NM NM - Patty Pritz, 14, & Mattie Restine, 13, Carlsbad, 11 Aug 1961 - #1

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Patty's step-father doesn't want the case messed with...that is what he told the reporter in 2003. He wouldn't talk with her much... last time I heard anything about him...he still lived in Carlsbad.
I have talked with one of her half-sisters...at first she was very interested in the case...but since has decided she doesn't want to be involved...so...I have honored her wishes.
As far as I know the Pritz family isn't interested in getting involved with this case ...
It appears that I am the only one (family member) that really gives a crap if it's even worked on.


Oh...Patty's biological father is still alive...but his daughter...Patty's half-sister...asked me to not involve her father...that he gets upset about the death of his daughter when asked...so again I have honored their wishes to not contact him.
 
I was only asking about his age because the severity of the attack on Patty indicates the possibility of a crime of passion and the perp being someone that she knew. Nichols would not fit that scenario.

If Nichols was 73 yrs old his mother would have to have been in her 90's at that time. There would have been 4 generations alive in 1961. Not impossible but certainly unusual.

How does a 1953 Chevrolet figure into the crime scene?
From everything that has been stated about the car used in the crime...sitings of the girls getting into a car...it a 55 chevy...

I have to agree with you on the Nichols guy...but we have to search out all the suspects...personally I just don't feel comfortable saying Nichols was the man...but again... his family really feels like he did it. Maybe the DNA tests will tell us.

The person(s) that killed Patty definately had a reason to do the things he did to her....so vicious...and it has been said that the suspect David could do that to a person.

Sometimes I think Mattie may have been molested...due to the fact she had semen on her clothes....how else could it got there. Now I know I'm dumb when it comes to stuff like that but come on....how? Just because she had her clothes on when the bodies were found doesn't mean anything.
 
I personally feel like there were two individuals that killed the girls...I just can't see one guy controlling two teenage girls. Of course...neither girl was very big...but still....how would one man control two girls at the same time?
 
Thanks for the information....I will let the Nichols family know what they need. Then we will figure out how to get the test done.

Just make sure that they understand that a nurse or lab technician needs to be the one to collect it and keep it so there are no future questions concerning contamination or chain of custody of the samples.
 
Patty's stepfather doesn't want the case messed with...that is what he told the reporter in 2003. He wouldn't talk with her much... last time I heard anything about him...he still lived in Carlsbad.
I have talked with one of her step-sisters...at first she was very interested in the case...but since has decided she doesn't want to be involved...so...I have honored her wishes.
As far as I know now of the Pritz family is interested in getting this case solved...
It appears that I am the only one (family member) that really gives a crap if it's even worked on.

Oh...Patty's biological father is still alive...but his daughter...Patty's half-sister...asked me to not involve her father...that he gets upset about the death of his daughter when asked...so again I have honored their wishes to not contact him.

It's too bad that they all feel that way. They are probably just protecting Patty's reputation concerning her dating older/married men at such a young age.
 
From everything that has been stated about the car used in the crime...sitings of the girls getting into a car...it a 55 chevy...

I have to agree with you on the Nichols guy...but we have to search out all the suspects...personally I just don't feel comfortable saying Nichols was the man...but again... his family really feels like he did it. Maybe the DNA tests will tell us.

The person(s) that killed Patty definately had a reason to do the things he did to her....so vicious...and it has been said that the suspect David could do that to a person.

Sometimes I think Mattie may have been molested...due to the fact she had semen on her clothes....how else could it got there. Now I know I'm dumb when it comes to stuff like that but come on....how? Just because she had her clothes on when the bodies were found doesn't mean anything.

Did any of the three local suspects have any ties to such a car at that time? Was such a car seen in the area anytime after the girls were found?

The Nichols tip has to be eliminated, but I don't see him as a likely suspect. The way that Patty was attacked; the LE statement that Mattie was in the wrong place at the wrong time; and the fact that the two girls apparently went willingly with someone in a car suggests that the perp was known to Patty. Mattie may have recognized him also or may have went along in support of Patty if Patty was wanting to meet/date this person.
 
I personally feel like there were two individuals that killed the girls...I just can't see one guy controlling two teenage girls. Of course...neither girl was very big...but still....how would one man control two girls at the same time?

