We figured out that it isn't - that posts about missing white kids are going to get magnified more by the public as well. But we thought that maybe social media would be an equalizer in that regard. We all knew that the media has had a history of not putting as much effort into covering missing children of color as we have of missing white children. More: Who gets an Amber Alert in Wisconsin? Here’s what the data showed Also if a child is over a certain age limit, in some places as young as 9 or 10, they're not going to get an Amber Alert and they're not necessarily going to get a lot of police officers looking for them. If a child is categorized as a runaway, they're not going to get an Amber Alert. One of the most significant findings, I think, is that Amber Alerts are not as common as people think they are. In that reporting, we found a lot of interesting things. ![]() What has your work found and how does Alexis’ story fit in this larger context? You’ve done a lot of reporting on missing children of color at USA TODAY. ![]() If she wanted to talk to me about things, she called, texted and could get a hold of me at any point. I spent a whole lot of time with her - and not only when I wanted to talk to her. This was definitely not a story when I parachuted in and talked to her for half an hour and then did a podcast. Once we met, I was willing to put in the time. I had gained credibility with some community leaders that she knew and so they made the introductions. She's been very skittish of the media and feels that the different reporters have done things that she has not been happy with in the past. The first thing that I had to do with Ayanna was build trust with her. How did you navigate your source relationship with her given the high emotional stakes of this subject? You spoke extensively with Alexis’ mother, Ayanna Patterson, for this project. I've also done quite a bit to track down other tipsters and theories about the case that haven't yet been made public. We'll be reporting a lot of information that's never been made public before. We now have a lot more insight into what Alexis was like, what her family went through in those early days and what they have gone through since she went missing.Īnother important difference is we've had more cooperation from the Milwaukee Police Department than any news organization has ever received in reporting this case. I spent hours talking with her over several months and she answered every question I asked her. This is the first time that Alexis’ mother, Ayanna Patterson, has sat down for extensive interviews. I think a couple of things make this podcast different from earlier reporting. What makes this podcast different from that earlier reporting? This is a high-profile case that’s been covered extensively over the years. And I thought that maybe we could learn some lessons about that topic from Alexis’ case. Then the second reason is that I'm working on a project for USA TODAY about disparities in missing children's investigations when it comes to children of color. I started working (at the Journal Sentinel) three days after she disappeared, so the case has kind of always been in the back of my consciousness the whole time I’ve been here in Milwaukee. People in Milwaukee still remember it and remember her and still want to know what happened, and that includes myself. One is that it's been just over 20 years since she disappeared and the case is still unsolved. There were a couple of reasons why I chose to report on Alexis this season. Listen: Unsolved 4: A missing girl, a search for truth Why did you choose Alexis Patterson’s case? It’s available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other podcast platforms.īarton answered questions about her reporting process and dropped a few hints about what's to come this season. ![]() The season launches on Wednesday and new episodes will be released every week. The Journal Sentinel, which launched Unsolved in 2015, is a partner in the podcast and contributed reporting. USA TODAY investigative reporter Gina Barton, who worked for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for 20 years, is giving the case a fresh look in the latest season of her hit podcast, Unsolved.
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