On June 25, 1975, 15-year-old Patricia Kaye Humphreys from Houston went missing after going to see a movie at the drive-in theater with her sister.
During the intermission between films, Patricia, who was known as Kaye to her friends, wanted cigarettes, so she decided to walk to a nearby gas station. However, she never returned.
Six months after her disappearance, Kaye’s body was found in the woods behind a church about 18 miles away from the drive-in. Her clothing was scattered near her remains, along with a brass ring engraved with the initial “P.”
The police believe she was strangled to death. Now, more than half a century later, Kaye’s family is still searching for answers.
Kaye was described as a scrappy, slightly clumsy kid who hated wearing glasses. She was also very kind, gentle, positive, and caring. According to her father, Kaye had to be kept in an incubator when she was born due to fluid in her brain.
Kaye’s parents divorced when she was about five years old. Her father married his second wife in 1967, and they moved to California in 1975, just months before Kaye disappeared.
That day, Kaye and her 16-year-old sister, Deb, got permission to take their mom’s car to the Thunderbird Drive-In for a double feature. The movies being shown were Lenny and Midnight Cowboy. Their mother instructed them to come straight home after the movies were done.
The sisters met up with a group of teens. They split up to get snacks, and Kaye walked away to buy cigarettes from an on-site vending machine.
On the way there, she probably noticed the gas station across the street and went over there, although this theory cannot be confirmed. It’s possible that she was kidnapped when she went to the store to buy cigarettes.
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Later that night, Deb returned home without Kaye and told her mom that she had vanished. They went to the drive-in to search for Kaye, but couldn’t find her.
The police combed the area for any sign of her, and her parents conducted their own searches. They also handed out flyers to get the word out about their missing daughter.
On November 30, 1975, about five months after Kaye went missing, her body was found by children playing in the wooded area behind a Baptist church. The official cause of her death could not be determined, but it was confirmed that she had been murdered.
DNA testing was performed on her clothes, but no evidence came from it. So far, no one has been arrested or charged in connection with Kaye’s murder.
In 2013, Kaye’s sister, Deb, passed away at the age of 54. Their mother died seven years later. Now, only Kaye’s father is left to continue fighting for justice for his daughter.
Anyone with information about Patricia Kaye Humphreys’ murder is urged to contact the Homicide Unit at the Houston Police Department at 713-308-3600. A reward of $10,000 is being offered for information leading to the identification or arrest of the suspect.
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
