A Valentine’s dance ended in tragedy when a young couple was found tortured in a secluded lover’s lane. The case remains unsolved.
Their case became known as “The Valentine’s Day Murders,” and the crime remains unsolved even now. Jesse, age 19, and Patricia, age 20, disappeared, their bodies found later in the woods. This area was a known “lover’s lane.”
They were tortured in Orange County, North Carolina. The killer tied them to a tree, and leaves concealed their bodies. This happened in February 1971; they were last seen on February 12th. Patricia studied nursing in Sanford and trained at Watts Hospital in Durham. Jesse was an athlete from Pittsboro and was in his first year of college.
Their roommates reported them missing to the police. A passerby found them 12 days later; this occurred on February 24th in Duke Woods. Officials described it as a “sadistic strangling.”
Investigator Tim Horne explained the autopsy results, that the strangulation happened over time. The rope was tightened and then loosened, allowing them to regain consciousness. Then, they were strangled again. Mud on their shoes showed they were alive during the attacks, and they had stab wounds to the chest after death. Jesse’s liver ruptured from a stomach punch.
Authorities believe the killer knew the area well. He felt comfortable there, Horne told WRAL, thinking no one would hear them scream. Difficulties between law enforcement slowed the case, and they struggled to find suspects. Terrified locals kept their children from the woods.
In 1972, another couple was attacked nearby. A gunman tried to kidnap them and forced them into a car trunk. One victim suffered lasting nerve damage; they escaped, and authorities made a sketch.
Years passed silently. In 1995, an anonymous caller confessed, calling Jesse and Patricia’s families. The call came within a mile of the bodies, and the trail went cold once more.
In 2011, police reopened the case. Renovation at the jail turned up old evidence, and they used new tech for DNA from ropes. The results did not find any matches. A doctor from Watts Hospital became a suspect, he was the only living person out of three. The doctor refused to give a DNA sample, and his attorney explained his refusal. Police continue to investigate and ask the public for help.