Missing Lewiston woman has law enforcement’s attention

On what would’ve been Patricia Otto’s 70th birthday, family and friends will gather in Lewiston to honor the missing woman’s life and continue their quest for closure in a case that dates back to 1976.

Otto’s daughter, Suzanne Timms, is spearheading a walk that begins at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the Nez Perce County Courthouse. The Walla Walla nurse is also visiting Capt. Jeff Klone, of the Lewiston Police Department, to seek more information about her mother’s mysterious disappearance.

Timms, 48, has been searching for answers for decades. She was 3 years old when her mother vanished, and she believes her father, Ralph Otto, was responsible. He died in 1983 and was never charged with his 24-year-old wife’s death.

Timms wants Lewiston law enforcement to work with Oregon authorities to help identify a woman who was found in 1978 by hunters at Finley Creek in Union County. The teeth from the woman’s autopsy photos are clearly similar to Patty’s driver’s license photo.

“The biggest update is that the Oregon State Police have dedicated resources to the closed Finley Creek Jane Doe case,” Timms said. “This includes a forensic team that is coordinating a dig at the gravesite where the two cadaver dogs have alerted to the presence of human remains. In addition, the Pendleton Crime Lab will be on-site to process any evidence they recover.”

That’s good news for Timms, who has advocated for more investigative work on her mother’s case. She believes progress is being made after so many years of inactivity.

“It is very exciting to have Oregon interested in helping us identify the Jane Doe that has been waiting since August of 1978 to get her name back,” Timms said. “Even more exciting, this week I was able to secure a meeting with Captain Klone, of the Lewiston Police Department, after we located two new witnesses that provided a statement that my father confessed to murdering my mother in 1976.”

The remembrance walk will be the first time her mom’s birthday has been acknowledged since she disappeared. Over the years, Timms has felt like people forgot about the tragedy that changed her life forever.

An update on the case ran in the Lewiston Tribune in 1997, but Timms said media attention waned before that.

“She was forgotten for 21 years at that time. Many local residents are still unaware that a local woman vanished from Lewiston in 1976. It’s time that this community comes together and shows Patty Otto that her life mattered. There was no search when she vanished. There are no missing person billboards.”

The planned remembrance walk Thursday is more than just acknowledging what would have been her 70th birthday, Timms said. “It also signifies that our community can come together in a tragedy and work toward justice.”

This summer, renewed interest in the case has prompted people to generously donate funds and carry 70 signs at the walk. Those efforts are much appreciated by the family, Timms said.

A Facebook page, “Patty’s Party,” has been created for the event, and a GoFundMe page can be found at gofundme.com/f/missing-woman-celebrating-her-short-life.

Sandaine may be contacted at kerris@lmtribune.com. Follow her on Twitter @newsfromkerri.