On the evening of April 20, 1989, Patricia "Patty" Meehan, 37, was involved in a head-on car collision on Highway 200 near Circle, Montana, an event that marked the beginning of her mysterious disappearance. Meehan was reportedly driving on the wrong side of the road when her vehicle struck another car. The other driver, an off-duty police dispatcher, was not seriously injured. Witnesses at the scene described Meehan's behavior as strange and disoriented. She emerged from her wrecked vehicle and, without speaking, stared blankly at the other driver. A witness who had narrowly avoided being hit by Meehan's car observed her calmly climb over a fence and watch the accident scene from a distance before walking away into a field and vanishing into the night.
In the immediate aftermath of the accident, law enforcement began a search for Meehan.
Investigators discovered a trail of footprints, believed to be hers, in a desolate field about three-quarters of a mile from the crash site. They followed the tracks until they disappeared. It was unclear why Meehan was in that part of Montana, as she lived in Bozeman, approximately 380 miles away. In the days leading up to her disappearance, those close to her noted that she seemed to be experiencing emotional distress and had scheduled an appointment with a psychologist for the day after the accident. She had also expressed a desire to move back to her home state of Pennsylvania to be with her parents.
The disappearance of Patricia Meehan triggered a widespread search and a flood of reported sightings across the United States, with over 5,000 tips coming in over the following months and years. Numerous sightings were reported at truck stops and diners throughout the Pacific Northwest and the Midwest. Some of these sightings were considered credible by police, including one by a police officer in Minnesota who saw a woman matching Meehan's description sitting alone in a restaurant for several hours. Other reported sightings came from waitresses in Bozeman, Montana, not far from her home, who said they saw a disoriented woman who appeared to be talking to herself. Despite these numerous leads and the tireless efforts of her family to distribute missing person flyers, none of the sightings led to her discovery. Authorities have considered the possibility that Meehan may have been suffering from amnesia as a result of head trauma from the accident. Her case remains unsolved.Last Seen: Apr 20, 1989
