Patricia Lee Otto, a 24-year-old White female, was last seen at her home in Lewiston, Idaho, late in the evening of August 31, 1976. Earlier that night she had picked up her two young daughters from their grandparents’ residence around 11:00 p.m. and returned home. According to her husband, Ralph Otto, an argument occurred and Patricia left the house on foot, taking nothing with her. She never returned. Her car, wedding rings (which she normally wore and which were later found in Ralph’s coat pocket), and all other personal belongings remained at the residence.
Ralph Otto did not report Patricia missing. Her sister reported her disappearance to the Lewiston Police Department on September 2, 1976, after Ralph dropped the children at her home and stated he was going to look for Patricia. Patricia was approximately 5'3" tall and 140 pounds, with blond/strawberry hair, hazel eyes, and a scar on her back. She was last reported wearing a white shell blouse and red slacks (or red polyester pants).
Her case is considered an open missing-person investigation. Ralph Otto was the primary person of interest but was never charged in connection with Patricia’s disappearance. He died in 1983 while in custody at the Clearwater County Jail on unrelated charges.
In a separate matter, less than a year after Patricia vanished, Ralph Otto was charged and initially convicted of soliciting the murder of the police captain leading the investigation into her disappearance. That conviction was overturned by the Idaho Supreme Court in 1981 on a legal technicality specific to Idaho law at the time.
On August 27, 1978, hunters discovered unidentified skeletal remains (known as the Finley Creek Jane Doe) in a shallow grave near Finley Creek in Union County, Oregon, roughly 140–180 miles from Lewiston. The remains were those of a female estimated to be in her late teens to mid-20s, of similar height and build, with light brown to blond hair. Clothing recovered included red polyester pants and a white top, consistent with descriptions of what Patricia was last reported wearing. The case was ruled a homicide, closed in 1990 without identification or confirmed cause of death, and the remains were later cremated. Patricia Otto is listed among official rule-outs; however, her daughter has continued to pursue forensic comparison and has publicly advocated for further examination of the possible connection. Anyone with information is encouraged to submit a tip through the National Center for Open and Unsolved Cases at openunsolved.org. Agency Case #C91654
