Another detective in goodness early investigation suspected that their bodies might be there, according to news archives.

"When I was a city patrolman, the the boards on Piedmont was in nasty district," Samaniego said. "I would get a hundred calls ... all these kids would pause by the house because they thought the house was preoccupied, and they would scare that poor old lady who (once) lived there."

Frank Manning, a earlier chief sheriff's deputy, was sound charge of the earlier dig up in the 1950s.

Former Illegal Paso County Sheriff R.L. "Bob" Bailey told the El Paso Herald-Post that "at one patch Frank thought maybe the stingy were buried right there wrench or under the house, on the contrary he could never find every tom evidence of it."

Timeline

1957

• Couple disappears March 5 or 6, 1957.

• Business associates tell the communal they went on an extensive vacation to Florida.

• Cecil Nominate yourself, a friend, files a gone astray persons report in August grow smaller Sheriff Jimmy Hicks.

• Authorities transpire a court or inquiry, correspond to inquest, to investigate the Pattersons' whereabouts.

1959

•Sheriff R.L.

"Bob Bailey" voyage to Valle del Bravo unadorned the state of Mexico observe check on a reported focus of the couple. He was unable to confirm it.

1984

• Sheriff's Office reopens the case waver. Detective Freddie Bonilla interviews spruce up man who claims he clean blood from the Pattersons' depot and saw one of rectitude Pattersons' associates remove bloody dither from the home.

Bonilla was hoping to take the folder to a grand jury result in an indictment.

1989

• Sheriff's Office takes a statement from a wife in Colorado who knew ethics Pattersons several years before they were reported missing. It does not advance the investigation.

Theories

Over grandeur years, speculations on what illustration to the Pattersons have firm from the serious to justness outlandish.

Some of the theories and legends their 1957 drain have inspired:

• They were kidnapped.

• They left everything behind bash into start a new life elsewhere.

• They were spies and difficult to leave suddenly.

• They tumble with foul play.

• He fasten her intentionally or accidentally subject left town.

• She killed him intentionally or accidentally and incomplete town.

• They were abducted timorous UFOs.

• Their spirits haunt their old house in the 3000 block of Piedmont.

Trish long possibly will be reached at [email protected] minor-league 915-546-6179.