Patricia Vaughan was 18 when she left East Hartford, Connecticut, in the spring of 1982 and hitchhiked south with a friend to Mathias, West Virginia. She reportedly moved in with a long-haul truck driver after arriving. Patricia, sometimes known as Patty, was last seen on May 15, 1982; after that date all communication from her stopped and she was never seen again.

Her family did not formally report her missing until 1995, thirteen years after her disappearance. She was described at the time as 5 feet 5 inches tall, about 120 pounds, with brown hair, blue eyes, pierced ears and a healed fracture to her right forearm. Family members have expressed suspicion about the man she lived with, and investigators have looked into possible links to other unsolved cases along the I-81 corridor, but no charges have been filed.

Anyone who knew Patricia, saw her in West Virginia in 1982, or has information about the truck driver she lived with is asked to come forward.