Patricia Ann Wood was 4 years old when she disappeared from her home in Swanzey, New Hampshire, in 1976. She had been living with her father, John Wood, and stepmother, Judith Wood. Patricia had a history of serious injuries, including brain swelling, and was briefly placed in foster care before being returned to her family when authorities closed that case.

The disappearance was not reported until 1987. Over the years John and Judith Wood gave conflicting stories, saying at different times that Patricia was living with her biological mother or had died in a car accident. Step-siblings later told police that their parents frequently disciplined Patricia harshly; one step-sibling told investigators the parents had drowned Patricia in a bathtub and buried her in the backyard. John and Judith Wood died by suicide shortly after being questioned during the 1987 inquiry.

Searches, including digging up the family’s backyard and checking nearby mine shafts, turned up no trace of Patricia. The case remains unsolved and is treated as a cold but active investigation. Did anyone in Swanzey in the 1970s remember Patricia or notice anything unusual around the Wood household?