In the quiet suburb of Sunset Hills, Missouri, the community was unsettled by the discovery of 86-year-old Terry Ruth Tobey, a white female, who was found deceased in her home on Bradford Woods Drive on Sunday, June 7, 2015. The grim finding was made by neighbors who had grown concerned for her welfare. One neighbor noted that Tobey's garbage can had not been brought in from the curb after pickup days earlier, which was unusual for the typically prompt woman who lived alone with her dog.
After knocking on her door and receiving no answer, a neighbor had a friend enter the home to check on her and discovered her body in the bedroom.
Upon their arrival at around 5:00 p.m., the Sunset Hills Police Department found Tobey and soon requested the assistance of the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis to investigate what they considered a suspicious death. An autopsy later confirmed that Tobey had been the victim of a shooting, and her death was officially ruled a homicide. The investigation revealed that Tobey was last seen alive on the morning of Thursday, June 4, 2015.
The investigation quickly led to a suspect, 67-year-old Mark Douglas Patton, who had a connection to Tobey as he rented property from her. Police determined that on June 4, Patton had entered Tobey's home, forced her to write him a check at gunpoint, and then fatally shot her. Patton was subsequently arrested and charged with second-degree murder, first-degree burglary, and two counts of armed criminal action. His bond was set at $500,000.
Patton was no stranger to the criminal justice system, possessing a long history of criminal activity that dated back to the late 1960s. He had previously been convicted of a violent kidnapping and assault, for which he was sentenced to 35 years in prison but was paroled after serving less than 10 years. He had a pattern of violating his parole and being returned to prison. At the time of Tobey's murder, Patton was out on bond for felony theft charges in a neighboring county. The case brought attention to the state's sentencing laws, with the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney at the time noting it as an example of why stricter 'Truth in Sentencing' legislation was necessary.
