Overview

Full Name: Patrick Reinartz
Age at Disappearance: 71
Last Documented Sighting: July 25, 2023
Additional Reported Sighting: On or around August 3, 2023
Last Known Area: L Street, Crescent City
City: Crescent City
County: Del Norte County
State: California
Date Reported Missing: August 9, 2023
Classification: Missing Person
NamUs Reference: MP133682
Publicly Documented Status: Unresolved in the available case listing; no independently confirmed resolution located as of October 30, 2026.

The central mystery concerns what happened to Reinartz after he was reportedly seen in the 600 block of L Street in early August 2023. An acquaintance reported that he intended to travel north to Brookings, Oregon, to visit someone. However, the available public information does not establish whether he ever reached Brookings, whom he intended to visit, or where he went afterward.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Case Summary

Patrick Reinartz was 71 years old when he disappeared from Crescent City, a coastal community in Del Norte County, California, during the summer of 2023. His disappearance became a missing-person case after his son reported him missing on August 9, 2023, following an extended period without contact.

Full Name: Patrick Reinartz
Age at Disappearance: 71
Last Documented Sighting: July 25, 2023
Additional Reported Sighting: On or around August 3, 2023
Last Known Area: L Street, Crescent City
City: Crescent City
County: Del Norte County
State: California
Date Reported Missing: August 9, 2023
Classification: Missing Person
NamUs Reference: MP133682
Publicly Documented Status: Unresolved in the available case listing; no independently confirmed resolution located as of October 30, 2026.

The central mystery concerns what happened to Reinartz after he was reportedly seen in the 600 block of L Street in early August 2023. An acquaintance reported that he intended to travel north to Brookings, Oregon, to visit someone. However, the available public information does not establish whether he ever reached Brookings, whom he intended to visit, or where he went afterward.

Background and Circumstances of Patrick Reinartz’s Disappearance

Patrick Reinartz was associated with Crescent City, California, at the time of his disappearance. Located near the Oregon border, Crescent City is the county seat of Del Norte County and serves as a coastal gateway between Northern California and southwestern Oregon.

Publicly available case information provides limited biographical details about Reinartz. His occupation, earlier residences, personal history, and daily routines have not been sufficiently established through reliable case-specific sources to describe them as confirmed facts.

The documented circumstances begin on July 25, 2023, when a county caseworker reportedly saw Reinartz at 665 L Street in Crescent City. This encounter is the date identified as his last-seen date in the publicly available missing-person listing.

A second account places Reinartz in the 600 block of L Street on or around August 3, 2023. According to the case information, an acquaintance described as a transient reported seeing him in that area. The acquaintance also reported that Reinartz was planning to travel to Brookings, Oregon, to visit someone.

The distinction between these two sightings is important. July 25 is the documented last-seen date recorded in the listing, while the early-August encounter is an additional reported sighting. The publicly accessible information does not establish whether investigators independently corroborated the later account.

On August 9, 2023, Reinartz’s son reported him missing after reportedly not hearing from him for approximately two months. The extended absence of communication raised concern about his whereabouts and led to the missing-person report.

At the time of his disappearance, Reinartz was described as approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 140 pounds. These identifying details remain important for anyone who believes they may have encountered him after the reported sightings.

Investigation History and Available Evidence

The publicly documented investigation centers on the missing-person report, the July 25 caseworker encounter, and the additional sighting reported in early August 2023. Together, these accounts provide a limited sequence of events but do not explain Reinartz’s ultimate whereabouts.

The July 25 Caseworker Encounter

The July 25 encounter at 665 L Street provides a specific location and date associated with Reinartz before his disappearance was reported. The available account identifies the witness as a county caseworker but does not describe the purpose of the meeting, its duration, or whether anything unusual was observed.

No publicly verified information establishes that this encounter involved suspicious activity. It is significant because it provides a documented point in the timeline.

The Reported August 3 Sighting

The later sighting, reported to have occurred on or around August 3, places Reinartz in the same general L Street area. The acquaintance’s account introduces the possibility that Reinartz intended to travel to Brookings, Oregon.

However, an expressed intention to travel does not establish that a journey occurred. No publicly verified transportation record, arrival confirmation, or subsequent sighting in Brookings was located during research for this article.

