Her case had been closed—but not forgotten.

On an unseasonably warm winter evening in Pennsylvania, 15-year-old Patty Desmond sneaked out through the basement of her house. She had a history of running away, and that, combined with an argument with her mother, gave police reason to suspect she’d come home in a week or two.

The year was 1965. That night was the last time her family ever saw her.

Conrad Eugene Miller was well-known to local law enforcement. An older married man with a child, Miller’s association with Patty was questionable at best. Yet he was the last person known to have seen her alive—and the suspect police continued to circle back toward.

After nothing but false sightings and rumors, the case was moved to the backburner—where it stayed. As decades crept by, reality sunk in: Patty Desmond was never coming back. Then, a tiny crack unleashed a flood of information, and a mystery that had never quite been forgotten was solved.

Reviews:

“Child Last Seen takes the reader on an intense and suspenseful journey across multiple decades, as investigators refuse to give up on the mystery of a fifteen-year-old girl who goes missing in 1965. Full of insight and compassion, Boyle’s writing delves deep into character and community and will keep you on edge until the very end.” (Jan Brogan, author of The Combat Zone: Murder, Race and Boston’s Struggle for Justice, Final Copy, and The Hallie Ahern Mystery Series)

“Maureen Boyle has done it again. Child Last Seen is a meticulously reported, beautifully written true-crime thriller so compelling and well-paced that I couldn’t put it down. With its detailed look at small-town America in the ‘60s and ‘70s, the vulnerability to evil of innocent children, and the dogged police work that resurrected a tragic cold case, Child Last Seen may be Boyle’s best book yet.” (Elaine McArdle, Wall Street Journal best-selling author of The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind)

“Maureen Boyle’s latest true-crime effort is a thrill ride, a story of justice delayed, but not to be denied. Patty Desmond’s murder investigation is a study in the emerging forensic methods of the day and Boyle chronicles it all in meticulous technical detail. But Boyle’s real gift is her grasp of the humanity of her subjects. From the time we are introduced to Patty, Boyle never lets us forget that everyone involved—from the victim to the investigators to the killer himself—is a real person driven by real human emotions and frailties.” (Chris Gonsalves, author of Haunted Golf: Spirited Tales from the Rough and Haunted Love: Tales of Ghostly Soulmates, Spooky Suitors and Eternal Love)

“A riveting true crime story with the visceral resonance of a thriller. Don’t miss this one!” (Sue Coletta, bestselling author of the award-winning Mayhem Series)