Patricia L. Colyer was 37 when she left her mother’s house in Tacoma, Washington, on July 4, 1986. That afternoon she was seen walking away with a woman known only as Dee, described as a truck driver; Patricia told family she planned to travel a few days with Dee and Dee’s husband, a man the family never met.

For decades the case produced no significant leads. Patricia sometimes used the last name Mahon and was described as brown hair, brown eyes, 5 feet 3 inches tall and about 110 pounds. In May 2025 a partial human skull was found in a wooded area near Entiat River Road in Chelan County. After a search of the area turned up no further remains, DNA comparison conducted in June 2026 identified the cranium as Patricia’s. Because only a partial skull was recovered, the cause and manner of death remain undetermined and investigators say there are no current leads or suspects.

If anyone knew Patricia, Dee, or remembers seeing them in the Tacoma area in July 1986, can you share information with the Tacoma Police Department?