Patricia Alice Faulkner

Faulkner, circa 1977

  • Missing Since 10/09/1977
  • Missing From Marietta, Georgia
  • Classification Endangered Missing
  • Sex Female
  • Race White
  • Date of Birth 06/02/1942 (81)
  • Age 35 years old
  • Height and Weight 5'1, 100 pounds
  • Associated Vehicle(s) Blue 1977 Buick Riviera (accounted for)
  • Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, hazel eyes. Patricia has had extensive dental work, including fillings in her back teeth and porcelain caps or crowns on her front teeth. Her ears are pierced. Her nickname is Patty.

Details of Disappearance

Patricia was last seen at her home in Marietta, Georgia on October 9, 1977. She lived there with her two children. She and her husband of eighteen years, Richard "Wayne" Faulkner, had separated, and Wayne was living in Birmingham, Alabama. He traveled to Patricia's home that day to sign the divorce papers.

Their daughter overheard her parents arguing, then heard a door slam. When the children woke up in the morning, there was no breakfast and Patricia was gone. Wayne stated she'd left the house angrily during the night. He didn't report her missing for three days.

Police at the time believed Patricia left of her own accord, and they never searched the house. Wayne found Patricia's blue 1977 Buick Riviera at Hartsfield International Airport two weeks after her disappearance. He stated there were no indications of foul play, and the police declined to examine the car themselves and simply left it with him

Patricia's friends, however, described her as a devoted mother and didn't believe she would have abandoned her children. She left behind all her clothing, money, credit cards and her four-carat diamond wedding ring.

The missing persons investigation was reopened in 1990 and Wayne was named the main suspect in Patricia's disappearance, but he was never charged. He was convicted of bank fraud in the early 1990s and sentenced to a year in prison.

A woman's skeleton was found in a wooded area in Marietta in June 1993. Authorities thought it might be Patricia's, but over a year later the match was ruled out.

Patricia's case remains unsolved.

Investigating Agency

  • Cobb County Police Department 770-499-3945

Updated 1 time since October 12, 2004. Last updated August 11, 2010; casefile added.