A Chesapeake family is looking high and low for their missing daughter.
Destiny Patterson, age 16, has been missing since March 28.
Destiny Ayala Patterson, 16, has been missing for over a week, and her family in Chesapeake, Virginia, is desperate for information.
Since March 28th, Patterson has not been seen.
Her family called a news conference to raise funds for the ongoing search and voice their displeasure with the Chesapeake Police Department’s handling of the case.
Though she is Joseph Patterson’s kid, Destiny is “anyone’s daughter” right now. “She’s a kid; we sent her to school like every other family in Hampton Roads.”
On the afternoon of March 28th, Patterson was last seen leaving Indian River High School.
Patterson was seen on surveillance footage leaving the school grounds with a man her family did not recognize, entering a vehicle, and driving off.
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Her loved ones believe she may be in Northern Suffolk, where she was last seen.
“We have a problem with Virginia, we have a problem all over America that when our young minority females go missing – there is not a sense of urgency,” said Brandon Randleman, a community organizer.
The Pattersons have expressed their displeasure with the Chesapeake Police Department’s handling of the case, citing their daughter Destiny’s classification as a “runaway” despite being missing for 20 days.
A representative for the Chesapeake Police Department, Leo Kosinski, has stated that Destiny is not considered a missing person. He disclosed the following portion of a statement:
A runaway report was filed on her. A runaway is a teen who disappears of their own accord, while a missing person is someone whose whereabouts are unknown due to their forced disappearance. There’s nothing to suggest she was forced out of there. No one has been exonerated at this time because the inquiry is still ongoing. Virginia State Police have determined that she does not warrant the issuance of an Amber Alert.
The Patterson family has voiced their own doubts about the veracity of the search for Destiny. They claim that police gave them false information about when Destiny went missing and failed to keep them informed.
According to Kosinksi, investigators have corrected the time of Destiny’s disappearance and are aggressively searching for her.
Destiny’s mom, Christina Patterson, made an impassioned plea to her daughter.
And until you come home, you will always be our girl,” Patterson reassured her.
Chesapeake Public Schools was also contacted by 13News Now, and they provided the following comment.
The Chesapeake Public Schools district has been helping the authorities with their investigation since it began. We pray for Destiny’s speedy and secure return.
Blue trousers and a green and tan shirt were Destiny’s final known clothing, according to authorities in Chesapeake. She is a female Hispanic of 5 feet 7 inches in height, with brown hair and eyes of the same color.
Please contact the Chesapeake Police Department at (757) 382-6161 or the Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP if you know anything regarding her location.
Virginia State Police, WVEC, the Chesapeake Police Department, and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Destiny Patterson, a missing child from Virginia, was recently featured on the website of the National Center for Missing and Endangered Children, Inc.
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