Case Details
- Photo URLs:
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- Missing Since:
- Missing Since 08/12/1978
- Missing From:
- Missing From Modesto, California
- Classification:
- Classification Endangered Missing
- Gender:
- Female
- Race:
- Race White
- Date of Birth:
- Date of Birth 06/14/1935 (89)
- Age:
- Age 43 years old
- Height and Weight:
- Height and Weight 5’5, 120 pounds
- Clothing/Jewelry Description:
- Distinguishing Characteristics:
- Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Patricia’s nickname is Patty. Her maiden name is Hogue.
- Details of Disappearance:
- Patricia Toliver vanished from her Modesto, California home in August 1978. Before her disappearance, she’d attended a family reunion where her husband, James, threatened to kill her or her mother. Patricia left behind her car, clothes, and even her last paycheck. James claimed she took a large amount of money from their joint savings account.
James, a forklift operator, was a gambler who dated other women after Patricia disappeared, using the name “Jim Joy.” In 1980, James was found dead of a heart attack near Lake Tahoe. With him was $98,000 in cash and a gun. A mile away, the body of Florence Richina, a teacher, was found murdered with the same type of gun. James’s footprints led from Richina’s body to his truck. Richina had also recently withdrawn $98,000 from her bank account. Police found some of Richina’s belongings in James’s house. There were rumors of a relationship between James and Richina, but no proof was found.
Police suspect James was a serial killer responsible for Patricia’s disappearance and possibly the disappearances of other women: Hester Chandler (missing since 1974 after withdrawing $9,000 from her bank account), Jacqueline Cooper (missing since 1976), and Mary Watkins (missing since 1979). Patricia’s case, along with the others, is considered suspicious.
- Agency:
- Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department 209-525-7114
- Source Links:
This person was missing Missing Since 08/12/1978