Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: July 1, 1996 from Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Classification: Endangered Missing
Age: 37 years old
Height and Weight: 5'2, 120 - 125 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Brown hair, green eyes. Minassian's nickname is Tricia.
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A gray sweatshirt and black stretch pants.
Medical Conditions: Minassian was depressed at the time of her July 1996 disappearance; she had previously been hospitalized for her condition. She also may suffer from occasional episodes of memory loss as the result of injuries sustained in a vehicular accident.Bar
Details of Disappearance
Minassian was vacationing in Cape Cod, Massachusetts with her husband and three children in July 1996. The family resided in Hingham, Massachusetts at the time. Minassian's youngest son was taking a nap during the afternoon of July 1. She told other family members that she planned to visit a local car wash before returning home. Minassian has never been heard from again.Minassian's red/maroon 1994 Mercury Villager minivan with Massachusetts license plates numbered 667-ZIS was located abandoned and locked in the Cahoon Hollow Beach parking lot, fifty miles away, shortly afterwards. The location is where Minassian and her husband went on their first date eighteen years before her disappearance. Authorities believed that she committed sucide in the ocean and began canvassing the nearby beaches for her remains. Extensive searches of the Cahoon Hollow and Newcomb Hollow areas produced no evidence as to Minassian's whereabouts.
The day after Minassian disappeared, her husband found some letters inside her pocketbook which was in the second family car. In the letters she stated she loved her husband and children. She apologized for not being a good wife, parent, and employee and stated that everyone would be better off without her. The letters did not state that she was going to commit suicide, however, and she has never attempted to do so before. Minassian's credit cards and Social Security number (SSN) have not been used since her disappearance, and she left behind her wedding rings, purse, credit cards, identification cards, keys and $12 in cash.
There were several unconfirmed sightings of Minassian in the Brockton, Massachusetts area in April 1997. Police believe she took her own life, possibly by walking into the ocean, but if she did so her body has not been found. Minassian's husband believes she may have started a new life under another identity. Her disappearance remains unsolved.