ID ID - Patricia Lee Otto, 24, Lewiston, 2 Sept 1976

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Moonwalker9

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Could not find her thread

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
Patricia Lee Otto – The Charley Project

Patricia Lee Otto
  • patricia_lee_otto_1.jpg
  • patricia_lee_otto_2.jpg
  • patricia_lee_otto_3.jpg
Patricia, circa 1976; Age-progression to an unknown age by Wesley Neville

  • Missing Since09/02/1976
  • Missing FromLewiston, Idaho
  • ClassificationEndangered Missing
  • Date of Birth08/04/1952 (66)
  • Age24 years old
  • Height and Weight5'3, 140 pounds
  • Distinguishing CharacteristicsCaucasian 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.

Ralph didn't report her missing; her sister did, on October 8, more than a month after she was last seen. Patricia 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.

Patricia and Ralph's marriage was difficult and she had left on her own before. 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.

Authorities theorize she was murdered, and Ralph is the prime suspect in her disappearance. 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 left behind two young daughters who were raised by their paternal aunt and uncle. One of her daughters is now deceased. Her case remains unsolved and foul play is suspected.
 
She left behind her rings

According to various accounts, Ralph believed Patty was cheating on him. The night she disappeared, she arrived home late from visiting her parents. She and Ralph argued and he told family and police she stormed out of the house, taking nothing, leaving her daughters in their beds.

As it progressed, there wasn't enough evidence to get warrants to search the house and other land that Ralph had access to, Saleen said. Only when someone told police years later about a "secret room" in the house were they able to get a warrant. Behind paneling in the basement they found a small area, a few feet square, containing two jet pumps that had been reported stolen from Valley Boat and Motor, but nothing else.
 
Moonwalker9 said:
Could not find her thread

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
Patricia Lee Otto – The Charley Project

Patricia Lee Otto
  • patricia_lee_otto_1.jpg
  • patricia_lee_otto_2.jpg
  • patricia_lee_otto_3.jpg
Patricia, circa 1976; Age-progression to an unknown age by Wesley Neville

  • Missing Since09/02/1976
  • Missing FromLewiston, Idaho
  • ClassificationEndangered Missing
  • Date of Birth08/04/1952 (66)
  • Age24 years old
  • Height and Weight5'3, 140 pounds
  • Distinguishing CharacteristicsCaucasian 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.

Ralph didn't report her missing; her sister did, on October 8, more than a month after she was last seen. Patricia 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.

Patricia and Ralph's marriage was difficult and she had left on her own before. 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.

Authorities theorize she was murdered, and Ralph is the prime suspect in her disappearance. 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 left behind two young daughters who were raised by their paternal aunt and uncle. One of her daughters is now deceased. Her case remains unsolved and foul play is suspected.
Click to expand...

moonwalker, this information is not correct. My mother was last seen August 31, 1976 and was reported missing on September 2, 1976. I have the case file to support that. I am not sure where that rumor started but I have since updated the Charley Project as well. Thank you!
 
PattysVoice said:
moonwalker, this information is not correct. My mother was last seen August 31, 1976 and was reported missing on September 2, 1976. I have the case file to support that. I am not sure where that rumor started but I have since updated the Charley Project as well. Thank you!
Click to expand...


Welcome to the Webseluths!!

If we have a local or a verified family member, we can often times get a lot more people looking at the case. If you want to reach out to Websleuth's admins and become a verified member, we could possibly get your mom's case highlighted and get some eyes out there.

Verification Process for Professional or Insider Posters
 
Lewiston missing person cold case: Patty Otto Part 1

It's been four decades since Lewiston resident, Patty Otto, vanished from her home.

"I'm seeking answers because I was told that my mother left as a child," she said. "And I know now with this new information that she didn't leave me. I want the truth."

I met up with Suzanne and her cousin at Sunset Park in Lewiston for an interview about her mother's cold case as a missing person. Sunset Park was her and her sister's backyard to the house they lived in as children.

But within the home's walls, she witnessed a scene that haunts her to this day.

"I want to know what happened that night," she said.

On August 31, 1976, Suzanne was three years old. Her sister Natalie was 5. Her mother, Patty, 24, and her father Ralph, 42, were upstairs fighting.

Suzanne said she went to check on her mother and crept up the stairs.

"And I look through the cracks and I saw my father assault my mother, and I saw her hit him back," she said. "And then I saw him pick her up and put his hands around her neck and carry her out of my sight."

She ran back downstairs and told her sister.

