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Who Was Patrick Kennedy Alford Jr.?

Patrick Kennedy Alford Jr. was born on November 28, 2002 in Brooklyn, New York to his parents, Jennifer Rodriguez and Patrick Alford Sr. He reportedly had an older brother and a younger sister, but very little information has been released about either. Patrick Sr. and Jennifer were never married, and by the time of his disappearance, they lived apart.

Jennifer Rodriguez’s Life Before Patrick’s Birth

Jennifer had a hard life prior to her son’s birth. Her mother had a history of substance abuse, and her father died when she was 8 years old. As a result, she was diagnosed with depression and began to self-medicate with drugs.

Despite her difficult childhood, Jennifer did her best to raise her kids and give them a good life. She made sure they went to school, had them on a routine, cooked for them, and took them on outings. She was close with her oldest, who she called “P”. He was a sweet boy who was loving and caring. He loved Spider-Man and video games, and he even used his allowance to buy Jennifer chocolates for Valentine’s Day.

How Patrick Entered Foster Care

Things soon began to spiral for Patrick and his family. While conflicting information exists, we know that the young boy and his sister were placed in foster care in December 2009. According to an interview with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Jennifer knew that she needed help. She was in a bad place mentally, and she was experimenting with drugs that made her paranoid. She called social services, asking for drug treatment, confessing to using marijuana. She was told that that did not qualify her for treatment, and she then confessed that she was taking PCP (also known as “Angel Dust”).

According to another source, the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) visited the home, where Jennifer was alleged to be high and unable to respond to the officials. They took the younger sister and asked where Patrick was. It took a while for her to respond, but she told them a name. They weren’t sure who this was, so they investigated and discovered he was at the home of his great aunt. ACS had not evaluated the great aunt to determine if she could provide him with a safe home, so they took the young boy and placed him in foster care as well. He ended up at the home of his foster mother, Librada Moran, on December 30th, 2009.

A Difficult Adjustment to Foster Care

Patrick did not adjust well to his new foster home. He was upset about being away from home, and he longed to be reunited with Jennifer.

ACS determined that Patrick’s stay with Librada would be a temporary one, as they worked to place him in the custody of Patrick Sr. There was a hearing in family court on January 6th, 2010. Allegedly, there was an altercation between him and his girlfriend, and Jennifer voiced concerns over how the girlfriend treated Patrick. In the end, Patrick Sr. was granted custody of Patrick and his sister, pending further investigation into these allegations.

On January 8th, Jennifer, her sister, and Patrick’s great aunt had a supervised visit with the children. During the visit, he repeatedly expressed his desire to go home and attempted to leave the office. His great aunt noted that his “spirit was broken” and “Patrick was distraught.”

In the short time he was placed in foster care, Patrick reportedly exhibited aggressive behavior, hitting the other children in the home, throwing things, and hitting himself in the head. Things got to the point where a psychologist had performed an initial evaluation on January 14th, with an official evaluation to be conducted later.

One interesting thing to note is that Librada, Patrick’s foster mother, spoke Spanish. Patrick and his sister spoke only English. This likely made communication much harder, making it even harder for Patrick and his sister to adjust.

Eight days later, Patrick would vanish without a trace.

The Night Patrick Went Missing

On Friday, January 22nd, Patrick went with Librada to take out the trash around 9 PM. Their intent was to take the trash to the nearby trash chute and return to the apartment. But before they left, Librada received a phone call, and Patrick reportedly continued to the trash chute alone. The chute was not in view of the apartment.

He never returned.

After Librada hung up, she and Patrick’s sister searched for the young boy, to no avail.

Within 30 minutes of realizing Patrick was gone, the police were notified, and a massive search began. In the early days of the investigation,

• 14,000 interviews were conducted,
• 9,000 apartments were searched in Brooklyn and Staten Island,
• Local sex offenders were tracked down and interviewed, and
• Local creeks and bodies of water were dredged.

Jennifer Rodriguez Under Suspicion

The next morning, the authorities notified Jennifer that her son was missing and searched her apartment. Although Librada claimed he ran away to reunite with his mother, the authorities did not find Patrick with Jennifer.

However, Jennifer reportedly knew the location of her son’s foster home, and an aunt claimed that she had threatened to kidnap Patrick.

Presumably because of this information, Jennifer was summoned to appear in family court a few days later, where she was ordered to present Patrick. She did not do so, claiming she had no idea where he was. As a result, she was held in contempt of court and jailed for a few days.

While in jail, she underwent extensive interviews and took a polygraph test, and additional family members were brought in for questioning. They cleared Jennifer and released her after they were unable to find evidence of her involvement. Likewise, they were unable to find evidence that the family was involved.

