In the winter of 1975, 17-year-old Patty Bartlett was stabbed to death in a mall parking lot in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The police are still investigating her murder. The killer has not yet been brought to justice.
“Patty suffered a heinous death at the hands of an unknown violent predator,” said District Attorney Jennifer Schorn. “Although the case went unsolved, Middletown Township Police have never forgotten about Patty’s murder.”
Patty Bartlett was the second of four siblings. At the time of her death, she was a senior in high school. She developed a keen interest in photography after taking a photo science class at Pennsbury High School in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania. She even received a scholarship to continue studying photography after high school.
On the night of January 13, 1975, Patty went to the Oxford Valley Mall to pick up some items from a camera shop in preparation for capturing an upcoming snowstorm.
She walked back to the parking lot at dusk. That was when her attacker struck and stabbed her multiple times. She was stabbed twice in the chest and twice in the groin area. There were no witnesses to the crime, and the murder weapon was never recovered.
Patty staggered 100 feet to the mall’s entrance to call for help. The Middletown Township Police were alerted to the stabbing at 5:30 p.m. Patty fought for 50 minutes, but in the end, she succumbed to her injuries. Her cause of death was internal bleeding.
Patty’s youngest sister, Jeanette, was only five years old when the tragedy occurred. She doesn’t remember much of what happened following her big sister’s murder, but she did give a glowing description of Patty.
“She was taking up photography in high school, and she was very good. I just remember her taking me out and taking pictures of me as a kid,” said Jeanette.
“She’s incredibly beautiful. She had long, dark hair, and she was thin, and just had this smile,” Jeanette added. “And everybody, apparently, like, just adored her.”
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Her death came as quite a shock because Oxford Valley Mall was considered a very popular mall in a safe area. Authorities did not believe that Patty was killed in a robbery gone wrong.
Her purse and wallet were still on her person. Her older brother, Jeff, has spoken with different detectives over the years, but they kept running into dead ends.
Shortly before her death, Patty had a scary experience of someone following her home after work. The incident took place about a week before the murder.
A few days before the murder, Patty’s coworkers had also spotted with her an unknown male. A sketch was made, but the police were unable to identify the person.
Patty’s family and investigators hope that time will reveal more details about the murder. Anyone with information about Patty Bartlett’s case can reach out to Bucks County Detectives at 215-348-6354 or the Middletown Police Department at 215-750-3870.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
