Family Vanished in Colorado. 14 Years Later Found Inside Burned Trailer

For fourteen years, the disappearance of the Patterson family was one of Colorado’s most chilling unsolved mysteries. A happy family of four from Austin, Texas, they vanished without a trace during a summer vacation in 1996. Their case became part of mountain folklore, whispered around campfires in the Rockies and fueling endless theories of cults, secret lives, or tragic accidents. But in 2010, a shocking discovery brought answers—though no comfort—to those who had waited.

Beneath a secluded slope in Gunnison National Forest, an amateur hiker stumbled upon a half-buried, burned-out trailer. Inside lay charred human remains, later confirmed to be Michael, Laura, Jessica, and Noah Patterson. What had once been treated as a missing-persons case was now recognized as a brutal quadruple homicide.

This is the story of how a family’s dream vacation turned into a nightmare, how investigators nearly gave up hope, and how evidence hidden in a rusty tobacco tin finally revealed the killer’s identity.

A Vacation That Ended in Silence

In August 1996, Michael Patterson, 42, loaded his wife Laura, 39, and their two children—Jessica, 16, and Noah, 12—into their brand-new Airstream trailer. They left Austin in high spirits, heading north toward Colorado’s mountain air. The family was last seen at a gas station in Montrose on August 10th. Security cameras captured a smiling Michael filling the Bronco with gas, while Noah bought candy inside.

That was the last confirmed sighting.

When the Pattersons failed to return by the 24th, a massive search began. Helicopters, rangers, and volunteers scoured Gunnison National Forest. But the most baffling detail remained: not only had four people vanished, but so had a large silver trailer and their SUV. How could something that big disappear without a trace?

Years of Theories, No Answers

Searchers eventually found what looked like the family’s last campsite—cold ashes in a fire pit, candy wrappers, and footprints near a lake. But no trailer. No vehicle. No bodies.

Over time, theories multiplied. Some believed the Pattersons had been victims of a robbery gone wrong. Others whispered about cult activity in the Rockies. A few even suggested they had staged their disappearance to start a new life in Mexico.

The investigation went cold. By the early 2000s, the Patterson case was one of the longest-running missing-family cases in Colorado history.

The Shocking Discovery

Everything changed in September 2010. Ben Carter, a Denver geologist hiking off-trail in Gunnison, spotted a metallic glint beneath dirt and tree roots. Climbing closer, he found the unmistakable curve of an Airstream trailer, crushed and blackened by fire, half-buried under rocks.

Peering through a soot-stained window, Carter saw bones. Human bones.

Within days, authorities confirmed what no one wanted to believe: the Pattersons had not vanished into thin air. They had been murdered, their bodies hidden inside their burned trailer just miles from where searchers had once scoured the forest.

From Missing Persons to Homicide

The discovery turned the cold case into an active murder investigation. Forensic teams worked for weeks at the remote canyon site. Inside the trailer, they found four sets of remains, confirmed as the Patterson family through dental records. But what investigators uncovered next erased all doubt—this was not an accident.

Bullet casings and slugs from a 9mm pistol were recovered from the charred aluminum walls. Ballistics indicated execution-style shootings inside the trailer. The fire had been set afterward to cover up the crime.

The Pattersons had not been lost hikers. They had been slaughtered in their sleep.

A Name in an Old Campground Log

Investigators re-opened their 1996 files. Among dozens of leads, one stood out: a campground logbook entry from the night the family disappeared. Written in careless handwriting was the name Randall Lee Ames, a Vietnam veteran who had camped beside the Pattersons.

Back in 1996, Ames had seemed unremarkable—one of many drifters passing through the Rockies. But in 2010, detectives had more tools and more motive. They traced his movements across the West: odd jobs, truck driving, sleeping in motels, and bursts of sudden violence.

But when they dug deeper, investigators discovered Ames was no longer alive. He had committed suicide in a Nevada motel in 1998, less than two years after the Pattersons vanished. He had been terminally ill with cancer.

The Evidence That Sealed His Fate

The breakthrough came not from witness testimony but from a dusty police evidence box in Nevada. Inside were Ames’s belongings from his motel room. Among old clothes and maps, detectives found a rusty tobacco tin. Inside was a silver locket containing faded photographs of Jessica and Noah Patterson.

Laura Patterson’s sister confirmed through tears that the locket had been hers, a gift from Michael. Ames had kept it as a trophy.

That small piece of jewelry became the irrefutable link between Ames and the family. Combined with ballistics and his proximity at the campground, investigators concluded that Ames was the killer.

Why Did He Do It?

Motive remains speculative. Psychological profiles suggest Ames was a volatile loner, scarred by war and resentment. Detectives theorized that the Patterson family’s happiness—children laughing, parents cooking over a campfire—triggered a violent outburst of rage.

Perhaps a minor argument escalated. Perhaps Ames felt mocked or ignored. What is known is that he retrieved a 9mm pistol, entered the trailer, and killed all four. He then towed the Airstream to the canyon, set it ablaze, and disposed of their SUV, likely in a ravine or lake.

He disappeared before dawn, but could not escape his guilt. His suicide two years later may have been both illness-driven and conscience-driven.

Legacy of the Patterson Case

In 2010, after fourteen years, the Patterson family was officially declared homicide victims. The case was closed, but without a trial. No jury ever heard the evidence. No family member ever faced the killer in court.

For relatives, the resolution brought truth but no justice. Michael and Laura’s parents died never knowing what happened. Jessica and Noah’s school friends grew up with unanswered questions.

Today, the burned-out canyon site is a chilling reminder of how quickly paradise can become tragedy. The Patterson story serves as both a cautionary tale for campers and a haunting example of how fragile safety can be in the wilderness.