Around the same time, K-9 units were brought in to track Patrick. They traced his scent to a nearby bus stop, but they suddenly lost it.

No Leads, No Suspects

Since then, there have been no sightings of Patrick, no suspects or persons of interest have been named, and little evidence has surfaced as to his fate.

In October 2010, Jennifer filed a lawsuit against ACS, Patrick’s foster mother, and the foster parents’ apartment complex. In the lawsuit, she alleged that Patrick was taken without cause, and ACS was negligent for placing him in an unfit foster home, instead of with relatives.

However, in March 2011, a federal judge threw out the suite, but ruled that Jennifer could sue individual caseworkers and the agency that oversaw Patrick’s case. By 2013, she amended the suit to include a claim for wrongful death, in an effort to get answers for her son’s disappearance. The suit was settled in August 2018 for $6 million, which will be used to aid in his search.

As of January 22nd, 2025, Patrick’s disappearance is still being actively investigated. On the 15th anniversary of his disappearance, detectives handed out flyers in the apartment complex where the young boy was last seen. As of this writing, no new evidence has surfaced.

In the years since, Patrick Sr. was shot in the head and leg in a robbery. After years of therapy, he was able to walk somewhat, but he was then run over in his wheelchair on a snowy road. As of January 2025, he was “alive but struggling.”

As for Jennifer, she has kept her son’s name in the press for the past 15 years. She has since earned an associate’s degree in criminal justice to understand what could’ve happened to her son. In her studies, she learned about how children in foster care are sometimes sold into sex trafficking. She prays that this was not his fate. When she spoke to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about her son’s disappearance, she said the following:

“I wasn’t doing well for a long time… Then I finally thought, ‘Why do I keep punishing myself for something I didn’t do?’ I’m still trying to figure out why, with all the resources they used, no one has come forward. I just pray that Patrick’s alive. That’s what keeps me going.”

As of this writing, the disappearance of Patrick Kennedy Alford Jr. remains unsolved.

My Thoughts

The disappearance of Patrick Kennedy Alford Jr. is a tragic case that highlights systemic failures in the foster care system and social services. At first, it seems like a straightforward case: a young boy disappears while taking out the trash at his foster home, never to be seen again. But when you peel back the layers, it highlights numerous issues that likely contributed to the young boy’s disappearance.

From all accounts, Jennifer had a hard life. But she fought to make things better for herself and her kids. That includes seeking help when addiction began to take over her life. Many underestimate just how profound that is. Instead of staying in denial and waiting for a tragedy to happen before seeking help, she showed strength, courage, and humility by asking for help.

And she was punished for it.

Instead of placing Patrick and his sister with their father or another extended relative, ACS chose to place the children in a Spanish-speaking foster home with a stranger. This was despite the fact that neither child spoke Spanish. In doing so, they created an environment where Patrick struggled to communicate and feel safe.

According to the Juvenile Law Center, Kinship Care (the practice of extended relatives raising children) has been a long-standing tradition in the Black community, reaching back centuries. During slavery, Kinship Care became a protective factor for these kids, especially as their parents were sold and sent to other plantations. This informal arrangement, where children were raised by kin outside of the child welfare system, continued until around the 1980s, as Child Protective Services continued to grow, and the number of Black children in foster care increased.

In addition, Kinship Care has been shown to increase the rates of stability and permanency for children. The positive effects are numerous, including improved behavioral and mental health outcomes, the promotion of sibling ties, decreased homelessness and criminal involvement for older youth, and the preservation of cultural identity and community connections. And it makes sense. It’s often far less traumatic for children to stay with a beloved relative, where there’s already an existing relationship, instead of living with complete strangers.

Patrick and his sister had extended family members who grew up in a culture where Kinship Care was normalized. If Jennifer truly could not have cared for the children at that point, there were likely other options. And even if the extended family couldn’t care for them, ACS could have at least placed him with an English-speaking foster family. Instead, Patrick and his sister were placed in a Spanish-speaking foster home, knowing that the siblings only spoke English.

To this day, no one knows what happened to Patrick Kennedy Alford Jr.

Theories About Patrick’s Disappearance

When it comes to this case, there are four theories that are commonly believed:

• Patrick Sr and/or Jennifer were responsible for Patrick’s disappearance.
• An extended family member is responsible for Patrick’s disappearance.
• A stranger is responsible for Patrick’s disappearance.
• Librada, Patrick’s foster mother, is responsible for his disappearance.

Let’s examine these one by one.

Theory #1: Parental Involvement

First, we have the theory that Patrick Sr. and/or Jennifer were responsible for Patrick’s disappearance. At first glance, it seems obvious. Jennifer was reportedly very upset about the children being taken into foster care, and an aunt claimed that she threatened to kidnap him. That would be a strong motive to do something drastic.

