patriciaotto

Episode 68 Patricia Otto

1976 was a trying time for 24 Year-Old wife & mother of 2, Patricia Lee Otto, or Patty as she went by. She had endured a very rocky relationship with her husband Ralph and the couple had broken up with plans of divorcing. Patty was working on a future without Ralph in he life and trying to provide a stable enviornment for her daughters. She was going to school, and during her split from Ralph, Patty even started dating a friend from her past. Somehow though, Patty reconciled with Ralph and decided to give the relationship another try. In early September, 1976, Ralph found out that Patty had dated someone during their time apart and was furious. In an angry, drunken range, he searched out the man Patty had dated intending to confront him gun in hand. He didn't find him and returned home where he confronted Patty leading to a violent argument. The couple's young daughters recalled seeing the argument get physical and before they knew it, Patty was missing.
The next day, Ralph told his children that their mother had left them and didn't want to be a mom any longer.
When Patty's family realized that Patty was missing, and that she hadn't taken her car or any of her belongings, they became worried and called police. Ralph told police various stories about where Patty had gone. Initially police thought that Patty had left to clear her head and would return soon. When days of her being missing turned into weeks, police became suspicious of Ralph but they had no evidence to prove Ralph had harmed Patty.
Patty's case would go cold. The bodies of 2 women would eventually be found years after Patty vanished that police thought may have been Patty's. One was able to be ruled out, but the second body which was more promising, wound up being cremated. Today, more than 46 years after Patty was last seen, her case remains unsolved, and her family is still searching for her. If Patty's husband Ralph had any answers, he took them to the grave dying in prison for an unrelated crime.
Patty's daughter Suzanne, who still recalls the last time she saw her mom in a heated argument with her father, discusses the case in this episode and her efforts to find out what happened to Patty.

To learn more about Patty's case or share information, visit the Facebook Page Patty's Voice setup by Suzanne.

Patty was described as 5'3, 140 pounds and was last seen wearing A white top and red slacks. If you have information about the disappearance of Patricia Otto, please call the
Lewiston Police Department 208-746-0171

If you'd like to support this podcast via a donation, you can do so through Patreon here-
https://www.patreon.com/MissingPodcast

To contact the podcast or learn more about the cases we discuss visit:
Missingpersonspodcast.com

Follow us on Social media-
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Missing-Persons-Podcast-103501877912153
or
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/Missing_Pod

This week’s story occurred in Lewiston, Idaho. It’s considered one of the oldest missing persons cases in Idaho. The mystery began on August 31, 1976 when Patricia Lee Otto left her home, vanished and has never been seen again. It’s believed she was most likely murdered by her husband Ralph Otto.


For nearly five decades, her daughter Suzanne Timms has been trying to figure out what happened to her mother. Suzanne and her late older sister Natalie were always told by their dad that their mom abandoned the family.


As Suzanne got older, she realized that her mother didn’t abandon the family. She began to believe that her father had killed her mother and hid her body. Suzanne remembered back to when she was a child and saw her father physically assault her mother. She never saw her mother again. As a child, she didn’t realize that she may have witnessed her father murder her mother. It’s a memory that haunts her today.


Suzanne Timms is on a journey to identify her mother's body and find out what happened to her back in 1976. If you have any information about this case, please contact the Lewiston Police Department 208-746-0171. If you would like additional information about this case, you can also visit the Patty's Voice Facebook page or the Finley Creek Jane Doe - Elgin, OR Facebook page.



Please also visit my website for more information about my true crime and paranormal newspaper columns at www.themarcabe.com. You can also help support my podcast by purchasing a cup of $5 coffee every month. To help support the podcast, please visit https://www.buymeacoffee.com/catchmykiller. If you would like to contact me about this podcast, please visit my websites www.catchmykiller.com or www.themarcabe.com where you can submit a case.