Scottsbluff Police say DNA testing has confirmed a human bone discovered in the North Platte River between Minatare and Melbeta two years ago belonged to an older man missing since 2016.
Detective Brandi Brunz says the DNA profiles of the bone were a match for 72-year old Walter “Gene” Patterson-Black, last seen May 12, 2016, at a local convenience store.
The bone and a piece of clothing resembling the shirt Patterson-Black was wearing were found near the North Platte River between Melbeta and Minatare in October 2021.
Sgt Brunz says in the years following Patterson-Black’s disappearance, local agencies and volunteers had “searched on foot, by air, and by cadaver dogs from varying agencies”
She says the Scottsbluff Police Department hopes the family may now have some closure and peace knowing he has been located.
She also says the department would like to thank the other agencies and groups that assisted in our investigation including the Scottsbluff Fire Department, Scottsbluff County CERT, Airlink, Scotts Bluff County Sheriff’s Office, Goshen County Search and Rescue, and Kris Brock and the Tri-State K-9’s.
Now he can be laid to rest.