The Enduring Mystery: Unraveling the Unsolved 1975 Murder of Teenager Patty Bartlett in Bucks County

Jeanette Bartlett mainly recalls fleeting memories of her older sister, 17-year-old Patty Bartlett. “She was an aspiring photographer. She was studying photography in high school, and she excelled at it,” Jeanette shared with Dateline. “I can just remember her taking me out and capturing moments of me as a child.”

Jeanette mentions that Patty discovered her passion for photography while enrolled in a photo science class at Pennsbury High School in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania. “She just really embraced it,” Jeanette recalled, noting that Patty had been awarded a scholarship to pursue photography after high school. “Sadly, she never got to attend.”

Patty was the second of four children in the Bartlett family. Dateline interviewed her older brother, Jeff, who recounted that in 1975, Patty was a senior in high school and was always surrounded by friends. “I cherish the good times I spent with my sister,” he expressed.

Jeanette is the youngest in the Bartlett family.

“She was exceptionally lovely. She had long dark hair, was slender, and possessed a captivating smile,” Jeanette remarked. “And apparently, everyone, like, just adored her.”

Tragedy struck when Jeanette was only 5 years old.

That incident occurred 50 years ago.

On January 13, 1975, Patty Bartlett was fatally attacked in the parking area of the Oxford Valley Mall in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. That evening, she had visited the mall in Middletown Township to purchase several items at a camera shop. “There was a forecast for snow — she wanted to get supplies so that she could take pictures,” Jeanette recounted.

After acquiring her items, Patty headed back to the parking lot. According to Jeff, it was dusk. “She was assaulted,” Jeanette stated.

Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn conveyed to Dateline that the Oxford Valley Mall was a well-frequented mall situated in a secure neighborhood. However, the events that transpired that night in the parking lot were utterly horrific. “Patty was stabbed multiple times,” Schorn remarked. There were no eyewitnesses to the crime, and no weapon was found at the scene. “Without the murder weapon and without any eyewitnesses seeing a fleeing, you know, suspected assailant, there are inherent difficulties right from the outset.”

“I’ve actually traversed the mall, walked along the path she took,” Jeff noted. “I still can’t grasp how nobody noticed anything.”

Patty did attempt to seek assistance. “She tried to make her way to the — the entrance of the mall,” Schorn explained. It was around that time that someone noticed Patty and called for help. “It was 5:30 p.m. when the Middletown Township Police were alerted,” the DA stated.

Jeanette mentioned that Patty fought valiantly for her life. “She struggled for 50 minutes,” she remarked. “She lost too much blood.”

There was no interaction from Patty indicating whether she recognized or could describe her assailant before her passing. “To be fair, I don’t believe it was inquired, but it — it was certainly not conveyed,” Schorn conveyed. “One of the detectives expressed regret that the emergency medical personnel were, you know, providing aid and trying to assist Patty,” so they did not have the opportunity to question her.

That evening, Jeff was with his girlfriend and her family when the phone rang. An officer was on the line to relay the dreadful news to his girlfriend’s father that his daughter — Jeff’s girlfriend — had been killed. “He directly told the police officer on the line, ‘That’s impossible, she’s right here in front of me,’” Jeff recounted. It seemed to be some sort of confusion.

Eventually, another call arrived. It was from Jeff’s father. “I asked, ‘Dad, what’s wrong?’” Jeff recalled. “And he responded, ‘Jeff, please come home.’” Jeff returned home. “Upon arriving, all the police were in the driveway,” he said. “The entire experience was shocking. I mean, it was the worst day of my life.”

Soon it became evident what had transpired at Jeff’s girlfriend’s residence. “Apparently, Patty had my girlfriend’s identification,” he stated. Jeanette elaborated on why Patty might have had Jeff’s girlfriend’s ID. “Back in those days,” she noted, “you could legally drink at 18 across the bridge.”

Jeanette does not recall much following Patty’s murder. “I was young. I only remember the lights and the sirens that night,” she said.

“Everyone was in a state of panic. I sensed something was amiss and –. It’s so surreal. I remember watching ‘I Love Lucy’ and sitting on the couch. I then went to the cellar door where she used to speak on the phone, and began to weep — before anyone even truly understood — feeling as if something was wrong. I knew something was wrong.”

