Patricia Elsken, 24, was found murdered in her South Tulsa apartment on April 11, 1988. A manager at a shoe store in Woodland Hills Mall, she was described as sweet, hardworking, and close to her mother, Jimmie. Patricia had moved into the Windsail Apartments and even subscribed to a residential alarm system.

On the morning of April 11 Patricia was getting ready for work when she was ambushed inside her home. Coworkers who noticed she never showed up contacted her mother, and Jimmie discovered Patricia’s body. The apartment showed signs of a violent struggle, especially in the bedroom. There were no signs of forced entry. The autopsy found fatal blunt force trauma to the head and several superficial stab wounds.

The Tulsa Police Department has never identified a viable suspect and no arrests have been made. Detectives pursued leads over the years and announced a new potential piece of evidence in 2018, but the case remained unsolved. If anyone knew Patricia, lived near the Windsail Apartments, or has information about that April 1988 morning, please come forward.