'You took him away from us': Mother pleads for answers in Des Moines cold case

[00:00:02]KCCI EIGHT NEWS AT SIX STARTS RIGHT NOW.

[00:00:05]LIFE FOR NO REASON.

[00:00:07]YOU KNOW, IF YOU ONLY HAD TWO SECONDS TO TALK TO HIM AND, YOU KNOW, ASK HIM WHAT HE WAS DOING.

[00:00:13]A MOTHER’S MESSAGE TO HER SON’S KILLER.

[00:00:16]TYRESE PATTERSON WAS FOUND DEAD ON A SIDEWALK ON THE EAST SIDE OF DES MOINES.

[00:00:20]THIS MONTH MARKS EIGHT YEARS SINCE HIS DEATH AND HER FIRST INTERVIEW.

[00:00:25]PARSONS MOM SHARES HER GRIEF AND THE SEARCH FOR A SUSPECT.

[00:00:28]KCCI LAURA TERRELL DIGS DEEPER INTO WHY THIS CASE IS STILL COLD.

[00:00:34]WHEN I THINK OF TYRESE, I THINK OF HIS SMILE.

[00:00:38]HE HAD THE BEST SMILE.

[00:00:40]TYRESE PARSONS MOM AND GRANDMA STILL FEEL THE HEAVINESS OF GRIEF.

[00:00:44]EIGHT YEARS LATER.

[00:00:46]I LOOK AT MY LIFE LIKE I HAVE A BEFORE AND I HAVE AN AFTER NOW AND EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED.

[00:00:53]IT ALL CHANGED ON JUNE 8TH, 2018, WHEN A SIDEWALK ON DES MOINES EAST SIDE TURNED INTO A CRIME SCENE.

[00:01:00]A NEIGHBOR FOUND TYRESE RIGHT ABOUT 630 IN THE MORNING, AND HE WAS LAYING RIGHT HERE ON THE SIDEWALK.

[00:01:06]THE 17 YEAR OLD WAS SHOT ONCE IN THE BACK NEAR EAST 27TH COURT AND MAPLE STREET.

[00:01:12]HE DIED BEFORE ANYONE COULD FIND HIM.

[00:01:14]MY LEGS JUST GAVE OUT.

[00:01:16]I JUST FELL ON THE GROUND.

[00:01:18]TYRESE WAS A SOON TO BE HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR.

[00:01:21]HIS FAMILY LEARNED HE’D SNUCK OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT WITH FRIENDS, AND THEY WERE STEALING THINGS FROM PARKED CARS.

[00:01:28]I DON’T KNOW THAT THERE’S A SINGLE THING IN MY VEHICLE THAT WOULD BE WORTH TAKING SOMEBODY’S LIFE OVER, YOU KNOW?

[00:01:34]I MEAN, THAT’S HOW I LOOK AT IT.

[00:01:37]THEY GAVE HIM A DEATH SENTENCE.

[00:01:39]17 YEAR OLD KIDS AND KIDS THAT AGE, THEY THEY MAKE BAD DECISIONS.

[00:01:42]THAT’S WHAT THEY DO.

[00:01:44]AND THIS IS CERTAINLY NOTHING THAT WARRANTED SOMEBODY SHOOTING AT HIM AND DEFINITELY NOTHING THAT HE NEEDED TO DIE FOR.

[00:01:51]POLICE SAY ONE THEORY IS THAT SOMEONE SHOT FROM A MOVING VEHICLE AS THE TEENS RAN AWAY.

[00:01:57]AFTER LOOKING INTO HUNDREDS OF TIPS, POLICE SAY A LACK OF EVIDENCE HAS MADE IT HARD TO SOLVE.

[00:02:02]HIS FRIENDS WEREN’T SUPER FORTHCOMING WITH INFORMATION, AND THAT WAS THAT WAS A CHALLENGE FOR US.

[00:02:07]AND THEN WE HAVE THAT ONE PIECE OF VIDEO OF A CAR THAT’S IT’S HELPFUL IF WE CAN FIND THE CAR OR THE PERSON, BUT IT’S NOT A PIECE OF EVIDENCE THAT’S GOING TO LEAD US TO THAT CAR.

[00:02:18]TYRESE FAMILY WANTS PEOPLE TO KNOW HE ENJOYED COOKING, RIDING RAGBRAI WITH THE DREAM TEAM, AND HE WAS DEEPLY LOVED.

[00:02:25]I WOULD JUST WANT TO KNOW WHY.

[00:02:27]YOU KNOW, I MEAN, HE WAS A GOOD KID.

[00:02:29]HE WAS AN AWESOME KID.

[00:02:31]I REMEMBER EVEN THE FUNERAL STARTED LATE BECAUSE PEOPLE COULD NOT FIND A PLACE TO PARK.

[00:02:36]THE FAMILY PRAYS FOR PEACE IN KNOWING WHAT HAPPENED.

[00:02:39]OUR JOB IS TO GET THESE ANSWERS FOR THE FAMILIES, AND IT WEIGHS HEAVILY ON US WHEN WE DON’T DO THAT.

[00:02:46]AS THEY WAIT FOR JUSTICE, THERESA’S LOVED ONES HOLD HIM CLOSE BY WEARING A NECKLACE WITH HIS ASHES INSIDE.

[00:02:53]I WANT HIM CLOSE TO MY HEART.

[00:02:56]I THINK ABOUT HIM, AND I JUST LIKE TO HOLD ON TO IT LIKE I’M HOLDING ON TO HIM.

[00:03:01]IN DES MOINES, LAURA TERRELL KCCI EIGHT NEWS, IOWA’S NEWS LEADER.

[00:03:05]SURE HOPE HIS FAMILY GETS SOME ANSWERS.

[00:03:08]ABSOLUTELY.

[00:03:08]DES MOINES POLICE SAY SOLVING THIS CASE WILL TAKE SOMEBODY COMING FORWARD WITH INFORMATION THEY HAVE BEEN HOLDING BACK.

[00:03:14]IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION, CALL DES MOINES DETECTIVE