Jan Pattison Missing Person Case

Mar 02, 2012

May 30, 2023

Jan

Pattison

70

38

63 inches

64 inches

135 lbs

175 lbs

White / Caucasian

Female

In the late summer of 1993, 38-year-old Jan Marie Pattison vanished from the small community of Greenland in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. On the evening of August 26, she met a couple of acquaintances at a local establishment called the Rosseau Bar. Later, she accompanied them to their cabin. At approximately 10:30 p.m., Jan left the cabin, presumably to drive home. She was never heard from or seen again. At the time of her disappearance, she was described as a white female with brown hair, blue eyes, standing between 5'3" and 5'4" tall, and weighing between 135 and 175 pounds. She was last seen wearing a teal-colored shirt and blue jean shorts. A week after she was last seen, on September 1, her 1981 Ford Tempo was discovered. The vehicle was found stuck just off a two-track trail in a remote and ruggedly wooded area near Vista Drive Road. Investigators found her personal belongings inside the car, including her purse, keys, and cigarettes. Curiously, her wallet and driver's license had been left at her home. An extensive search of the dense woods surrounding the abandoned vehicle was launched, involving multiple law enforcement agencies. During the search, a set of footprints was found emerging from a nearby creek. The footprints, believed to be from a women's size 7 shoe similar to the nurse's shoes Jan often wore, continued for three to four miles along a logging trail before vanishing at a gravel road. Despite this discovery, it was never definitively confirmed that the footprints belonged to Jan. The circumstances surrounding Jan Pattison's disappearance have led to several theories, but no concrete answers. Law enforcement considered the possibility that she became disoriented and lost after her car got stuck, potentially influenced by alcohol and prescription medication she was taking for a previous back injury. The theory of foul play was also investigated, with some finding it unlikely she would have driven into such a remote area on her own. Authorities also explored the possibility that someone else may have driven her car to that location and created the footprints to mislead investigators. A voluntary disappearance was considered improbable as she was described as being very dependent on her family. The two men she was with on the night she vanished were questioned and cleared as suspects; both have since passed away. Despite unconfirmed sightings in the days following her disappearance, the case grew cold. The official investigation into what happened to Jan Marie Pattison remains open, leaving her family and community without closure.

Aug 26, 1993

Greenland

Michigan

Ontonagon County

11462

Ontonagon County Sheriff's Office

Ontonagon

Michigan

Ontonagon County

49953

620 Conglomerate St., Michigan

9068844901

County

Law Enforcement

Ontonagon County Sheriff's Office

Brown

Blue

Blue

07/11/2026