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Real Name: Patrice Tamber Endres
Nicknames: No known nicknames
Location: Cumming, Georgia
Date: April 15, 2004

Case[]

Details: Thirty eight year old hairdresser Patrice Endres disappeared from her hair salon in Cumming, Georgia on April 15, 2004, between 11:37 and 11:50AM. Her remains were found on December 6, 2005 in Dawson County, Georgia. There are several suspects in her death, including her husband Rob and two serial killers: Jeremy Jones and Gary Hilton. Despite this, the case remains unsolved.
Patrice had a son, Delves Wade "Pistol" Black, from a previous relationship. He was in tenth grade when she vanished. Every morning, she would wake him up by turning on the treadmill and running; this is what she did on April 15, 2004. The two argued briefly that morning because he was in a hurry to get to school. He wanted to get there early so that he could talk to his girlfriend before class. That morning, Patrice dropped him off at school. She told him that she loved him and would see him in the afternoon. He told her that he loved her too. That was the last time he ever talked to her.
Later that day, Pistol was in biology class when a school resource officer came in and took him to the office. He asked if he had spoken with mother, to which he replied that he had not. He then asked if there was any way he could get in touch with her. He called her on his cell phone, but she did not answer. Normally, if she did not answer, she would immediately call back. However, he called three times and got no answer. He knew that something was not right.
Patrice was extremely involved in Pistol's life. She went to every meet and game of his. She always wanted him to be happy. He recalled that from a young age, his mother had a passion to cut hair and make people look beautiful. When he was a teenager, she would always want him to put his hair in different styles or try something different with it. About every other week, he either had a different hair color or haircut. When he was younger, she worked hard in other people's salons.
Finally, Patrice got to the point where she could open her own salon. She built a business that had people coming back constantly. Her friend Nancy Hunt recalled that she was always fun to be around and was always positive and smiling. She always tried to make others feel special. According to Nancy, her salon was her dream and she was very proud of it. Her husband Rob was the one that helped her start it.
Rob and Patrice met when he was fifty and she was thirty. At the time, she was renting a chair at a two-station beauty salon. The two first met when he stopped there to get a haircut. They fell in love and later married in 1997. They were together for seven years, which he considered the happiest time of his life. He recalled that the community and her customers loved her. Often, after she would cut a customer's hair, they would stay for hours just to chat with her.
Patrice's sister Kyleen Kramer recalled that she loved everyone and would always give people big hugs when she greeted him. Ann McDonald met Patrice several years before she vanished as a walk-in at her salon. The two hit it off and became close friends over the years. Since the salon was close to Ann's house, she and Patrice would hang out there often. She always went by there every afternoon to visit her. She remembered when she visited her the night before her disappearance, Patrice said "Woman, are you going to be back here tomorrow?" and Ann responded that of course she would be there.
Normally, Ann would call Patrice on her cell phone. On the day of her disappearance, her calls went straight to voicemail, which was odd to her. By the time she arrived at the salon, there were police cars surrounding it. Police had received a 911 call from a customer who had arrived at the salon and found it empty. When officers arrived there, they found the cash register open and money missing from it. Her purse and car keys were laying on the counter. It appeared that she was about to warm up her lunch, as it was found on the counter next to the microwave. The rest of the stop was undisturbed. There was no blood, overturned furniture, or drag marks at the scene.
When police officers took Pistol to the salon, he learned from detectives that Patrice was missing. He could not believe it and was convinced that she would return soon. Rob was contacted at work at around 2PM and told that she was missing. He was hoping that she was okay. When he arrived at the salon, detectives told him that they planned to interview him. He realized that he was being considered a possible suspect, which he understood since it was his wife that was missing.
Investigators noted that they initially were unsure whether or not Patrice was a victim of a kidnapping. There was nothing in or around the salon that indicated a crime had occurred. The only thing that was out of place was her black Chevy Tahoe, which was parked in front of the salon facing in a westward direction. This was strange because, according to her customers and loved ones, she always backed into the spot on the side of the building so that she was closest to the side door. It is not known if she or someone else moved the car. One theory was that an assailant convinced her to move her car under the guise of getting theirs jump-started; they then used the opportunity to abduct her.
