TULSA - At 24 years old Patricia Elsken was murdered in South Tulsa 30 years ago almost to the day; now her mother is fighting through declining health just to get answers.
Side by side all of the time, Patricia Elsken and her mother Jimmie were more like best friends.
“They dearly loved each other," said Patricia's aunt Betty Crossno.
Their family is now by Jimmie's bedside forced to remember the good times.
“She is sick and I think she’s looking for closure," cried Patricia's best friend Terry Bradley.
She needs to know what happened on April 11, 1988, before she meets Patricia again.
“It appeared that she’d gotten dressed, changed clothes, was getting ready to head out the door to go to work and she wasn’t able to make it," said Tulsa Police Detective Eddie Majors.
Someone murdered Patricia in her South Tulsa apartment.
“To me, in my opinion, someone was watching her and they had to go after her for a certain reason," he said.
When Patricia didn't show up for her job as a manager at the Woodland Hills Mall her coworkers knew something wasn't quite right.
They called Jimmie.
“Jimmie immediately had the feeling; You know how moms are, something’s wrong," Bradley said.
She sent neighbors to the apartment who found her body.
“She was killed with blunt trauma. There was a lot of injuries that she sustained," said Detective Majors.
He's worked the case for years, but never had a suspect.
“There are people we’re looking at and have been looking at for some time. Just haven’t been able to get enough to carry it a step farther.”
Patricia's Aunt Betty thinks in her declining health Jimmie is hanging on to bring answers to her daughter herself.
“I love them both very much and I just pray she gets her answer," she cried.
They all pray the murderer comes forward not for Patricia, or even for Jimmie's last wish, but for themselves.
“I’d hate to see anyone go to hell, but that’s where this person’s going when they die. They’re going straight to hell. Then they will suffer.”
Police have located a new potential piece of evidence in this case and hope it can provide a path to answers.
If you have any information you're asked to call Crime Stoppers at 918-596-COPS.
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