Joyce Hunter remembers the last words she heard from her daughter, Carlita Patterson, almost 8 years ago.
"Momma, I'll be right back in a few minutes. I'm just goin' up to Hubble and Fenkell to the store."
That was on November 20, 2009, but Carlita never came home. She hasn't been seen or heard from since then.
Carlita Patterson was 56 years old at the time. She was a widow and mother of five.
"We still celebrate her birthday. We let out balloons at nighttime. We do the same thing almost every year hoping Carlita will return," says Hunter.
Carlita Patterson's younger sister, Ingrid, remembers driving up and down the neighborhood to look for her.
"I used to do it every day. Every day I would do it - every day," she says.
Now, she finds herself doing the same thing, but for a different family member. Her niece, Mia Patterson, went missing in late May of 2017.
She was living at her brother's house at Plymouth and Mendota at the time.
Mia's mom, Dawn Patterson, says on May, 30, she said, "I'll be back" and they never saw her again.
She says it's not like her daughter to just disappear without a phone call to let them know where she is or to just check in on her daughter. She suspects foul play and fears Mia is dead.
"I need for the streets to talk," says Dawn Patterson. "Just tell me where she is. You can call anonymously."
The family's worries are so familiar.
"My biggest fear is that we won't get closure for Mia, like we didn't get closure for Carlita," says Ingrid Patterson.
They say they're leaning on each other for support and relying on their faith to get them through this heart wrenching pain they've been dealing with for so long.
"It takes God. It takes God. It takes prayer," says Hunter. "I'm just sad. I wish Mia would show up. I know Carlita's not going to, but I wish Mia would just show up," she says.
The family is desperate to find out what happened to Carlita and Mia Patterson. They believe there are people who know exactly what happened to them both. They just need someone to do the right thing and say something.
"You'd be doing such a great deed, a great deed for our family. There's so many people lost out there and it'll give other people hope that they can get closure," says Hunter.
If you have any information on the whereabouts of Carlita Patterson or Mia Patterson, please call Detroit Police right away.
