Patricia was last seen at her place of employment, the Professional Care Home in Hartford, Kentucky, on March 3, 1993. She worked as a nursing assistant. Her brother-in-law paid her a visit and told her that her ex-husband, Larry Ray Calloway, had filed for a marriage license in another county. They had been divorced for over a year, but still lived together. Patricia went to her boss, very upset, and said she had to leave work early due to a family emergency. She left the nursing home at 10:30 a.m., three hours before the scheduled end of her shift, and has never been heard from again. At 5:00 p.m. the same day, Patricia's car was found in the side lot of the Hartford Community Center. She was reported missing on March 13.

Authorities initially believed Patricia had left of her own accord, but now they say she is missing under suspicious circumstances and may be dead. They think she may have been blackmailing Larry at the time of her disappearance by threatening to go to the police and implicate him in a 1991 arson case. Authorities believe Patricia was seen with Larry's brother, Vernon, in Vernon's 1978 Chevrolet Blazer on the day she disappeared. He had allegedly threatened to cut her throat. Larry and Vernon were later charged with the arson of Larry's home. Larry pleaded guilty and said he'd paid Vernon $1,000 to burn down the residence, but Vernon was acquitted at trial. Neither of the brothers has been charged in Patricia's disappearance.

Patricia left behind three adult children and several grandchildren and step-grandchildren. She didn't take any clothes or very much money when she disappeared, and she never picked up her last paycheck or accessed her bank account. Her family held a memorial service for her in March 2000, seven years after she vanished, and she was declared legally dead in December 2001. Her case remains unsolved.