Case Details
- Photo URLs:
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- Missing Since:
- Missing Since 09/02/1976
- Missing From:
- Missing From Lewiston, Idaho
- Classification:
- Classification Endangered Missing
- Gender:
- Female
- Race:
- Race White
- Date of Birth:
- Date of Birth 08/04/1952 (72)
- Age:
- Age 24 years old
- Height and Weight:
- Height and Weight 5’3, 140 pounds
- Clothing/Jewelry Description:
- Clothing/Jewelry Description A white top and red slacks.
- Distinguishing Characteristics:
- Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Blond hair, hazel eyes. Patricia’s nickname is Patty. She has a scar on her back.
- Details of Disappearance:
- Patricia Otto disappeared from Lewiston, Idaho on September 2, 1976, after a big fight with her husband, Ralph. She left everything behind – her car, even her wedding rings, which she always wore. The rings were later found in Ralph’s pocket, but are now missing.
Their marriage was troubled; Patricia had left before, but they reconciled. This time, they argued because Ralph thought she was cheating. He told their daughters their mother had abandoned them.
Police think Patricia was murdered, and Ralph was the main suspect. One daughter said Ralph was an alcoholic who made incriminating statements about his wife’s disappearance. The other daughter (only three at the time) said she saw her father attacking her mother that night and saw him with his hands around her neck.
Ralph was convicted of hiring someone to kill the detective investigating Patricia’s disappearance, but the conviction was overturned. He later died in jail of a heart attack.
Patricia’s daughters were raised by their aunt and uncle. One daughter is now dead, but the other continues to search for the truth about what happened to her mother. The case remains unsolved, and it’s believed Patricia was murdered.
- Agency:
- Lewiston Police Department 208-746-0171
- Source Links:
This person was missing Missing Since 09/02/1976