More than four decades after a 19-year-old disappeared from Seattle’s Aurora Avenue, the King County Sheriff’s Office continues to include Patricia Osborn among three women who remain missing in the Green River homicide investigation. Their cases remain uncharged.
Patricia vanished in October 1983 near North 115th Street and Aurora Avenue North. Her remains have never been recovered, and serial killer Gary Ridgway was never charged in her case despite telling investigators years later that he believed he may have killed her.
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Records Conflict On The Day Patricia Disappeared
There is a significant discrepancy in the public record about Patricia’s last known day. The current King County Sheriff’s Office page lists Oct. 28, 1983, saying Patricia left the area of North 115th Street and Aurora Avenue North to walk to a nearby restaurant.
However, Patricia’s NamUs record, HistoryLink, and Green River reporting in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer list her disappearance as Oct. 20, 1983. Those sources place her near the same stretch of Aurora Avenue. Records also vary on the middle-name spelling of “Ann” or “Anne.”
The Charley Project reports that Patricia was staying near the 99 Motel. Beyond the location and circumstances surrounding her disappearance, little about Patricia’s life has entered the public record.
Ridgway’s Claim Was Never Corroborated
Patricia’s disappearance eventually became part of the sprawling investigation into Gary Ridgway, who pleaded guilty in 2003 to murdering 48 women in King County.
The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s 2003 Prosecutor’s Summary of the Evidence identified Patricia among three missing women investigators believed or strongly suspected Ridgway had killed. The document states that Patricia was involved in sex work.
Ridgway told investigators that he thought he may have killed Patricia, but he could not provide details about what happened to her or identify where he left her body. Prosecutors specifically noted that his claim had not been corroborated.
That distinction remains important. Patricia is included on the official Green River list, but Ridgway was not convicted or charged with her death. The current King County Sheriff’s Office page still describes Patricia, Kassee Ann Lee, and Kelly Kay McGinnis as missing, and their cases as uncharged.
Patricia Osborn: What To Know
At the time of her disappearance, Patricia Osborn stood 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighed about 125 pounds. She had black hair and hazel eyes. Patricia was biracial, Black and white, and had a one-inch surgical scar near her pelvic bone. She was known as “Patty” and may have gone by Tina Lusk or Pamela M. Osborne, according to The Charley Project.
Patricia was born Feb. 29, 1964, and was 19 when she disappeared from Seattle in October 1983. Her NamUs record number is MP14132.
The King County Sheriff’s Office asks anyone with information concerning the remaining Green River cases to contact investigators at 206-263-2130 or mcutips@kingcounty.gov.
Please share this story about Patricia Osborn to keep her missing-person case in the spotlight. She is our sister, and her life matters.
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