Identified! FL - Palm Beach Co, WhtFem UP772, 20-25, buried remains off Montoya Cir.S., Jan'78 Patricia "Patsy" Ann Falls Ritchie

[Romulus]

NamUs UP 772

https://www.identifyus.org/en/cases/772

Unidentified Body/Remains (White Female)

Found January 18, 1979 in Palm Beach County, FL
Body Condition: Not recognizable - Partial remains with soft tissues
Probable year of death: 1978 to 1979


Vital Statistics
Estimated age: 20-25 (Adult - Pre 30)
Approximate Height: 64 estimate
Approximate Weight: cannot estimate
Hair Color: Unknown
Eye Color: Unknown
Scars and marks: female, @23 yoa,

Clothing & Accessories
Clothing: nothing
Jewerly: nothing
Footwear: nothing
Accessories: nothing

Identifiers
Fingerprints: Fingerprint information is available
Dentals: Dental information / charting is available
DNA: Sample is currently not available

Case History: Buried skeletal remains

 

[Romulus]

Bump!

 

[BrownBear]

Updated Namus link
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

 

[PayrollNerd]

She must have been buried within a short period of time, like a month or so to still have soft tissue.

Condition of Remains Not recognizable - Partial remains with soft tissues

I wonder if this was based on her wisdom teeth descending or not.

Estimated Age Range (Years) 20-25

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

 

[SimsGuy67]

Was she found in '78 or '79. NamUs and Doe Network say '78 but it seems the old page and this thread say '79.

Edited to say she was found in January 1978. This article seems to prove that. <removed screenshot>

Jan 19, 1978, page 19 - Fort Lauderdale News at Newspapers.com™

View the digital scanned newspaper from Fort Lauderdale News dated Jan 19, 1978, page 19.

www.newspapers.com

 

[theshadow45]

Palmetto Park Jane Doe has been unidentified for 46 years today.

 

[SimsGuy67]

Her NamUs page was updated in March to state she was found in January 1978. Can a mod like @MadMcGoo change the title to Jan'78 instead?

 

[theshadow45]

Palmetto Park Jane Doe has been unidentified for 47 years today.

 

[theshadow45]

Palmetto Park Jane Doe has been unidentified for 48 years today.

 

[HopeRains]

According to the article posted above,

While the listed PMI does not support such, and the article indicates authorities don't necessarily believe a link to Gerard Schaefer, just a few months later a skull was found in the same area by construction workers in Boca Del Mar.

Excerpt from larger article, Apr 23, 1978, Palm Beach Post, pg 268

That skull was positively identified as Leigh Hainline Bonadies

Excerpt from larger article, May 12, 1978, The Palm Beach Post, pg 1.

 

[iulia]

Her NamUs page has been removed.

 

[iulia]

https://www.tapinto.net/towns/boca-raton/sections/police-and-fire/articles/cold-case-break-woman-found-murdered-in-west-boca-identified-nearly-50-years-later

[...]
On Dec. 2, the sheriff’s office cold-case detectives and the Palm Beach County Office of the Medical Examiner, working with a private forensic lab that focuses on unsolved murder cases, identified the body as Patricia Ann Ritchie, who was last seen in 1977 in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

 

[iulia]

https://www.facebook.com/palmbeachcountysheriff/posts/pfbid0MFwdH8WkKfjzCVHLEAPFG3opcxDnsiWhh2r2NFqL4qJQRsBEHjtFxjphVPvFCroxl

 

[dotr]

After 48 Years, a 1978 Palm Beach Homicide Victim is Identified

Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Teams with Othram to Identify a 1978 Homicide Victim

dnasolves.com

"In January 1978, the skeletal remains of an unidentified individual were found buried in Boca Raton, Florida. Construction workers made the discovery and alerted authorities. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, along with the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner, responded and began collecting evidence and investigating the case as a homicide. It was determined that the remains belonged to an adult woman who was likely 17 to 29 years old at her time of death. The woman was estimated to be about 5' 4" tall.

Despite an extensive investigation, the woman could not be identified and became known as Palm Beach Jane Doe (1978). Details of the case were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) as UP772.

In 2024, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office and the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner submitted forensic evidence to Othram in The Woodlands, Texas where scientists determined that advanced DNA testing could help identify the woman. Othram scientists successfully developed a DNA extract from the provided evidence and using Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® built a comprehensive DNA profile for the woman. Othram's in-house forensic genetic genealogy team used the profile in a genetic genealogy search to develop new investigative leads that were returned to law enforcement.

These leads powered a follow-up investigation, leading investigators to potential relatives of the woman. Reference DNA samples were collected from a relative and compared to the DNA profile of the unidentified woman using Othram's KinSNP® testing. This investigation led to the positive identification of the woman, who is now known to be Patricia "Patsy" Ann Falls Ritchie, of Harrisonburg, Virginia. Patsy, born on December 3, 1953, was married to Donnie Wayne Ritchie.

Investigators believe Patsy Ritchie left the Harrisonburg, Virginia area in 1976 or 1977 when she was 23 or 24 years old. She was last seen at a truck stop in Harrisonburg getting into a truck with an unknown person. Investigators continue to work to determine exactly when Patsy came to Florida and are seeking information from individuals who may have known or encountered her in the years preceding her death.

To provide information, individuals may contact Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Cold Case Unit Investigator William Springer by calling (561) 688-4013 or by emailing [email protected]. Individuals may also call Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 458-TIPS with any information.''