Patty Brightwell-Vaughan, 32 and mother of three, disappeared from her La Vernia, Texas, home on December 25, 1996, during a trial separation from husband Jerry Ray J.R. Vaughan. After an argument that day, J.R. said Patty stormed out driving her Dodge Caravan and did not return.

The next day the van was found abandoned with a flat tire on a Bexar County highway, about five miles from her workplace and 15 miles from her home. Blood consistent with Patty’s was found inside the van and in the home; DNA testing confirmed the blood was hers and also detected the DNA of an unidentified female in the van. Patty’s body has never been located.

J.R. became the primary person of interest because of actions after the disappearance, including filing for divorce the day after Patty went missing and moving back into the family home with the children, but investigators have not filed charges. Patty was declared legally dead in 2005. Does anyone have information about Patty’s last known movements, the unidentified female DNA, or the area where the van was abandoned?