Everyone in the Manatee County area will remember the death of beloved Palmetto High School librarian Pat Mullins, who went missing while on a boat. His body was found at Emerson Point a few days later, but the strange circumstances surrounding his death remained a mystery.
For nearly a decade, the family of 52-year-old Patrick Mullins has sought answers over his death, initially considered a suicide, but later investigated as a possible homicide. , never giving up hope that the unsolved case will be resolved, has posted ads and offered a $20,000 reward for information about his death.
So what happened to Pat Mullins?
The day 52-year-old Patrick Mullins went missing was any other Sunday. The date was January 27, 2013, and Pat’s wife Jill Mullins headed to her aunt’s house in Sarasota to organize her family mementos. Her mother died, and her aunt had some things that Jill wanted. That afternoon she was giving some of her old furniture to her colleague.
Before she left, Pat kissed her goodbye and said he was there to help her load the furniture.
When Jill returned at 6pm that day, Pat was nowhere to be seen. She thought nothing of it when she realized the boat was gone. However, as time went on, she began to worry. At 10pm she started calling.
The Sheriff’s Marines, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission coordinated the search that night. They found Pat’s boat nine miles west of Egmont Quay. The motor was still running, but Pat was nowhere to be seen.
It was difficult for coroners to determine whether the gunshot wound was self-inflicted or homicidal, adding to the mystery of the case. The skull was sent to a forensic anthropologist at the University of Florida, who made another shocking decision. There may have been another shot from another gun, but due to the condition of the skull, it was difficult to determine.
With Pat’s body in the water, there wasn’t much evidence to continue. Despite having a busy day on the water, no one witnessed any wrongdoing.
Was Pat’s wound self-inflicted, or was it the sinister act of someone else? And who would want to harm the school librarian?
The Netflix episode will no doubt shed more light on the case.