If he was someone that Patty had dated, or wanted to date then she would have accepted the chance to ride in the car with him. Mattie might have gotten in the car to support Patty, and perhaps to feel like a teenager. The perp possibly drove them to a home or cabin where he would have the two girls contained for his control, and the actual crime took place in that setting. Do you have any circumstantial evidence that would indicate that two or more perps could have been involved?
 
Anne -- In your contact with the Nichols family has the name of Earl's mother ever come up? If we knew her name we could probably find the date of her death, which could go to either help support their story that Earl was in Carlsbad visiting his mother or immediately disprove part of their story because she was dead by 1961.

EARL NICHOLS,
DOB 16 Nov 1887,
DOD Jan 1963
(Texas)


DAVID A BLAIR,
DOB 18 Jun 1941
DOD 14 Jan 1998 (V)
88220 (Carlsbad, Eddy, NM)


WILLIE BLAIR,
DOB 27 Oct 1918,
DOD Aug 1987
88220 (Carlsbad, Eddy, NM)
 
Anne -- In your contact with the Nichols family has the name of Earl's mother ever come up? If we knew her name we could probably find the date of her death, which could go to either help support their story that Earl was in Carlsbad visiting his mother or immediately disprove part of their story because she was dead by 1961.

EARL NICHOLS,
DOB 16 Nov 1887,
DOD Jan 1963
(Texas)

Earl Nichols death certificate of Jan 11, 1963 lists his mother as Josephine Liles and his father as Jim Nichols. This info was reported by J.B. Nichols (son or brother?). I have been unsuccessful so far in finding a DOD for his mother as either Liles or Nichols. Perhaps she had an unknown last name at the time of her death.

The easiest way to eliminate Nichols or include him in the suspect pool is to chip away at the story of his 94 yr old daughter and 74 yr old granddaughter to see if it could be true or not.
 
It's too bad that they all feel that way. They are probably just protecting Patty's reputation concerning her dating older/married men at such a young age.

I believe your right about that. Especially where Mr. Pritz is concerned. He divorced Patty's mother and didn't get to see his girls that much. His ex-wife, Patty's mother was married about 4 or 5 times. According to his daughter he worked alot and they moved several times during the years. And that Mrs. Davidson's family made sure he wasn't allowed to visit with the girls much. I feel for Mr. Pritz, I know what my parents went through over the years of not knowing who killed their child and I know what it can do to the family. So I'm sure the family wants to protect Mr. Pritz from anymore hurt and heartache.
 
Earl Nichols death certificate of Jan 11, 1963 lists his mother as Josephine Liles and his father as Jim Nichols. This info was reported by J.B. Nichols (son or brother?). I have been unsuccessful so far in finding a DOD for his mother as either Liles or Nichols. Perhaps she had an unknown last name at the time of her death.

The easiest way to eliminate Nichols or include him in the suspect pool is to chip away at the story of his 94 yr old daughter and 74 yr old granddaughter to see if it could be true or not.
I will try and get some more information regarding Nichols mother.
 
Did any of the three local suspects have any ties to such a car at that time? Was such a car seen in the area anytime after the girls were found?

The Nichols tip has to be eliminated, but I don't see him as a likely suspect. The way that Patty was attacked; the LE statement that Mattie was in the wrong place at the wrong time; and the fact that the two girls apparently went willingly with someone in a car suggests that the perp was known to Patty. Mattie may have recognized him also or may have went along in support of Patty if Patty was wanting to meet/date this person.

No, from all the police reports and stuff I've read they weren't really sure they even had the right description of the car the girls got into. So they really didn't know what they were looking for.

Where the girls bodies were found they got footprints...made a cast of them...and they got tire marks...so they were looking for tires to match the casts. That is how they went about there search for the car. The shoe size was a 7 1/2 boot...the type of work boots that most men wore at that time. I have a picture of a sole of this type work boot. That was another way they tried to find the killer...checking their boot size and such.

David Blair had a car but when he went to Monahans, Texas he came back on the bus...when his wife asked him where the car was he told her to not worry about it.
 
I located Texas Death Certificate #32141 for Josephine Brooks Nichols DOB 11-29-1860 in Dublin, Erath, Texas showing DOD as 7-10-1938. Parents show as Bob Liles and Lydia Ann Blasingame. She shows as being widowed at the time of death, so it doesn't seem likely Earl would have been visiting his mother, or even a stepmother for that matter, in 1961 - unless I'm missing something or climbing the wrong tree?

