COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Next month marks 24 years since Patti Adkins was last seen or heard from in Marysville. Union County Sheriff Mike Justice emphasized that the case has not been forgotten.
“It’s not like we put it on a shelf and forgot about it for years,” said Justice. “We have actually worked any leads that came in.”
Adkins was 29 years old when she was last seen outside the Honda of America plant in Marysville on June 29, 2001. Family and friends said she was about to spend her “plant shut down” week vacation on a romantic getaway.
Shortly after her disappearance, reports surfaced that Adkins was going on vacation with a boyfriend she worked with, who was married.
Sheriff Justice has refrained from speculating on what happened to Adkins until solid evidence is confirmed.
“Right now, we have a missing person. I am not going to commit that it’s one of foul play, it’s strictly missing person,” he said.
Family, including Adkins’ daughter, who was seven when she vanished, have not heard from her since 2001. In 2016, on the 15th anniversary of her disappearance, Michaely Adkins, Patti’s daughter, told FOX 28 News, “It would be much easier to have closure if we knew what happened.”
The Union County Sheriff’s Office is intensifying efforts to find the missing woman. An investigator with the Union County Prosecutor’s Office has been assigned full-time to Patti’s case, working inside the sheriff’s office and reviewing the case from top to bottom. “It’s always good to have a fresh set of eyes to look on it,” said Justice. “I just think a fresh set of eyes is a good thing, never hurts on these cold cases.”
Union County Prosecutor David Phillips added, “It’s a cold case, and he is going to take the evidence that we have, finding where the errors or holes that need to be filled, and try to fill those.”
The additional manpower comes as an online petition asks for the prosecutor to present the case to the grand jury.
“We appreciate the public’s interest,” said Phillips. “That would not be an appropriate step at this point, given the status of the evidence. We are hopeful we can determine what happened and present this case to a grand jury, that is not now.”
The sheriff confirmed discussions about bringing an extra investigator onto the case began months ago.
“We have not given up, we still want closure for the family, we still want answers to give everyone,” said Justice.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Union County Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip Hotline at 937-642-7653 or email [email protected].
