Patricia Carol Webb

FACTS OF THE CASE:

Patricia Webb was a 24 year old woman who was a new employee at an Adult book and cinema store in Lincoln, NE in 1974. Patricia disappeared overnight on 4/18/1974. Also missing from the store were 51 bondage themed adult magazines, a calculator, $30, and the store front was left open.

Two and a half days later, Oscar Fiene a farmer out to feed cattle on a vacant ranch he owned in Hallam, found Patricia’s bullet riddled body.

She was found under hay, naked except for a blue quilted jacket with bright yellow quilted lining. The jacket is of significance, because it is 1 of 143 extra large jackets bought by a Kansas feed manufacturer for promotional reasons. She had been shot 6 times in the head and 4 times in the body with two different caliber of weapons. Her body had .25 caliber pistol and .22 caliber bullet wounds. Indicating to police that she was murdered by two perpetrators. Her body was not assaulted or mutilated so this also leads police to heavily consider an execution type of homicide.

Patricia was a small town girl who enjoyed needlework, ceramics, and crafts. She loved to roller skate and bring her family/friends with her. She was an average student and graduated in 1968. She married shortly after that in October but was then separated from her husband quickly after and divorced finally in 1970. Her mother describes her as considerate, loving and trustworthy, but restless and unable to find her place.

Also interestingly enough, Patricia was a narcotics informant and was due to testify on the DAY she disappeared. Law enforcement and several agencies of different Law Enforcement have run down leads pertaining to her involvement as an informant. Patricia and other informants in those years were responsible for bringing down dozens of criminals, so law enforcement looked to this as possible motive.

A composite sketch was done of a man who was last seen in the store where Patricia disappeared from, and that sketch closely resembles that of a man that had been a person of interest in another murder, Marianne Mitzner. I will delve further into Marianne’s murder in my next post.

The authorities have also asked for help from the public, if anyone noticed a person wearing that descriptive jacket around that time and then all of a sudden no longer wearing the jacket. Although the authorities have had numerous leads and have put in 15,000 man hours in the first year alone, 38 YEARS later this case is still unsolved. Patricia’s mother has passed away and while her father does not want to relive the pain, he does want the person responsible for her callous murder to be brought to justice.

While there have been some tips regarding an African american man and white man in a car with Patricia, those suspects were looked into and ultimately didn’t lead to anything on her death. One of those suspects has passed away and the other one disappeared from town.

MY TAKE:

Patricia being a restless 24 year old and not feeling like she fit anywhere is so relatable to just about everyone I know, no matter the year or even decade. I think Patricia being a narcotics informant took huge guts and an immeasurable amount of courage on her part. I also believe that this could be one of the biggest motive’s for her death. As her death was execution style and not a “personal” killing, as described by law enforcement.

I believe that the police should look into the two suspects seen in the car with Patricia that night, one is deceased but one is said to have “disappeared” from town, but I believe this could be beneficial to locate him and see what he has to say all these years later.

One last aspect and even a suspect caught my attention with the mention of Marianne Mitzner’s murder. The composite sketch of a man seen inside the store with Patricia closely resembled that of the man accused and later convicted of Marianne’s murder. Wesley Peery, was convicted or Marianne’s murder and the murder of another women as well. He died of a heart attack in prison in 1988. I have not been able to find any information on if this was something that was researched and looked into as a viable lead. I’m going to write about Marianne’s story next, although it is solved, I still believe it is worth telling.

As with each case that I delve into, I find myself just heartbroken for the families and friends of the victims, I can’t imagine how devastating this kind of loss can be, and then with no closure, no reason as to why, or even an idea of who has done these just unimaginable things! Please please if you know something about any crime any time, SPEAK UP!

If you have any information or know of anyone or any group that might be able to help bring Patricia some justice please please contact the links below. As it is such an old case, time is really of importance!!

You can submit a tip about any cold case homicide by contacting the Nebraska Information Analysis Center via the Missing Persons Hotline at 877-441-5678 or by email at NEfusioncenter@nebraska.gov.