"I was scared and she (Natalie) was trying to reassure and comfort me," Suzanne recalled.

That was the last time she saw her mother.

"For years I was told that didn't happen, that was a bad dream," she said.

After Patty vanished, Patty's sister reported her missing to Lewiston Police.

Suzanne remembers her father acting strange.

"A couple of months after she disappeared, my dad started having hallucinations," she said. "He called a friend saying that patty had come back out of her grave here at the house and she was coming after him."

As Lewiston Police investigated Patty's disappearance, Ralph Otto claimed investigators were harassing him. He tried to hire a hitman to kill a Lewiston Police Captain in charge of the case.

But that hitman turned out to be an undercover officer.

Ralph Otto was arrested on October 27, 1976, for attempted murder. He was convicted and sentenced to serve 10 years in prison.

In 1982, his conviction was overturned by a Supreme Court ruling as Idaho did not have a law on the books at the time that acknowledged hiring someone to kill was the equivalent of attempted murder.

The following year, he died within hours of being picked up by LPD on a warrant for theft.

Suzanne knows she and her family are not going to get justice because her father is deceased, but she said having closure is something they need.

For years, Suzanne and her sister harbored anger toward their mother. Suzanne was so angry, that she even changed her name.

"My name is Dallas Otto," she said.

She said their last name was on the paper for a long time for "ugly, ugly" things.

"I didn't want to be associated with any of it," she said.

But deep inside questions lingered and their hearts told them otherwise.

"If she was here right now, it would have to be in a spiritual form because I know she's not with us anymore," she said. "I would tell her that I'm sorry that I doubted her cause I know now that she didn't leave me."

Suzanne Timms created a Facebook page Patty's Voice in her search for answers.
 
APR 7, 2022
Lewiston missing person cold case: Patty Otto Part 2 | KLEW (klewtv.com)
Suzanne Timms has a binder full of documents, and family photos she and her late sister, Natalie, collected over the years in search of answers on what happened the night their mother, Patty Otto, disappeared.

She tells KLEW News, that their father, Ralph Otto, who was 19 years her senior, claimed that patty admitted to having an affair when they were separated earlier that year.

[...]

On August 29, 1978, a local newspaper in Northeast Oregon reported that the skeletal remains of an unidentified woman is found near Elgin, Oregon at Finley Creek. The actual discovery was made on August 27.

fd677c27-9693-43e2-9433-0902d4a1c4c7-medium16x9_FINLEYCREEKMAP1.png

FINLEY CREEK MAP1.png

The Finley Creek Jane Doe was wearing red polyester pants. Suzanne's grandmother told police that Patty Otto was last seen wearing red polyester pants and a white blouse.

On August 30, 1978, LPD continued its efforts to help MCSO either identify or rule out missing women and sent Patty Otto's X-rays to Portland, Oregon.

On September 8, 1978, the detective working Patty Otto's case received a message that a "Dr. Brady of Portland" had called. The message read: "The X-rays do not match those of the body found out of La Grande".

But according to what Suzanne could find, Union County authorities in Northeast Oregon did not issue an all-points bulletin about the Finley Creek Jane Doe until September 13. She also has not found any record of LPD sending X-rays or dental records to Union County authorities.

[...]

"If this was to be a perfect case, I would submit my DNA to that body's DNA that would perfect because there would be no doubt about it if there was a relation there," she said of the Finley Creek Jane Doe.

"However, we can't do that because the State of Oregon disposed of the body in 1990," she explained. "Not just the body, but the clothing that would be saturated with DNA. I don't have any of that."

[...]
 
Patricia Lee Otto – The Charley Project

Updated April 2022


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.

Ralph didn't report her missing; her sister did, on October 8, more than a month after she was last seen. Patricia 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.

Patricia and Ralph's marriage was difficult and she had left on her own before. 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 case. 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 case. Her case remains unsolved and foul play is suspected.
 
mlhenn said:
Patricia Lee Otto – The Charley Project

Updated April 2022


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.

Ralph didn't report her missing; her sister did, on October 8, more than a month after she was last seen. Patricia 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.

