Remains found in Florida five decades ago traced to missing Harrisonburg woman

Remains found in Boca Raton, Fla., in 1978 have been traced back to a missing Harrisonburg woman whose death has now been ruled a homicide.

Patricia Ann Ritchie, born Dec. 3, 1953, was last seen at a truck stop in Harrisonburg in 1977, getting into a truck with an unknown person. A cold-case flyer identified her as Patsy Falls Ritchie and said she was married at the time of her disappearance.

Her whereabouts were unknown until forensic tests revealed that remains discovered nearly five decades ago were hers, finally putting an end to her missing person case.

However, with the identification of her remains in December, her homicide case remains unsolved.

According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department, construction workers discovered partially buried skeletal remains in a wooded area in Boca Raton on Jan. 18, 1978.

The remains were not identified, but anthropologists determined they belonged to a white female, estimated to be between 17 and 29 years of age.

Efforts to identify the remains over the years were unsuccessful.

In July 2024, investigators began working with Othram, a private lab, to identify the remains. More than a year later, in August 2025, Othram provided cold case detectives with investigative leads derived from genealogical research. Cold case detectives collected reference samples from relatives leading to the positive ID.

The breakthrough came through the collaboration between Othram, the cold case unit of the sheriff’s office and the Palm Beach County Office of the Medical Examiner.

With the victim identified, detectives are seeking information from anyone who may have known or encountered Ritchie in the years preceding her death.

A $3,000 reward is being offered in the cold case. If you have any information, you are asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 458-TIPS or Investigator William Springer at (561) 688-4013 or [email protected].