Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Case Updates with Photos

Patricia Lee Otto






Patricia, date, approximate 1976; Age-progression to an unknown age by Wesley Neville
Date Missing 09/02/1976
Missing From
Lewiston, Idaho
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 08/04/1952 (70)
Age 24 years old
Height and Weight 5'3, 140 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A white top and red slacks.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Blond hair, hazel eyes. Patricia's nickname is Patty. She has a scar on her back.
Details of Disappearance Patricia was last seen in Lewiston, Idaho late in the evening on September 2, 1976. She got into an argument with her husband, Ralph Otto, and left the house angrily. She never returned. She left behind all her belongings, including her car and her wedding rings, which she normally didn't remove. The rings were found in Ralph's coat pocket, but they have since been lost.
The Ottos' marriage was difficult and Patricia had left on her own before, taking the children with her. She filed for divorce in the spring of 1976, but later reconciled with her husband. They were fighting at the time of her disappearance because he believed she was unfaithful to him. After her disappearance, Ralph told their two young daughters that their mother had abandoned them.
Authorities theorize Patricia was murdered, and Ralph is the prime suspect in her disappearance. One of the couple's daughters said he was an alcoholic who "incriminating statements about himself" in relation to his wife's . Another daughter, then three years old, said she saw her father assault her mother on the night Patricia disappeared, and that the last time she saw her mother, her father had his hands around her neck.
Less than a year after she vanished, he was convicted of hiring a contract killer to murder the lead investigator in Patricia's disappearance. The verdict was overturned on a technicality in 1981, however. Ralph died of a heart attack a few years later, while in jail on an unrelated charge.
Patricia and Ralph's daughters who were raised by their paternal aunt and uncle after their father's death. One of the daughters is now deceased, but the other is still alive and still looking for answers in her mother's . Her remains unsolved and foul play is suspected.
Investigating Agency
Lewiston Police Department
208-746-0171
Other
Wesley Neville
Idaho Bureau of Criminal Investigation
The Doe Network
NamUs
The Lewiston Tribune
KHQ Q6
KLEW TV

Missing Person Photos

A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2 to 5 percent of missing children in Europe. By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends. A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.

Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Case Updates with Photos