PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. β A reward for information is now being offered in the case of missing Virginia woman Patricia Ann Ritchie, whose remains were discovered in Florida nearly 50 years ago and recently identified using "advanced Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy," according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
"Construction workers discovered partially buried skeletal remains in a wooded area in unincorporated Boca Raton [on January 18, 1978]," the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office wrote in a statement about the situation. "The manner of death was ruled a homicide. Anthropologists examined the remains and determined that the remains were those of a white female. She was estimated to be between 17-29 years of age. Through the years, efforts to identify her met with negative results."
That changed in July 2024 when the sheriff's office said a private lab dedicated to solving previously unsolvable cases stepped in to help.
"In August 2025, Othram provided our Cold Case detectives with investigative leads derived from genealogical research. In September 2025, Cold Case detectives traveled domestically to investigate the leads provided and to collect reference samples from relatives of the decedent," the sheriff's office said. "On December 2, 2025, the decedent was identified."
Ritchie, who would now be 73 years old, was from Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Investigators believe Ritchie was last seen in 1977 near a Harrisonburg truck stop.
While it is unknown when and with whom Ritchie traveled to Florida before her death, she was last spotted getting into a truck with an unknown person.
The investigation revealed that she left the Harrisonburg area in either 1976 or 1977 and was 23-24 years old at the time of her disappearance.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office is seeking information from anyone who may have known or encountered Ritchie in the years before her death. Call Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 458-TIPS or Investigator William Springer at (561) 688-4013 if you can help in the case. A $3,000 award is being offered in the case.
WPTV contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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