Case Files
The Man Found in Lake Worth in 1983 Has a Name: Archie Patterson Jr.
A note before you read: this is a true account of real people and a real crime. We tell it with care — centered on the victims, grounded in the record, and without gratuitous detail.
Archie Patterson Jr. was born on Aug. 15, 1940. He was 43 years old when he died, WPTV reported.
The reports we checked say little about his life. They do not say where he grew up, what work he did, or what made him laugh. But they do tell us one thing that matters. He had family. In 2026, a person in California believed to be his child gave a DNA sample. That sample helped confirm who he was, WPTV reported.
Found without a name
On Nov. 25, 1983, a man was found in a waterway in the 2400 block of 10th Avenue North in unincorporated Lake Worth, Florida. His death was later ruled an accidental drowning, Othram’s case page says.
No one could say who he was. Investigators thought he was between 25 and 35 years old, WFLX reported. They said he was about 5 feet 8 inches tall, with brown hair and a reddish-brown beard and mustache.
In November 2012, the sheriff’s office made a facial reconstruction and shared it with the public. Those efforts did not work, WFLX reported.
He remained unidentified for nearly 43 years, WPTV reported.
How he got his name back
Several groups worked to give Archie his name back:
- Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) Cold Case Unit: In April 2025, it partnered with Othram, WPTV reported. The testing was paid for by the PBSO Forensic Genetic Testing Grant, awarded by the State of Florida.
- Othram, a forensic genomics company in The Woodlands, Texas: Its scientists used genome sequencing to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the man, Othram’s case page says.
- PBSO’s forensic genetic genealogy team used that profile in a genetic genealogy search, Othram’s page says. WPTV reported that in April 2026, the case went to the PBSO Forensic Biology, Genetic Genealogy Unit.
- PBSO detectives traveled to California in August 2026. They talked with a person believed to be Archie’s child and got a DNA sample, WPTV reported.
- Othram’s kinship testing compared that sample to the man’s DNA profile, Othram’s page says. WPTV reported that Othram’s kinship analysis confirmed who he was.
The man in the waterway was Archie Patterson Jr.
Othram’s page also thanked Florida Sen. Gayle Harrell, Rep. John Snyder, and their colleagues in the Florida Legislature for supporting funding that helps law enforcement solve cases like this one.
His family was told
Othram’s case page, published Sept. 4, 2026, says: “Following the identification, next of kin were notified and the investigation was closed.”
WPTV reported the same thing on Sept. 3, 2026. His next of kin has been notified, the sheriff’s office said, and the case is now closed.
For nearly 43 years, he was known only as a John Doe. Now we can say his name. His name is Archie Patterson Jr.
Sources
- “Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Teams with Othram to Identify a 1983 John Doe,” DNASolves / Othram (Dan Miller), Sept. 4, 2026. https://dnasolves.com/articles/lake-worth-florida-1983-archie-patterson-jr/
- “Man found dead in unincorporated Lake Worth waterway in 1983 identified 43 years later,” WPTV (Aja Dorsainvil), Sept. 3, 2026. https://www.wptv.com/news/palm-beach-county/region-c-palm-beach-county/man-found-dead-in-unincorporated-lake-worth-waterway-in-1983-identified-43-years-later
- “Man found dead in unincorporated Lake Worth waterway in 1983 identified 43 years later,” WFLX, Sept. 3, 2026. https://www.wflx.com/2026/09/03/man-found-dead-unincorporated-lake-worth-waterway-1983-identified-43-years-later/
Facts current as of Oct. 19, 2026.
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