AURORA — Authorities were looking for two young girls and their father after a woman was found dead Tuesday morning in the Aurora residence where the family had lived.
The woman had not yet been identified, “but she probably is the mother,” said Detective Shannon Lucy of the Aurora Police Department.
An Amber Alert was issued for the two girls in Colorado and surrounding states.
A next-door neighbor said the children’s mother, Pamela E. Patterson, had moved out after filing for divorce. Records obtained by 9News show Patterson filed for divorce in Arapahoe County in January.
Authorities weren’t elaborating on the cause of death. Crime- scene investigators entered the home at 5:30 p.m. after a six-hour wait to obtain a search warrant.
The woman’s body was found about 10:40 a.m. at a residence in the 17000 block of East Louisiana Avenue after a friend told police that he had not seen Pamela Patterson in several days, Lucy said.
Police said 38-year-old Brian Patterson is not being named as a suspect, but neither he nor his daughters — Brianna Patterson, 4, and her sister, Aliyah, 3 — have been seen since Monday afternoon.
“Our No. 1 priority is finding the girls and making sure they’re all right,” Lucy said.
Brian Patterson is described as black, 6-foot-2 and 235 pounds. He sometimes uses the alias Kalid Muhammed.
Neighbors said police had visited the home recently because of a domestic dispute, which Lucy confirmed without elaborating.
“We have been out here before,” she said at a news conference near the home, “and it did involve a domestic situation.”
Brian Patterson’s criminal record includes an arrest on domestic violence charges in 1995, as well as charges on traffic offenses, soliciting prostitutes and failure to appear on other charges, according to public records.
Police are looking for a silver 2002 Dodge Stratus with Colorado license plate 679SUP.
A second vehicle sought by police, a red 1991 Isuzu Rodeo with rear-end damage bearing Colorado license plate 969RTC, was located Tuesday evening.
Neighbors in the same cul-de-sac as the red-brick and gray-vinyl ranch home said the couple who had lived there for about a year was quiet and friendly.
“To our surprise, something like this happens,” said neighbor Mike Pluguez.
He said he didn’t know them well, but “they were a pretty quiet couple. We’d say hi to them. It was always quiet over there.”
Another neighbor, Sheri Monaco, added, “I’m met him and the kids a couple of times, and they seemed nice.”
Staff writer Joey Bunch contributed to this report.
Carlos Illescas: 303-954-1175 or cillescas@denverpost.com
