In October 1996, 32-year-old Patty Vaughan filed for legal separation. She was married to Jerry Ray for 11 years. The couple lived in Texas with their two sons and daughter. Jerry has always been known for his aggression toward his wife. After the separation, the man moved to an apartment in San Antonio, and Patty stayed at home with the children. In a relatively short time, the woman became involved with her former ex-boyfriend Gary, whom she introduced to her relatives during the Christmas Eve dinner. On Christmas Day, Patty's husband was supposed to come to Patty's house to have Christmas dinner with his children. Later, Patty was supposed to take them to her cousin's, but she never showed up or told him she wasn't coming. The last person to speak to Patty was her sister, who called on Christmas Day morning. Jerry answered the phone. When he handed the receiver to his wife, she sounded like she was crying.
At around 1:30 p.m. on December 26, the missing woman's boss discovered her abandoned car on the highway about 15 miles from her home and 5 miles from her workplace. The boss and other co-workers were on the same road in the early morning, but they all agreed that the car wasn't there at the time. During police questioning, Jerry testified that he spent most of Christmas arguing with his wife over her new relationship. His own sister, Marilyn, also attended the Christmas dinner, but she did not see Patty. Jerry told her that his wife was in the bedroom and didn't want to talk to anyone because she wasn't feeling well. Then he asked his sister to take the children to him. After she left, he got into another marital quarrel. According to him, at 6:30 p.m., Patty got into her car and drove away. The day after she went missing, he filed for divorce and returned to San Antonio.
A forensic examination of the missing woman's van was conducted and traces of blood were found. It was also evident that someone had recently cleaned the carpets. The tire was deflated on purpose, and a red worker's overall with the JM emblem was found inside the car. During a forensic search of Patty's home, traces of blood were found in the bathroom and bedroom. Fluorescence examination showed that the blood was smeared on the floor. The same test carried out on a mop in the garage confirmed that someone was trying to clean the apartment thoroughly. Surprisingly, Jerry and his sister stayed at home during the forensics, and Marilyn tried to disrupt the technicians' work. When investigators wanted blood samples from the children, Jerry refused DNA testing. He agreed only when he was forced to do so by a court order. Examination confirmed that the blood was Patty's. Significantly, the missing woman's new boyfriend had a very solid alibi, and was cooperative and active in the search, so he was never considered a serious suspect.
At the time of Patty's disappearance, Jerry was a construction worker working on the construction of an elementary school. There were rumors that he may have walled up his wife's body in the building's foundation, but a search of the facility turned up no evidence to support this theory. The records showed that the concrete had been poured four days before she went missing. In 2012, new DNA tests were conducted. Tests revealed that some of the items in the van contained traces of female DNA that did not belong to Patty or anyone related to her. While police believe Jerry is the main person of interest in the woman's disappearance, it is likely that at least three people may have helped him cover up the crime. So far, no one has been publicly named. Jerry eventually moved to Colorado with his three children and now lives in Idaho under a different name. The children are completely estranged from Patty's family and have not had contact with them since she went missing.
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