I thought it interesting that although Earl was transported to Big Spring, TX for burial, he lived for the fourteen years prior to his death in Wichita Falls, TX according to his death certificate.
 
I located Texas Death Certificate #32141 for Josephine Brooks Nichols DOB 11-29-1860 in Dublin, Erath, Texas showing DOD as 7-10-1938. Parents show as Bob Liles and Lydia Ann Blasingame. She shows as being widowed at the time of death, so it doesn't seem likely Earl would have been visiting his mother, or even a stepmother for that matter, in 1961 - unless I'm missing something or climbing the wrong tree?

I thought it interesting that although Earl was transported to Big Spring, TX for burial, he lived for the fourteen years prior to his death in Wichita Falls, TX according to his death certificate.

Your right about Nichols living in Wichita Falls, Texas. According to his grand-daughter he didn't really have a home...he always lived with someone in the family. That he worked at odd jobs, railroad, construction, etc. and wasn't home that much. He did live there off and on during the 60's. Also...he was visiting one of his daughter's when he was in Carlsbad. I had that wrong. Katie Bell Pinson I think...I will have to check with grand-daughter to make sure. THis lady lived at 2408 Bonita St. in Carlsbad. Sorry for the mix up. And thanks for the information regarding Nichols.
 
I've been wondering about other unsolved homicides or missing persons (especially young girls) for the areas that Nichols lived during his lifetime. It is hard to believe that this double murder would have been a one time occurrence, unless this was an "escalation" type occurrence. It would be interesting to know where he went on these construction jobs, etc. and where he visited other family. Any clues from the family would certainly aid in the process of researching this.

You mentioned (I believe) that Nichols had a criminal history? Does the family believe that there may be other cases involved? You also mentioned that on the morning following the night the girls went missing, Nichols had scratches on his face and said he had seen the girls at the beach. The family also relayed to you that Nichols mentioned "something" that had not been publicized that he would not have known had he not been in the area. I don't blame you for not posting this for fear of damaging any subsequent police investigation. The fact that he left Carlsbad right away when he was supposed to have spent the remainder of a week there is alarming. Didn't you say he disposed of the car shortly thereafter?

It sounds like Nichols' family has had a cross to bear for many years in keeping their suspicions to themselves. They should be commended for coming forward, even if nothing comes from it. It sounds like they are trying to make "peace" before death, especially in the case of the elderly daughter of Nichols - and that the granddaughter is helping with the process.

This tip sounds to me as if it really has potential. Although detail was not given about the brutality of Patty's death (nor does it need to be), many were lead to believe it was a personal vindictive attack. In my opinion, it sounds more like a cold, impersonal attack of a very sick individual. This is how the perp got his "kicks," and I wouldn't be surprised if links to other crimes are discovered.

It seems more unlikely to me that the other suspect would be involved, especially since he could have easily made arrangements to meet Patty without Mattie being there. If they were having relations, forcible rape would not have been necessary. The Blair connection, however, is an interesting one, especially with the father finding the bodies - maybe too much of a coincidence - time will tell. It could be possible that Blair disposed of his car because Patty had been in the car at some point and he was afraid of being accused of committing the crime if evidence was found that she had been there.

Law enforcement should be orchestrating DNA tests and gathering statements - and very soon! I would think this would be their responsibility - cold case or not. This is like a "dream tip" and should be treated very seriously.

Sunshine1950, I visited the new website which was established for the girls. My heart fell to my stomach when I opened it and saw the two beautiful faces of Mattie and Patty. It truly becomes personal when you put faces on crimes. I believe you are getting closer and closer to finding some, if not all, of the answers you are looking for --- and that law enforcement will soon step up to the plate to assist you. In the meantime, we'll all keep websleuthing to help them along since they seem to be lacking in motivation to get this case solved.
 
I've been wondering about other unsolved homicides or missing persons (especially young girls) for the areas that Nichols lived during his lifetime. It is hard to believe that this double murder would have been a one time occurrence, unless this was an "escalation" type occurrence. It would be interesting to know where he went on these construction jobs, etc. and where he visited other family. Any clues from the family would certainly aid in the process of researching this.

