Katharina Buczek
In 1996, Patricia Minassian was a 37-year-old mother living with her husband and three kids – ages 2, 6, and 7 – in Hingham, Massachusetts. She worked as an occupational therapist in her hometown.
But in late June of that year, after she and her family went on a trip to her in-law’s Cape Cod cottage, Patricia tragically disappeared.
It all began on the afternoon of June 30, 1996. When Patricia finished bathing her 2-year-old son, she reportedly told her in-laws that she was going to drive their minivan to get a car wash.
However, after Patricia drove away in the vehicle – a maroon 1994 Mercury Villager with Massachusetts license plate number 667-ZIS – she was never seen or heard from again.
The following day, the minivan was eventually found locked and abandoned in Wellfleet. It was parked in a restaurant parking lot located approximately 50 miles away.
Even more perplexing, the vehicle was left at the same parking lot where Patricia and her husband had gone out on their first date 18 years before.
The same day that the minivan was found, Patricia’s husband made another shocking discovery. Within his family’s second car, he found his wife’s pocketbook. Inside, there was a 15-page letter Patricia had penned herself.
Patricia reportedly claimed to love her husband and their children in the letters but that she thought their family would be better off without her.
She had reportedly battled depression in the past but never attempted to take her own life. It’s also crucial to note that Patricia did not mention that in the letters.
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