On the Fourth of July in 1986, 37-year-old Patricia L. Colyer was with her family in Tacoma, Washington. That day, she was seen leaving her mother's house with a woman known only as "Dee," who was said to be a truck driver. Patricia mentioned she would be gone for a few days, traveling with Dee and her husband, though her family never met the man. This was the last time her loved ones saw her.
Her boyfriend would later report her missing, though sources differ on whether this was the same day or a couple of weeks later. Patricia, who sometimes used the last name Mahon, was described as having brown hair and brown eyes, standing five feet three inches tall, and weighing around 110 pounds. For decades, her disappearance remained a painful mystery with no significant leads, leaving her family with unanswered questions.
For nearly forty years, Patricia's case remained cold. The investigation into her disappearance yielded no substantial clues, and the identity of "Dee" and the circumstances of Patricia's departure remained unknown. In a hopeful and forward-thinking step, a relative of Patricia's provided a DNA sample more than twenty years ago, a critical piece of evidence that would eventually be the key to resolving the case. The years passed without any sign of Patricia, and her family was left to wonder about her fate. The case was a lingering, unresolved story of a woman who vanished after stepping away from a family gathering on a holiday.
In May of 2025, a breakthrough finally came when a partial human skull was discovered in a wooded area near Entiat River Road in Chelan County, within the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. Following this discovery, law enforcement and search and rescue teams, including K-9 units, conducted an extensive search of the area, but no other remains or evidence were found. The partial cranium was sent for forensic analysis, and in June 2026, it was confirmed through DNA comparison to belong to Patricia Colyer. After decades of uncertainty, official reports indicated that Patricia was deceased. The discovery brought a measure of closure to her family, but because only a partial skull was recovered, the cause and manner of her death could not be determined and remain unknown. The investigation into her disappearance has been turned back over to the Tacoma Police Department; however, with no current leads or suspects, the case of what truly happened to Patricia Colyer after she left her home in 1986 remains an unresolved investigation.Last Seen: Jul 4, 1986
