Do you know who murdered Patricia? In the autumn of 1981, Patricia Denise Palmer, a 19-year-old Caucasian female, was embracing a new chapter in her life in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Recently married for just six months, she and her husband were saving money for a house. To contribute to their savings, Patricia decided to sell her wedding dress, placing an advertisement in the local newspaper.
This simple act set in motion a tragic chain of events that would cut her promising life short.
On November 17, 1981, a man who had responded to the advertisement arranged to see the dress at Patricia's mother's home located at 4127 S. Sandusky Avenue. Between 11:30 a.m. and noon, witnesses observed Patricia on the front porch with a man, showing him the wedding gown. Concerns arose later when she could not be reached. Tragically, she was later discovered in the home, the victim of a brutal attack. Evidence suggested she had been sexually assaulted and strangled before being left in a bathtub with the water still running.
The man seen with Patricia that day remains the sole suspect in her murder. He was described as a white male, possibly in his mid-forties, between 5'10' and 6'0' tall, and weighing around 180-190 pounds. A notable characteristic was a red discoloration or birthmark on the left side of his face. He was seen driving a meticulously clean black-over-dark blue 1972-74 Chevrolet Impala. The car was distinctive, possibly featuring a chrome dealer decal on the trunk and either a CB antenna or a bent radio antenna.
Despite these detailed descriptions of the suspect and his vehicle, no arrests have ever been made in the case of Patricia Palmer's murder. The investigation has spanned decades and is now considered a cold case, yet it remains an active investigation for the Tulsa Police Department. The hope that someone may still come forward with information that could finally lead to the identification and arrest of her killer endures.
