NY NY - Patricia Bessel, 67, Grand Island, 17 Mar 2005

[Gardener1850]

No Photo

Missing Person / NamUs #MP63783
Patricia A Bessel

Female, White / Caucasian
Height 5' 6" (66 Inches)
Weight 125 lbs

Hair Color Brown
Eye Color Blue

Date of Last Contact March 17, 2005
Missing From Grand Island, New York
Missing Age 67 Years

Circumstances
Date of Last ContactMarch 17, 2005
NamUs Case CreatedDecember 26, 2019
Last Known Location Map
Location Grand Island, New York 14072
Erie County

Circumstances of Disappearance
The female left home on 3/17/2005 for the store and she never returned home. Her vehicle was located near the American Rapids Bridge in Niagara Falls, NY.

Transportation
2002 Ford Taurus

Style Sedan
Color Red
State New York
License PlateAPW4183
Comments: Vehicle was located on Buffalo Avenue near the American Rapids Bridge (Niagara Falls, NY)

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Please help find a photo of Patricia and more info.

 

[MichelleBlue]

No Photo

Missing Person / NamUs #MP63783
Patricia A Bessel

Female, White / Caucasian
Height 5' 6" (66 Inches)
Weight 125 lbs

Hair Color Brown
Eye Color Blue

Date of Last Contact March 17, 2005
Missing From Grand Island, New York
Missing Age 67 Years

Circumstances
Date of Last ContactMarch 17, 2005
NamUs Case CreatedDecember 26, 2019
Last Known Location Map
Location Grand Island, New York 14072
Erie County

Circumstances of Disappearance
The female left home on 3/17/2005 for the store and she never returned home. Her vehicle was located near the American Rapids Bridge in Niagara Falls, NY.

Transportation
2002 Ford Taurus

Style Sedan
Color Red
State New York
License PlateAPW4183
Comments: Vehicle was located on Buffalo Avenue near the American Rapids Bridge (Niagara Falls, NY)

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Please help find a photo of Patricia and more info.

Found this...
View Patricia Bessel's Obituary and express your condolences

 

[MichelleBlue]

And this...

 

[MichelleBlue]

No Photo

Missing Person / NamUs #MP63783
Patricia A Bessel

Female, White / Caucasian
Height 5' 6" (66 Inches)
Weight 125 lbs

Hair Color Brown
Eye Color Blue

Date of Last Contact March 17, 2005
Missing From Grand Island, New York
Missing Age 67 Years

Circumstances
Date of Last ContactMarch 17, 2005
NamUs Case CreatedDecember 26, 2019
Last Known Location Map
Location Grand Island, New York 14072
Erie County

Circumstances of Disappearance
The female left home on 3/17/2005 for the store and she never returned home. Her vehicle was located near the American Rapids Bridge in Niagara Falls, NY.

Transportation
2002 Ford Taurus

Style Sedan
Color Red
State New York
License PlateAPW4183
Comments: Vehicle was located on Buffalo Avenue near the American Rapids Bridge (Niagara Falls, NY)

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Please help find a photo of Patricia and more info.

Bumping to make sure you saw my response.

 

[Gardener1850]

And this...

Thanks for finding that MichelleBlue. Her obituary was published 2 days later but she's still listed as missing. Perhaps they believe she jumped off that American Rapids Bridge but her body was never found?

MOO.

 

[MichelleBlue]

I tried looking for more information, but I do remember this story locally & I thought her remains were discovered. This is all MOO for now though. I will see what I can find.

 

[Gardener1850]

I tried looking for more information, but I do remember this story locally & I thought her remains were discovered. This is all MOO for now though. I will see what I can find.

Thanks for looking. With the NAMUS case just being created in Dec 2019 it makes me think either they never found her OR they only found part of her... But the obituary was released only a couple days later. If they found a body after 2 days that matched her description-- is it possible they assumed it was her and didn't do DNA at the time? DNA was around in 2005 but it was expensive and wasn't as common to require it for identification back then. It wouldn't be the first time a body was wrongly identified. However, the simplest explanation to me is still that she was never found, but assumed to have taken her life based on where the car was found. I wonder if she left a note? I have seen other cases where suicide was assumed (the person threatened it, left note, was seen jumping off bridge, etc) and an obituary was published even though the person's body was never found.

MOO.

 

[MichelleBlue]

Thanks for looking. With the NAMUS case just being created in Dec 2019 it makes me think either they never found her OR they only found part of her... But the obituary was released only a couple days later. If they found a body after 2 days that matched her description-- is it possible they assumed it was her and didn't do DNA at the time? DNA was around in 2005 but it was expensive and wasn't as common to require it for identification back then. It wouldn't be the first time a body was wrongly identified.

Interesting... I was unable to find any information on her disappearance or apparent passing (except for the obituary). I even read through the local Grand Island news for the month of March 2005. Nothing.

I did find an article about a Dick Bessel that references the passing of his wife, Patricia Bessel, on March 17, 2005. The date she went missing.

http://www.isledegrande.com/DICK-BESSEL10-13-05.htm

I would find it hard to believe they would declare her deceased with no remains after just two days.

 

[MichelleBlue]

DBM duplicate

 

[CastlesBurning]

Bumping for Patricia...

Too bad this is just before cameras became so common everywhere - at least we could know if she even made it to the store.

 

[Pennysmom1]

I found she is listed as missing at Canada's Missing

Canada's Missing | Case details

www.services.rcmp-grc.gc.ca

<<On March 17, 2005, shortly after midnight, Patricia Bessel was last seen leaving her residence in Grand Island, New York. Patricia’s vehicle was subsequently located in a parking lot near the American Falls in Niagara Falls, New York. At the time of her disappearance, Patricia was despondent >>

Missing since March 17, 2005
Year of birth 1937
Age at disappearance 67
Gender Female
Bio group White
Eye colour Blue
Hair Brown, Short
Height 168cm / 5ft 6in
Weight 57kg / 126lb
Build Slender/Thin
Complexion Light/Fair

Coat Blue
Pants Red, CASUAL PAN, Casual
Shirt Black, SWEATSHIRT, Sweatshirt