Patchin departed from a Tallahassee, Florida bar with his girlfriend during the early morning hours of May 24, 1994. They had been attending a poetry reading. He drove his girlfriend to her residence, then continued on to Jefferson County, Florida by himself, where his parents resided. He was last seen at approximately 2:00 a.m. Later that day, employees opening up the Jr. Food Store at US 27 South and Chaires Cross Road in Tallahassee saw Patchin's silver 1972 Volkswagen Beetle abandoned in the store parking lot. The vehicle was parked in a spot that was located at the foot of a payphone. There were no surveillance cameras posted at the business back then. Patchin's skateboard, a book of poetry he'd written, and some other personal items were inside the car.