Physical Evidence and Search Activity

Publicly accessible information does not establish whether investigators recovered personal belongings, obtained surveillance recordings, examined financial transactions, or conducted forensic testing related to Reinartz’s disappearance.

Likewise, no sufficiently documented account of a case-specific ground search, search-and-rescue deployment, or coordinated search operation was located. This absence of publicly available information should not be interpreted as proof that investigative efforts did not occur.

No verified public announcement identifying a suspect, person of interest, arrest, criminal charge, or forensic identification connected to Reinartz’s disappearance was found. There is also no reliable public evidence establishing that he was the victim of a homicide.

Theories and Unresolved Questions

Several questions remain unanswered in the publicly available record. These questions represent investigative uncertainties rather than evidence of any particular explanation for Reinartz’s disappearance.

Did Patrick Reinartz Travel to Brookings, Oregon?

One of the most important unresolved questions is whether Reinartz traveled to Brookings after the reported early-August sighting. The acquaintance’s statement provides a possible destination, but the available information does not confirm that he left Crescent City or crossed the California-Oregon border.

It is also unknown whether the person he reportedly intended to visit was identified or contacted. Without corroborating evidence, Brookings remains a reported intended destination rather than a confirmed location in his movements.

What Happened Between the Last Contact and the Missing-Person Report?

Reinartz’s son reportedly had not heard from him for approximately two months before filing the missing-person report on August 9. This creates a period of uncertainty extending back before the two reported summer sightings.

The available sources do not explain the family’s normal communication patterns or whether the lack of contact was immediately considered unusual. They also do not establish Reinartz’s activities throughout that period.

Was the Disappearance Voluntary or Involuntary?

Public information does not establish whether Reinartz intentionally traveled elsewhere, experienced an accident or medical emergency, or encountered circumstances that prevented him from communicating with his family.

These possibilities should not be confused with established investigative findings. No available official statement identifies a confirmed cause for his disappearance, and there is no verified basis for accusing any individual of wrongdoing.

Additional verified sightings, records of travel, or information from people who encountered Reinartz during late July or early August 2023 could help clarify the sequence of events. Whether investigators have already obtained such information has not been publicly established.

Latest Publicly Available Investigative Updates

As of October 30, 2026, no publicly confirmed recent investigative breakthrough, recovery, identification, arrest, or case resolution involving Patrick Reinartz was located during research for this article.

A publicly accessible missing-person listing continues to identify Reinartz as missing and associates his case with NamUs reference MP133682. The listing preserves the July 25, 2023 last-seen date, the August 9 missing-person report, and the account of a possible trip to Brookings, Oregon.

The continued availability of a case listing does not by itself establish when investigators last reviewed the case or whether new investigative activity is underway. No case-specific announcement confirming a recent search, DNA result, genetic genealogy development, or newly identified witness was independently verified.

NamUs serves as a national resource for missing-person and unidentified-person investigations. Its reference number helps distinguish Reinartz’s missing-person record from other cases, but the reference should not be mistaken for a locally assigned police report number.

The available record therefore leaves the circumstances of Reinartz’s disappearance unresolved. Any future announcement concerning his whereabouts or case status should be confirmed through an official investigative agency or an updated authoritative missing-person record.

Conclusion and Public Appeal for Information

More than three years after Patrick Reinartz was reported missing, the publicly documented circumstances of his disappearance remain incomplete. His case centers on two reported sightings in Crescent City during the summer of 2023 and an unconfirmed plan to visit someone in Brookings, Oregon.

Reinartz was 71 years old when he disappeared. His son reported him missing after an extended period without communication, and the available information does not explain what happened afterward.

Anyone who saw Patrick Reinartz in Crescent City around July 25 through early August 2023, encountered him while traveling between Northern California and southwestern Oregon, or has reliable information about his whereabouts is encouraged to contact law enforcement.

The Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office can be reached at (707) 464-4191. The California Department of Justice also maintains a missing-person information hotline at 1-800-222-3463. Anyone providing information should mention Patrick Reinartz by name and may reference NamUs case MP133682 to assist with identification of the missing-person record.

Even information that initially appears minor may help establish a more complete timeline. Public tips should be directed to appropriate authorities rather than used to speculate about private individuals or assign blame without evidence.

Patrick Reinartz’s disappearance remains a case in which verified answers are limited. Continued attention to the known facts, careful reporting, and responsible sharing of credible information may help bring clarity to what happened after he was last reported seen.