Vanished in Alexander - The Mystery of Talmadge Patton

Dakota Spotlight: True Crime & Cold Case Investigations

James Wolner

Documentary, Society & Culture, True Crime

4.8 • 900 Ratings

🗓️ 24 July 2025

⏱️ 18 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In 1995, 75-year-old retired truck driver Talmadge “Pat” Patton vanished from his home in the rural town of Alexander, North Dakota. When his daughter came to check on him, she found clues that pointed to a troubling disappearance but no clear answers. Nearly three decades later, the case of Pat Patton remains unsolved, raising lingering questions about what happened in those final days and why this North Dakota cold case continues to puzzle investigators and the community. If you have any information about the disappearance of Talmadge “Pat” Patton, please contact the McKenzie County Sheriff’s Department at 701-444-3654 or the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation at 701-328-5500. Produced by James Wolner. Research assistance by Mari Zoerb Hansen. Check out the full catalog and everything Dakota Spotlight: https://dakotaspotlight.com/ Get all episodes early, ad-free, and more. Subscribe to Spotlight PLUS: https://dakotaspotlight.com/spotlight-plus/ Sign up for the Dakota Spotlight newsletter: https://dakotaspotlight.com/newsletter/ Email: dakotaspotlight@gmail.com Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/dakotaspotlight X/Twitter: @dakotaspotlight Instagram: @dakotaspotlight TikTok: @dakotaspotlight Bluesky: @dakotaspotlight.bsky.social YouTube: @dakotaspotlightpodcast4800 Proudly produced by Six Horse Media: info@sixhorsemedia.com Advertise your podcast or brand in Dakota Spotlight episodes: info@sixhorsemedia.com All content in this podcast, including audio, interviews, and soundscapes, is the property of Six Horse Media. Any unauthorized use, reproduction, or rebroadcast of this material without the express written consent of Six Horse Media is strictly prohibited. For permissions or inquiries, please contact info@sixhorsemedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:30.7	Hey there, it's James. Don't like ads? I hear you. As an independent podcast, ads help me to keep
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0:42.9	Subscribe for just $5 a month with no long-term commitment at DakotaSpotlight.com or write in your Apple or Spotify app. you're listening to
1:03.0	my name is james walner welcome back to the show
1:06.4	what happens if you leave your coffee earn on for two months straight and don't answer your phone?
1:19.9	Your daughter comes knocking, wondering if you're dead.
1:26.5	This week we go back to 1995 and a quiet town in western North Dakota,
1:32.3	where a retired truck driver vanished without a trace. The year was 1995.
1:57.0	The year was 1995.
1:59.0	O.J. Simpson's defense attorney Johnny Cochran utters the phrase,
2:03.2	If it doesn't fit, you must acquit. Windows 95 is a brand new thing, and Microsoft runs an ad campaign featuring Start Me Up by the Rolling Stones.
2:15.0	In the music world, Culeo releases the single Gangsters Paradise,
2:19.6	which goes on to become America's Billboard single of the year. And in early August,
2:26.2	in the tiny town of Alexander in western North Dakota, 75-year-old Talmadge Patton,
2:33.0	otherwise known as Pat, was preparing for a road trip.
2:41.0	Pat was used to the open road. He was retired from his days of truck driving, hauling big rigs around the country.
2:50.0	Pat was just over six feet tall and weighed 170 pounds.
2:53.6	He had blue eyes and graying brown hair.
2:56.6	A photo printed of him in the newspaper has him sporting a plaid shirt and prominent ears.
3:03.6	He walked with a stoop to the right and he had epilepsy. He took about 200 pills a month
	...

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