Overview

Missing person — Marin County, California

• Full name: Patricia Evans Gomez (also listed as Patricia E. Gomez)
• Age when missing: 23
• Date of birth: August 26, 1956
• Last seen: December 26, 1979
• Last known location: Belvedere, Marin County, California
• Reported destination: San Anselmo, California
• Case classification: Missing person; suspected suicide reported as an investigative theory
• Current status: Unresolved in the publicly located missing-person records
• NamUs reference: MP32348
• Doe Network reference: 981DFCA
• Investigating agency identified in historical records: Belvedere Police Department

Detailed Case Breakdown

Patricia Evans Gomez: The Unsolved 1979 Disappearance of a 23-Year-Old Woman in Belvedere, California

On December 26, 1979, Patricia Evans Gomez disappeared from Belvedere, a small waterfront city in Marin County, California. She was 23 years old and was reportedly traveling toward San Anselmo when she vanished.

More than four decades later, the circumstances of her disappearance remain unresolved. Missing-person records and historical case summaries indicate that authorities suspected Patricia may have jumped from the Golden Gate Bridge. However, her remains have not been recovered, and the publicly available evidence does not establish what happened to her.

Patricia’s case remains an example of the challenges surrounding long-term missing-person investigations, particularly when the original circumstances are poorly documented in publicly accessible records.

Case Summary

Missing person — Marin County, California

• Full name: Patricia Evans Gomez (also listed as Patricia E. Gomez)
• Age when missing: 23
• Date of birth: August 26, 1956
• Last seen: December 26, 1979
• Last known location: Belvedere, Marin County, California
• Reported destination: San Anselmo, California
• Case classification: Missing person; suspected suicide reported as an investigative theory
• Current status: Unresolved in the publicly located missing-person records
• NamUs reference: MP32348
• Doe Network reference: 981DFCA
• Investigating agency identified in historical records: Belvedere Police Department

Main circumstances: Patricia disappeared the day after Christmas in 1979. She was reportedly heading toward San Anselmo. A theory documented in missing-person profiles suggests she may have entered the waters beneath the Golden Gate Bridge, but there is no publicly verified recovery of her remains or definitive determination of her fate.

Sources: Doe Network case information, NamUs case MP32348, and historical case documentation.

Patricia Evans Gomez: Background and Personal Description

Patricia Evans Gomez was born on August 26, 1956. She was 23 when she disappeared in December 1979.

Publicly accessible missing-person profiles contain limited biographical information about Patricia’s upbringing, education, employment, relationships, and everyday life. The available records focus primarily on her physical description, clothing, last known whereabouts, and the circumstances surrounding her disappearance.

Historical descriptions identify Patricia as a white woman approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighing between 100 and 110 pounds. She had light brown, shoulder-length hair, reportedly worn with bangs, and eyes described as hazel-blue or multicolored.

Other distinguishing characteristics included pierced ears and a long, thin nose.

Clothing Reportedly Worn When Last Seen

According to historical missing-person descriptions, Patricia may have been wearing a long-sleeved red velour blouse, possibly featuring a black horizontal pattern. She may also have worn a blue sweatshirt over the blouse.

Her trousers were described as either green corduroy pants or blue jeans. She was reportedly wearing sandals and may have had red knee-high socks decorated with a green heart design.

Some clothing details are uncertain, reflecting differences in historical descriptions rather than confirmed changes in her appearance.

These characteristics remain relevant when comparing older missing-person cases with unidentified-person records.

Source: Patricia Gomez case discussion.

December 26, 1979: The Disappearance in Belvedere

Patricia was last reported seen in Belvedere on Wednesday, December 26, 1979.

According to historical missing-person records, she was reportedly heading toward San Anselmo, another community in Marin County.

The public record does not establish her exact departure time, the transportation she was using, or whether she arrived at her intended destination.

No reliably documented eyewitness account describing her final movements was located in the reviewed material.

The Golden Gate Bridge Theory

One of the most significant details in Patricia’s case is the reported belief that she may have jumped from the Golden Gate Bridge.

The bridge connects San Francisco with Marin County and is geographically relevant to the region where Patricia disappeared.

However, the theory should not be confused with a confirmed account of her final actions.

The reviewed sources do not establish that anyone witnessed Patricia at the bridge, that investigators recovered belongings belonging to her there, or that physical evidence conclusively connected her disappearance to the location.

Her remains have not been publicly reported as recovered.

Consequently, although suspected suicide appears in secondary case descriptions, Patricia’s disappearance should not be presented as a confirmed death by suicide.

Source: Doe Network case summary.

Investigation History and Available Evidence

Belvedere Police Department Investigation

The Belvedere Police Department is identified as the investigating agency in Patricia’s case.

The California Department of Justice maintains a missing-person entry under Patricia E. Gomez, listing the Belvedere Police Department and official case number BP7912399.

This confirms that her disappearance remains documented in California’s state missing-person records. However, the publicly accessible entry does not provide a detailed investigative chronology, interview summaries, search reports, or an explanation of how investigators developed the Golden Gate Bridge theory.

The California Department of Justice missing-person database lists the department’s contact number as 415-435-2611.

