09-02-2011, 09:11 AM
The boyfriend and former husband of a missing Mariner Middle School science teacher could be in any one of a number of places along the East Coast, according to tips received by Lee County sheriff's deputies.
Daniel Ray Proctor, 44, was named a suspect Thursday in what deputies believe is the homicide of Amy Patterson, 41.
Details from the investigation into Patterson's disappearance indicate she is likely dead, said sheriff's Lt. Ryan Bell. He declined to be more specific.
"Unfortunately, things aren't looking good in the evidence," he said. "At this point we believe she was likely the victim of a domestic homicide."
Patterson was last seen a few days before July 25, when she was supposed to report for work.
Deputies believe Proctor fled the area in her vehicle, leaving it at a friend's home in Alabama. Proctor also allegedly stole a white 1997 Ford Explorer - Alabama tag number 47N82T2 - and .380-caliber handgun from that friend before hitting the road again, Bell said.
"He is absolutely considered armed and dangerous," he said. "We don't want anyone to contact him."
When Patterson didn't show at school, the school reached out to her and her family, Bell said. At that point, Proctor told the school Patterson had died in a car crash and the school district began offering its support to those affected by her supposed death.
But Proctor's explanation slowly began to fall apart.
"It took a few weeks for his story to unravel and for people to realize that perhaps she didn't die in a car crash," Bell said.
When that realization was made, the sheriff's office was contacted and, after speaking with Rosenbaum, a missing person's report was filed and the investigation began.
Patterson and Proctor married in 1991 and divorced three years later, according to records from Madison County in Alabama.
Proctor had a history of abuse and spent time in prison in the 1990s after assaulting Patterson.
link:
http://www.news-press.com/article/201109...CFRONTPAGE
some more info:
http://thesop.org/story/20110902/our-foc...-life.html