“Good evening. I’m Tom Parker and this is ‘Your City’s Crime Watch’ a program to promote safety and justice in your neighborhood. Tonight we are focusing on the unsolved murder of Patricia Rice. Patricia was born 20 years ago in Smithfield Township to Mary Margaret Jones and Marcus Anthony Rice. Her father deserted the family when she was five. Patricia had an older brother Joe and a younger brother Tom and six cousins that lived close by, and none of them were better at basketball than she was. She spent her youth working on the farm where she was born.
At school she was involved in 4H and raised a prize winning Holstein cow. She received statewide recognition at the age of 15 when she won first place in the 12 to 18 year old division of the State spelling contest. She then went on to place 6th. out of 50 contestants in the National competition. Classmates said she was popular, pretty, and smart. She wrote article for the school’s newspaper and graduated from Eastern High. She had a goal fixed in her mind to become a journalist, and started earning money as a waitress so that she could attend community college. But six months ago she was stabbed to death in her front yard by a man that has not yet been apprehended. The police have no leads or motive.
There are several mysteries connected with this tragedy. First, Patricia Rice had no enemies. Secondly it was not a robbery. Thirdly her mother said she spent time at the library, but police found out that she didn’t spend time at the library.
The killer was reported to be driving a white pickup truck with out of state license plates. Police now know that one was stolen from Harris’ Motors the night before the crime and returned to their lot after the murder. Charlie Harris tells us that none of the vehicles on his lot sit overnight with license plates on them. He also said that this truck was equipped with a high tech electronic theft system, and only someone with knowledge of a special code could over-ride the alarm. However, the police are considering this truck to be the one used in this crime. They have collected evidence from the truck, but currently they do not have a suspect to connect the evidence to.
And now this week the police have just released to channel 12 a copy of a “Word” document found on Miss Rice’s computer. It is another mystery. The letter is addressed to “Baker’s Man.” No one knows who this could be, and there was no other file on the computer’s hard drive connected to this name. This note or letter was written on the morning of the murder, but never printed or sent. The following is a channel 12 exclusive report: the letter reads:{{ My Baker’s Man, I can meet you tomorrow at the river at 1 PM. I long for the day when we will be one and our love no longer hidden. I don’t want our secret to be a secret any longer. I will give myself to you completely if you will do the same. MY LOVE FOR YOU WILL NEVER DIE. Never. I will love you forever. Kisses, Kisses, Kisses, Pat A Cake}} This letter gives new insight into a possible relationship that possibly resulted in Patricia Rice’s untimely death, but the police still are not able to identify the killer with any of this information.
A reward of $1,000 remains available to anyone with information leading to the person who killed Patricia Rice.
Until next time keep safe and Good Night.”
