In January 1978, construction workers found partially buried skeletal remains in a wooded area of unincorporated Boca Raton, Florida. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and the county medical examiner responded to the scene and collected the unidentified remains. The death was ruled a homicide after examination by anthropologists, who determined that the remains belonged to a white female estimated to be between 17 and 29 years old. Despite ongoing efforts over several decades, authorities were unable to identify her.
The case saw renewed attention in July 2024 when Othram, a private laboratory specializing in forensic DNA analysis for unsolved cases, began assisting with identification efforts. By August 2025, Othram provided detectives from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit with leads based on genealogical research. In September 2025, detectives traveled within the United States to investigate these leads and collect reference samples from relatives of the decedent.
On December 2, 2025, authorities identified the woman as Patricia Ann Ritchie, born December 3, 1953, from Harrisonburg, Virginia. This identification was achieved through forensic investigative genetic genealogy as part of a collaboration between Othram, the sheriff’s office cold case unit, and the county medical examiner.
According to investigators, Patricia Ann Ritchie was last seen in Harrisonburg in 1977. It is not known when or with whom she traveled to Florida before her death.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit is asking anyone who may have known or encountered Patricia Ritchie prior to her death to contact Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 458-TIPS or Investigator William Springer at (561) 688-4013.