What Jeff recalls most in the subsequent days is the funeral. “Thousands attended the viewing for Patty,” Jeff stated. “It was astounding how many people turned up.”

Coping with Patty’s murder was deeply distressing for the family. “We all experienced torment in various ways because we were at different ages,” Jeanette expressed. “I encountered enormous difficulty while navigating school.” She also faced challenges with nightmares and trauma in the ensuing years. “My parents were unwavering,” she remarked. “I don’t know how they managed it, but they did.” Big brother Jeff concurs. “My mom and dad cared for us immensely,” he stated.

And as the Bartlett family sought to mend their lives, the Middletown Township Police Department alongside the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office endeavored to crack the case.

“The scene was examined,” DA Schorn recounted to Dateline. “In discussions with the detectives that are currently managing the case that — I mean, they praised the efforts made by Middletown Township and, you know, the officers and detectives assigned back then.”

Schorn indicates that authoritiesdo not think Patty was murdered during a failed robbery. “Her wallet and handbag were left intact,” she stated. “This is not a theft. That was not the reason.”

The District Attorney mentioned that the officers tasked with the initial inquiry performed admirably. “I mean, they conducted a comprehensive investigation,” she remarked. “This is, in fact, a particularly difficult type of inquiry considering the situation and the constraints of the ‘70s.”

Over the years, Jeff has conversed with various detectives assigned to the inquiry. “They’ve done everything within their reach,” he stated. “They just indicated it was a dead end.”

“I wish I had been there to guard her,” Jeff expressed sorrowfully.

Just before her demise, Patty experienced a terrifying incident. “She was employed at a spot called Coco’s, not far from our residence, and someone trailed her home,” Jeanette explained. “That occurred, like, a week before the murder.”

“I know she was frightened,” Jeanette added. The DA’s office informed Dateline they investigated the matter but found little they could do. They also mentioned to Dateline that one of Patty’s colleagues from the restaurant had observed her with an unfamiliar man just days before the homicide. They created a sketch, but ultimately they were unable to identify the individual Patty had been seen with.

DA Schorn noted that the Middletown Township Police Department and county detectives have identified some persons of interest and theories concerning the crime over the past fifty years. She refrained from discussing specifics or the evidence collected at the time but emphasized that detectives remain committed to examining what they possess. “The highly-skilled detectives who are aware of the resources available in forensic science have analyzed the evidence and will persist in scrutinizing it as DNA developments occur,” she stated. “Regrettably, in many instances, we discover it’s incredibly improbable that a piece of forensic evidence ends up being the successful key to unraveling the case.”

While time can often be an adversary for detectives, the DA asserts, “In certain situations, time has become our ally.” She is hopeful that in Patty’s situation — it will be. The crucial factor, she believes, is to continually keep a case such as Patty’s in the public view. “Sometimes, that’s what is required to encourage someone, you know, to realize: ‘Now is the time, I need to step forward,’” she remarked. “I mean, someone knows something. Someone does.”

Schorn wishes that individual finds the courage to come forward — allowing them to offer some level of closure for Patty’s family. “No piece of information is too minor or insignificant— if you suspect you know something, don’t think, ‘Oh, it’s probably not important,’” she stated. “Let the detectives evaluate the information.”

Recognizing the age of the case, Jeanette Bartlett acknowledges that the individual who killed her sister may never encounter justice.

“Many of these individuals have already passed on. But that doesn’t change my perspective,” she expressed. “I want to know who. I want to know why.”

Jeff Bartlett shares his sister’s sentiment but finds reassurance in one thing: “The good Lord will take care of the person who did that to her.”

Anyone possessing information regarding the murder of Patty Bartlett is encouraged to reach out to Bucks County Detectives at 215-348-6354 or the Middletown Township Police Department at 215-750-3870.

Tips can also be provided via CrimeWatch at www.bucksda.org or with the Middletown Township Police Department at www.mtpd.org through the anonymous tips link or by using the anonymous tip hotline at 215-750-3888.

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