You mentioned (I believe) that Nichols had a criminal history? Does the family believe that there may be other cases involved? You also mentioned that on the morning following the night the girls went missing, Nichols had scratches on his face and said he had seen the girls at the beach. The family also relayed to you that Nichols mentioned "something" that had not been publicized that he would not have known had he not been in the area. I don't blame you for not posting this for fear of damaging any subsequent police investigation. The fact that he left Carlsbad right away when he was supposed to have spent the remainder of a week there is alarming. Didn't you say he disposed of the car shortly thereafter?

It sounds like Nichols' family has had a cross to bear for many years in keeping their suspicions to themselves. They should be commended for coming forward, even if nothing comes from it. It sounds like they are trying to make "peace" before death, especially in the case of the elderly daughter of Nichols - and that the granddaughter is helping with the process.

This tip sounds to me as if it really has potential. Although detail was not given about the brutality of Patty's death (nor does it need to be), many were lead to believe it was a personal vindictive attack. In my opinion, it sounds more like a cold, impersonal attack of a very sick individual. This is how the perp got his "kicks," and I wouldn't be surprised if links to other crimes are discovered.

It seems more unlikely to me that the other suspect would be involved, especially since he could have easily made arrangements to meet Patty without Mattie being there. If they were having relations, forcible rape would not have been necessary. The Blair connection, however, is an interesting one, especially with the father finding the bodies - maybe too much of a coincidence - time will tell. It could be possible that Blair disposed of his car because Patty had been in the car at some point and he was afraid of being accused of committing the crime if evidence was found that she had been there.

Law enforcement should be orchestrating DNA tests and gathering statements - and very soon! I would think this would be their responsibility - cold case or not. This is like a "dream tip" and should be treated very seriously.

Sunshine1950, I visited the new website which was established for the girls. My heart fell to my stomach when I opened it and saw the two beautiful faces of Mattie and Patty. It truly becomes personal when you put faces on crimes. I believe you are getting closer and closer to finding some, if not all, of the answers you are looking for --- and that law enforcement will soon step up to the plate to assist you. In the meantime, we'll all keep websleuthing to help them along since they seem to be lacking in motivation to get this case solved.

Thank You LEgacy for the support. I appreciate all the help I can get. Also I have read some of the other cases on here and my heart goes to all the families that are seeking answers for the deaths or for the missing person in their lives.

I will try and get the grand-daughter to get on the cp and read this forum. I have told her about it...but I don't know if she has read it yet. I know she asked several in her family to get on and read this forum.

I will also ask some of the questions you have brought up here today. I had thought about the construction jobs he supposedly worked on...his grand-daughter did say that one time he was in California and he was working in a restrauant...and he tried to molest a little girl in the back room...but he took off and they didn't catch him...he came back home that time as well. Makes you wonder about how many children he molested or worse...killed. I don't think the family knows the answer to that....but I will ask the questions.
 
From my limited recollection of the beach/park area in Carlsbad, it is not an area you drive past. You have to purposefully exit and pull into the area in order to access it. If Nichols said he saw the girls at the beach area, he had to have purposefully been in the area and he had to have been purposefully watching those congregated, including Mattie and Patty.
 
From my limited recollection of the beach/park area in Carlsbad, it is not an area you drive past. You have to purposefully exit and pull into the area in order to access it. If Nichols said he saw the girls at the beach area, he had to have purposefully been in the area and he had to have been purposefully watching those congregated, including Mattie and Patty.
Yes that is what his grand-daughter and daughter said...he said he was at the Municipal Park area where they ride the rides...that is where he saw the girls...and yes, he would have to have parked out in the parking area and walk to both areas. The beach area and the park area were pretty far apart. They still are...they just don't have the rides there like they use to.
 
Yes that is what his grand-daughter and daughter said...he said he was at the Municipal Park area where they ride the rides...that is where he saw the girls...and yes, he would have to have parked out in the parking area and walk to both areas. The beach area and the park area were pretty far apart. They still are...they just don't have the rides there like they use to.
According to his daughters memory...he said he was standing around by the municipal office ....do you remember where that was? I think I do...but maybe not.
 
8-14-200931708PMpage1of2003Investig.jpg
932924PM.jpg[/IMG]

Sorry about these not coming up...I will try and put them back on.
 
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