Patricia and Ralph's marriage was difficult and she had left on her own before. 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 case. 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 case. Her case remains unsolved and foul play is suspected.
Click to expand...
 
klewtv.com

Lewiston missing person cold case: Patty Otto Part 2

Suzanne Timms has a binder full of documents, and family photos she and her late sister, Natalie, collected over the years in search of answers on what happened the night their mother, Patty Otto, disappeared. She tells KLEW News, that their father, Ralph Otto, who was 19 years her senior...
klewtv.com klewtv.com

klewtv.com

Lewiston missing person cold case: Patty Otto Part 3

This August will mark 44 years since the human remains of a woman were found in a shallow grave near Elgin, Oregon at Finley Creek. To date, she is unidentified. It’s a cold case that La Grande, Oregon resident, Melinda Jederberg is determined to help solve. She's even shot a video of the very...
klewtv.com klewtv.com
 
Suzanne Timms hopes the turnout on her mother's birthday, August 4, will be a good one.

"Our goal is community engagement to bring more information and leads that could help solve this case, in addition to celebrating her for the first time since 1976," she wrote on the *** page.

Her mother, Patricia Otto, vanished from their Lewiston home in 1976. Suzanne was only 3 years old at the time.

Since then, she and her late sister, have been digging into her case to try to locate her mother.

She has detailed her journey of discovery on her Facebook page Patty's Voice.

She strongly believes the remains of an unidentified woman found in Elgin, Oregon in 1990 belong to her mother, Patty.

Suzanne says donations from her mother's walk will be used for the event and the cost of DNA extraction on the Finley Creek Jane Doecremains.
1657217110973.jpeg
Thursday morning's $280 of their $1000 goal has been raised. A donation of $20 sponsors a sign to hold in memory of her mother, she said.

Patty Otto was 24 when she disappeared. Suzanne is organizing the 24-minute walk with 70 signs, as Patty would have been 70 years old this coming August 4.
Watch KLEW's special reports on Patty Otto's case.

klewtv.com

Daughter of Lewiston woman missing since 1976 organizing walk for her mother's 70th birthd

Suzanne Timms hopes the turnout on her mother's birthday, August 4, will be a good one.
klewtv.com klewtv.com
 
Last edited:
On what would’ve been Patricia Otto’s 70th birthday, family and friends will gather in Lewiston to honor the missing woman’s life and continue their quest for closure in a case that dates back to 1976.

Otto’s daughter, Suzanne Timms, is spearheading a walk that begins at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the Nez Perce County Courthouse. The Walla Walla nurse is also visiting Capt. Jeff Klone, of the Lewiston Police Department, to seek more information about her mother’s mysterious disappearance.

Timms, 48, has been searching for answers for decades. She was 3 years old when her mother vanished, and she believes her father, Ralph Otto, was responsible. He died in 1983 and was never charged with his 24-year-old wife’s death.

Timms wants Lewiston law enforcement to work with Oregon authorities to help identify a woman who was found in 1978 by hunters at Finley Creek in Union County. The teeth from the woman’s autopsy photos are clearly similar to Patty’s driver’s license photo.

“The biggest update is that the Oregon State Police have dedicated resources to the closed Finley Creek Jane Doe case,” Timms said.

“This includes a forensic team that is coordinating a dig at the gravesite where the two cadaver dogs have alerted to the presence of human remains. In addition, the Pendleton Crime Lab will be on-site to process any evidence they recover.”
lmtribune.com

Missing Lewiston woman has law enforcement’s attention

On what would’ve been Patricia Otto’s 70th birthday, family and friends will gather in Lewiston to honor the missing woman’s life and continue their quest for closure in a case
lmtribune.com lmtribune.com
 
dotr said:
Sept 1 2022
''Patty Lee Otto went missing from Lewiston in 1976. Two years later, a woman's remains were found in Oregon. Police found no additional evidence to connect the cases just weeks ago. Read the full story here: https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/inv...''
Click to expand...
Looks like the only thing left to do is the DNA test/genetic genealogy. I think the dental comparison between these 2 was incorrect
 
HmmMysterious said:
Looks like the only thing left to do is the DNA test/genetic genealogy. I think the dental comparison between these 2 was incorrect
Click to expand...
There is no DNA available for Finley Creek Jane Doe. Finley Creek was cremated. I don't know if they have located the cremains. They found unlabeled cremains, but they don't know if they are from the Finley Creek Jane Doe. They are trying to extract DNA, but I don't think it has ever been done with cremains?

They don't have actual dental x-rays of Finley Creek Jane Doe, but they have a dental chart. (Fillings etc) I believe Patty Otto's x-rays are from 1975.
 
Last edited:
@Caring1 Does Patty have any exclusions? I know most including her daughter think she is the Finley Creek Jane Doe but other than the striking resemblance, we don't have much to go on. Thank you!
 
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