Patricia Bernadette Meehan

Meehan, circa 1989

  • Missing Since 04/20/1989
  • Missing From Circle, Montana
  • Classification Endangered Missing
  • Sex Female
  • Race White
  • Date of Birth 11/01/1951 (72)
  • Age 37 years old
  • Height and Weight 5'3, 100 - 117 pounds
  • Clothing/Jewelry Description A brown coat, jeans and high-top sneakers. Carrying a leather purse.
  • Medical Conditions Meehan vanished right after a car accident, before which she had apparently been under severe psychological stress. She may have sustained injuries in the crash, and may suffer from memory loss.
  • Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Blonde hair, gray/green eyes. Meehan has a fair, freckled complexion and appears younger than her age. She speaks with a mild eastern accent and very quietly, almost a whisper. Her nickname is Patty.

Details of Disappearance

Meehan was involved in car crash while traveling northwest on Highway 200 near the town of Circle in eastern Montana during the evening hours of April 20, 1989. Her car crossed the center line and she struck another vehicle head-on. Meehan crawled out of the wreckage, looked blankly at the driver of the other vehicle, then climbed over a fence near the road and disappeared into the countryside. She appeared to be disoriented at the time. She has never been heard from again.

Meehan was living in Bozeman, Montana at the time of her disappearance; she made ends meet by doing odd jobs for her landlord and working as a ranch hand. She had been distressed and made an appointment to see a psychologist on the morning of April 21. She had asked to move back in with her parents in Pennsylvania, and they agreed that she could come to them after she spoke to the psychologist.

It's possible Meehan has amnesia and may be hitching rides with truck drivers across the country. She likes horses and it's possible she may still be working as a ranch hand, or with horses in some other capacity. Over a year after her disappearance, a woman who was arrested in Washington state was thought to be her, but the individual turned out to be someone else.

There have been hundreds of sightings of Meehan all around the United States since 1989. Based on photographs and videotapes, her parents verified sightings from Montana, Washington, South Dakota and Minnesota in the months following her disappearance. She was never located, however, and her case remains unsolved.

Updated 8 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated May 20, 2019; picture added.