Maria “Mary Faye” Mendez walked out of the duplex she shared with her family in Odessa, Texas, on Aug. 2, 1985, and seemingly vanished without a trace. Her sister-in-law watched Mary head in the direction of a local bar after fighting with her husband, who they knew as Arnuldo Mendez. Mary had asked her sister-in-law to watch her 5-year-old daughter, Virginia, while she went out, but she never came home. For nearly 40 years, her family wondered whether she’d walked away from her life and children…or if something bad had happened to her. It wasn’t until a young cold case detective stumbled across her long-lost case file and started digging that clues in a decades-old mystery started to be unearthed.
Card created by Audiochuck staff
Episode Info
If you know anything about the death of Mary Mendez, contact Det. Gonzales at 432-335-4926, or to submit a tip anonymously through Odessa Crime Stoppers, call 432-333-8477 or visit 333tips.org and reference case number 84-7988.
Maria “Mary Faye” Mendez, in a photo given to investigators by her mother, Maria Lujan. In this photo, Mary does not appear to be wearing a necklace. Courtesy of Detective Lauren Gonzales/Odessa Police Department.
In her office at the Odessa Police Department, cold case Detective Lauren Gonzales holds a photo of a composite sketch that was made based on the unidentified “Crane County Skull” (left) beside a photo of Maria “Mary Faye” Mendez. Photo taken by Audiochuck staff
Delia Ortiz shows Audiochuck reporters old family photos from before her sister-in-law Maria “Mary Faye” Mendez disappeared. Photo taken by Audiochuck staff
A collection of old family photos that Delia Ortiz, Maria “Mary Faye” Mendez’s sister-in-law, showed Audiochuck reporters while discussing Maria’s case at her home in Odessa, Texas. Reporters used this magnifying glass to see if Maria was wearing a necklace in every photo - she was not. Maria’s family considers the necklace that she was known to wear most days to be a key clue in her case. Courtesy: Delia Ortiz /Photo taken by Audiochuck staff
A family photo of Arnuldo (Carlos) Mendez, Maria Mendez, Delia Ortiz, and Maria’s daughter, Virginia, provided by Delia Ortiz. Delia believes this photo was taken near the Odessa Meteor Crater. Courtesy: Delia Ortiz / Photo taken by Audiochuck staff
A family photo of Maria “Mary Faye” Mendez, provided by Delia Ortiz. In this photo, Mary is not wearing a necklace. Maria’s family considers the necklace that she was known to wear to be a key clue in her case. Courtesy: Delia Ortiz / Photo taken by Audiochuck staff
Delia Ortiz (left) and her sister-in-law Maria “Mary Faye” Mendez (right). Courtesy: Delia Ortiz. / Photo taken by Audiochuck staff
Detective Lauren Gonzales in her office at the Odessa Police Department. Photo taken by Audiochuck staff
Detective Lauren Gonzales in her office at the Odessa Police Department. Photo taken by Audiochuck staff
Maria “Mary Faye” Mendez’s family found an old newspaper clipping from 1975, when Mary’s ex-husband, Alcario Patino, was charged with attempted murder. Courtesy: Veronica Mattox
Elva Patino, sister to Maria “Mary Faye” Mendez (center), with her husband, Jose Patino, and their daughter, Veronica Mattox, in the Patino’s home in Odessa, Texas. Photo taken by Audiochuck staff
The area where Maria “Mary Faye” Mendez’s skull was found on a lease road near an oil drilling site in Crane County, Texas. Investigators are unsure of the exact location where it was found, because it was not properly documented. Photo taken by Audiochuck staff
The area where Maria Mendez’s skull was found on a lease road near an oil drilling site in Crane County, Texas. Investigators are unsure of the exact location where it was found, because it was not properly documented. Photo taken by Audiochuck staff
Episode Source Material
Original reporting by Taylor Hartz.
- Texas Department of Public Safety: Texas Rangers Cold Case Investigation Details.
- My San Antonio (San Antonio, TX): Remains ID’d as Texas woman missing since 1984 in cold case breakthrough, by Gabriel Romero.
- News West 9 (Midland, TX): OPD makes breakthrough in 1984 missing person case, by NewsWest 9.
- First Alert 7 (Odessa, TX): Odessa women’s remains identified after missing for 39 years, by Tyler Poglitsch.