In other words, Margaret was not forthcoming with personal information– even when conversing with friends. In fact, she reportedly never revealed her relationship history or even her birthday.
Yet, following the couple’s disappearance, William’s father, Luther Patterson, did not seem so surprised. At 75-years-old, Luther traveled to El Paso from Chicago in order to speak at the inquest for William’s disappearance. It was there that he revealed his beliefs regarding the case.
“I always knew Pat and Margaret would take off like this someday, but I figured it to be four or five years away,” Luther said.
He also claimed to believe that the couple was still alive and simply went into hiding.
“My boy has done things like this before. He made his living doing sleight-of-hand tricks,” Luther added, referencing his son’s past as a carnival barker.
Friends of the Pattersons, however, were not so convinced. For instance, Cecil Ward, the friend who reported the couple missing, also owned a local auto repair shop.
And he claimed to have visited the Patterson’s home the day the couple disappeared. That afternoon, Cecil alleged that he did not notice any suspicious behavior. Instead, he and the couple actually made plans to work on William’s boat together later that week.
Cecil also claimed that the Pattersons had mentioned no immediate travel plans. This contradicted reports from other friends of the couple, though, who alleged the pair was taking a vacation.
Suspicious Circumstances Following The Couple’s Disappearance
After William and Margaret disappeared on March 5, 1957, one of the couple’s friends– Doyle Kirkland– kept popping up.