JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Throughout the month of November, First Coast News is featuring missing persons cases out of the Jacksonville area. This Thursday, we are taking a closer look at the disappearance of Austin Patchke in 2022.
"It will be two years this November, and it feels like it happened six months ago," said Elena Patchke.
Carl and Elena Patchke are holding on to the memories they have of their son, Austin.
"He was really an extraordinary personality," said Elena Patchke.
"He amazed the teachers because he didn't take notes, he wouldn't necessarily study, but he would get pretty good marks on his tests," added Carl Patchke.
Adopted at birth from Mexico, they say Austin was a smart, quiet and curious child. He quickly grew, standing at 6'8. He was easily spotted in a crowd and Elena says he would look out for others at school.
"I said, 'is this boy being bullied in school?' and he said 'not when I am around, look at me mom,'" recalled Elena, "So that is the kind of thing he would do."
Now they are desperate to know what happened to their son. They say it all began with a message in November of 2022.
"He had been living with a friend and a friend told us, 'Listen, we haven't seen Austin in so many days,' and then we knew something was wrong," explained Elena.
Carl and Elena say Austin had been struggling with drugs and they were trying to get him help, so they called the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
"He was last seen walking out of the backside of the building, and nobody has seen him since," said Detective Paul Claydon with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Missing Persons Unit.
He said Austin was last seen leaving his job at the 7-Eleven on Old St. Augustine Road on Nov. 16, 2022. He did not have a car and was walking and appeared to be alone.
"There were no tips received in the area and no other surveillance cameras other than what was on the outside of the 7-Eleven," explained Claydon.
From there, Austin Patchke seemingly vanished. People who knew him told detectives he mostly kept to himself, just went to work and came home. No one had been threatening him.
Claydon says his next step was checking Austin's financials.
"There has been no activity in his bank accounts since his disappearance," said Claydon.
Before the Patchke family moved to Northeast Florida, they lived in New York.
"I don't know if he had his best experiences in Florida, so I don't know if he would have wanted to stay in Florida," Carl Patchke said.
Claydon said it is possible Austin moved back to New York and chose not to tell anyone.
"Hopefully that is the case and somebody can see this story and pass along a tip that Austin is alive and well," he said.
Elena Patchke said she has reached out to Austin's friends in New York and none have seen him. His parents also say Austin was very attached to his dog, Spirit, and they can't imagine him leaving Spirit behind.
Another thing that has puzzled the Patchkes is that there is reportedly still activity on Austin's Fackbook page. Just log ins and log outs, but no new posts.
Stilld Claydon and the Patchkes hold on to hope that Austin is still alive and they will see him again.
"Austin, we love you so much, just let us know you are OK, we know you have to find your own way in life and we know children pass through your life, but we love you no matter what," pleaded Elena Patchke. "Mommy misses you, so does Spirit."
"Reach out to somebody," added Carl Patchke.
"We just want to know you are OK," said Elena.
If you know anything about the disappearance of Austin Patchke, please contact the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office at 904-630-0500 or CrimeStoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS(8477) or email JSOCrimeTips@jaxsheriff.org.