However, this theory is full of holes. If Jennifer was involved, why would she take Patrick and not his younger sister? From what I gather, his sister remained in care, even after Patrick’s disappearance. And even if she decided to only take her son, she stood a lot to lose. If she took him, there’s a high chance someone would’ve caught her. If she was caught, she likely would’ve been arrested for custodial interference (or something similar) and had her parental rights terminated for both children. That would’ve guaranteed she would never see either of them again.

Not only that, but if she did something, why would she have fought so hard to keep this case in the spotlight? If she was involved, she likely would’ve laid low, avoided drawing attention, and let the case fade.

But none of that happened. And this theory doesn’t add up. As a result, I believe we can set this it aside.

Theory #2: Extended Family

The second theory is that an extended relative was responsible for Patrick’s disappearance. Supporters of this theory believe that an extended family member, unhappy that Patrick was placed in foster care, took him from his foster home, possibly to give him back to Jennifer.

While this theory is possible, it lacks evidence and requires incredible coincidences. We don’t know if any of his extended family knew the location of his foster home. And even if they did, they would’ve needed perfect timing to be outside of his foster home, just out of eyesight of Librada or any other witnesses.

Not only that, but they would’ve had to be silent about their involvement for over 15 years. That means 15 years without a confession or a slip up.

People underestimate how difficult that is. Either an extended relative did something and somehow kept it a secret for 15+ years, or they didn’t know anything. I’m inclined to believe the latter.

Theory #3: Stranger Abduction

As an offshoot, we have the theory that Patrick was abducted by a stranger. I find this theory more plausible than extended family involvement because it would explain why no suspects have ever been named.

But at the same time, what are the odds that Patrick was abducted by a stranger just as he left Librada’s view? This person would’ve had to take him without causing a scene. Considering Patrick was struggling to adjust after being removed from Jennifer’s care, I have a hard time believing he would’ve left with a stranger voluntarily.

This, combined with the lack of evidence, makes the stranger theory unlikely but not impossible. Unless we can get more information, we can’t rule it in or out.

Theory #4: Foster Mother Involvement

Our last theory is that Librada, Patrick’s foster mother, was responsible for his disappearance. At first, this theory seems plausible. After all, there are countless stories of children who disappeared while in foster care, only to find out it was the foster parents. But unlike some cases (like the disappearance of Everlyse Cabrera), Librada was not known to be abusive. There’s no public information about her abusing or neglecting other children in her care, and to my knowledge, ACS never received any complaints about her.

There’s a chance that there could’ve been an accident that killed Patrick, but that would introduce more assumptions. The incident would’ve had to be harmful enough to kill him, but quiet enough that no one else in the apartment complex heard him, including his younger sister.

And speaking of his sister, I was unable to confirm if the police talked to her to see what she saw. If she noticed anything unusual, that would strengthen this theory. But ultimately, we just don’t know. And unless the police find more information, we’re not going to be able to rule this theory in or out.

Where the Case Stands Today

At the end of the day, this case centers around a 7-year-old named Patrick Kennedy Alford Jr. He was a sweet, caring child who had his whole life ahead of him. Unfortunately, he got caught in a web of addiction, poverty, and foster care, one that he never got out of.

For 15 long years, his family has searched for him, desperate to keep his case in the spotlight. And unless new information is discovered, someone comes forward, or the young boy is found, the disappearance of Patrick Kennedy Alford Jr will remain unsolved and cold.

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Recommended Reading: The Lost Children of Wilder by Nina Bernstein

Patrick’s story is a heartbreaking reminder that the foster care system has long struggled to protect its most vulnerable children. This isn’t a new problem—Nina Bernstein’s The Lost Children of Wilder traces the decades-long legal battle to reform New York’s foster care system, exposing patterns of neglect, bureaucracy, and broken promises. If you want to understand the systemic issues that make cases like Patrick’s possible, this book is a powerful and sobering read. You can find it here (I earn a commission from purchases made through this link, at no extra cost to you).

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If you’re looking for more information about the disappearance of Patrick Kennedy Alford Jr, there are a few resources available, but information is somewhat limited. The following sources helped me as I wrote this post:

• The Charley Project
• The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
• NCMEC: Disappearance that shook New York City: Patrick Alford missing 15 years
• 13 Years Gone-The Disappearance of Patrick Alford Jr.

If you have any information about the disappearance of Patrick Kennedy Alford Jr, please contact the New York City Police Department at 1-800-577-8477. You can also contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678.

What do you think happened? Let me know in the comments.