Fingerprints, Dental Records, and DNA

Historical case information reproduced in a 2018 Websleuths discussion indicates that Patricia’s fingerprints and dental records were available. The same historical account described her DNA status as an initial inquiry underway.

That information is useful, but its age matters. The historical statement does not establish whether a DNA reference sample was subsequently collected, processed, or uploaded to a database.

No official announcement confirming the use of investigative genetic genealogy to resolve Patricia’s disappearance was located.

California’s Missing Persons DNA Program provides a potential investigative resource for long-term cases. The program compares genetic material from missing persons and their relatives against unidentified remains, although its availability does not establish that a particular procedure has been performed in Patricia’s case.

Sources: Historical case records and California Missing Persons Program.

Missing-Person Database Documentation

Patricia’s disappearance has been preserved through several public missing-person resources.

The Charley Project identifies her as an endangered missing person and records her disappearance date, physical description, and suspected connection to the Golden Gate Bridge.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System has also identified her under reference MP32348.

The Doe Network associates her disappearance with reference 981DFCA.

These records help preserve identifying information and make it available to people researching unresolved disappearances.

However, the presence of a case in multiple databases should not be mistaken for evidence of separate investigative breakthroughs.

Public Discussions and Possible Unidentified-Person Comparisons

Patricia’s disappearance has attracted discussion in online communities devoted to missing persons and unidentified remains.

A Websleuths discussion opened on March 22, 2018, collected historical case information and linked to missing-person records.

Other community discussions have explored whether unidentified remains might be connected to Patricia.

These discussions are not official investigative findings. A proposed resemblance, geographic connection, or similarity in clothing does not establish identity.

For example, a 2022 discussion considered Patricia as a possible comparison for unidentified remains discovered in Oregon. The discussion included speculation based on identifying characteristics and available records, but it did not establish that those remains belonged to Patricia.

No verified identification of Patricia through those comparisons was located.

Sources: 2018 Patricia Gomez discussion and 2022 unidentified-person discussion.

Theories and Unresolved Questions

Theory One: Death at the Golden Gate Bridge

The best-documented theory in publicly available case summaries is that Patricia may have jumped from the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Charley Project attributes this belief to authorities, but its public profile does not explain the evidence supporting the conclusion.

There is no publicly verified eyewitness account or recovered remains establishing that this happened.

For that reason, it remains an investigative theory rather than a confirmed explanation.

Theory Two: An Undetermined Disappearance

Because the public record does not establish Patricia’s movements after she was last seen in Belvedere, other circumstances cannot be conclusively excluded.

There is no verified public evidence supporting a specific alternative scenario, such as an abduction, an accident elsewhere, or a voluntary disappearance.

Similarly, no officially identified homicide suspect, criminal charge, or homicide determination was located.

It would be inappropriate to present any of those possibilities as established facts.

Questions That Remain Unanswered

Several important questions remain unresolved in the accessible records:

• Who last saw Patricia on December 26, 1979, and at what time?
• What evidence led authorities to believe she may have gone to the Golden Gate Bridge?
• Was her reported journey to San Anselmo independently confirmed?
• Were searches conducted at the bridge or elsewhere in Marin County?
• Have her dental records, fingerprints, or family DNA been compared with unidentified remains?
• Have investigators received credible new information since her disappearance?

Answers to these questions may exist in law enforcement files that are not publicly accessible. Their absence from published sources should not be interpreted as proof that investigators never pursued them.

Latest Publicly Available Investigative Updates

As of October 19, 2026, Patricia’s case continues to appear in the California Department of Justice missing-person database, and the Charley Project continues to describe her disappearance as unsolved.

The most recent dated substantive revision identified on the Charley Project profile was June 19, 2017. That revision updated identifying and descriptive information, not an announced resolution.

On March 22, 2018, an online case discussion began documenting Patricia’s disappearance and preserving links to historical case material.

Discussions in 2022 also considered potential comparisons with unidentified remains. Those conversations were community-generated and did not establish a positive identification.

No publicly confirmed recent investigative developments were located establishing that Patricia has been found, that her remains have been identified, or that her disappearance has been resolved.

Specifically, the reviewed sources did not verify a new arrest, prosecution, officially announced DNA identification, genetic genealogy breakthrough, or recent law enforcement search.

The continued availability of a missing-person profile is not itself evidence of a new investigative action.

Sources: California DOJ missing-person record and Charley Project case profile.

Conclusion: Remembering Patricia Evans Gomez

Patricia Evans Gomez was only 23 years old when she disappeared from Belvedere, California, on December 26, 1979.

The limited public record has left important aspects of her life and disappearance undocumented. Although authorities reportedly suspected that she may have died at the Golden Gate Bridge, no publicly confirmed recovery or identification has established her fate.

Patricia deserves to be remembered as a person, not merely as a missing-person case number or an unresolved theory.

Anyone with firsthand information about her movements in December 1979, her intended trip to San Anselmo, or circumstances surrounding her disappearance should contact the Belvedere Police Department.

Belvedere Police Department: 415-435-2611 Official case number: BP7912399

Information may also be provided to the California Department of Justice Missing Persons Clearinghouse at 1-800-222-3463.

Even decades after a disappearance, reliable firsthand information may help investigators clarify what happened.