When Kyleen arrived at the salon, police had begun a massive search of the area. She and her family were understandably concerned. A thorough search was conducted. However, no trace of Patrice was found. It was hoped that she was alive and had just left voluntarily. However, her family and friends did not believe that she would leave Pistol behind because she loved and cared for him too much.
About two weeks prior to Patrice's disappearance, she said to Pistol: "If I was to ever go anywhere, where would you go?" He said: "I don't know, my dad's house I guess." He recalled that she did not specifically say that she was going to leave. Instead, she was bringing up a scenario of "what if something happened?" He did not think anything of it at the time.
Early on, investigators built a timeline to determine what happened on the morning of Patrice's disappearance. She had customers in her salon the entire morning. Based on her appointment book, they were able to determine who was there. The first client, Pam Sheppard, arrived at 8:50AM for her 9AM appointment. She recalled that Patrice seemed distracted and was not very attentive to her. At 11:05AM, Pam left the salon. At 11:10AM, Paul Cantor arrived for his haircut. He left at 11:27AM. As he was leaving the salon, he got a phone call which was verified by cell phone records.
At 11:35AM, a customer called to change an appointment. She recalled that Patrice was somewhat short on the phone, which was unusual for her. The call lasted about two minutes. Based on phone records, the next call came in at 11:50AM. She did not answer this call. Investigators believe that something happened to her within the thirteen minutes between 11:37 and 11:50.
Outside of Patrice's salon, at around 11:45AM, two independent witnesses saw another car in the front of it. As witness Tammy Fincher came over the hill, she first noticed Patrice's car. She then noticed a Chevy Lumina, which was pulled directly into the salon. It had a Georgia Quail Wildlife tag. The front door to the salon was open. She saw two women around the Lumina: a taller, dark-haired lady (presumably Patrice) near the salon's front door and an older lady on the passenger side. They had hands on each other; she was not sure if one had tripped and fallen or was pushing the other over, but she was sure it did not look normal.
The second witness was driving by the salon at approximately the same time. However, he believed the second vehicle was a Ford Taurus, possibly a Malibu. He also reported seeing a man with shoulder-length hair standing next to the car. Both witnesses are considered credible because they described essentially the same thing and were totally independent of each other. Tammy believes she was the last person to see Patrice alive. She feels guilty because she did not do anything about it at the time.
Although people tried to reassure Pistol that Patrice would come home safe, he knew that she would never leave him. He spent hours in the woods, calling her name and hoping that he would find her. It was the first time he had been without her. Although he was just fifteen at the time, he said that the situation made him grow up extremely fast. He also said that he went through some hard times after she vanished.
Pistol recalled having a troubled relationship with Rob. He was around eight when they married. Nancy recalled that Patrice was very happy when she got married, believing that Rob was the guy she was supposed to be with. Pistol said that Rob was nice to him during the first year and that he tried to be involved in his life. However, he later turned into a different person and acted very different towards Pistol. He tried to make Pistol feel like he was not good enough. He would walk past his room and say crude stuff to him.
Nancy recalled that Rob was overly protective of Patrice, always "hovering" whenever he was around her. He was jealous of Patrice's relationships with her friends. Kyleen recalled that Patrice was not happy and that she and Rob fought often. He apparently wanted her all to himself. He also did not understand why Patrice gave Pistol so much attention. He thought that he was not getting attention because Pistol was getting it.
Pistol witnessed Patrice and Rob fighting on several occasions. If the fight was about Pistol, Patrice would never back down. Rob, however, denied that he and Patrice ever argued. He claimed that Pistol was jealous of the closeness of his and Patrice's relationship. He also claimed that she never disciplined Pistol and that he would "run crazy". He claimed that he did not see any future in Pistol when he was with him.
Pistol claimed that Patrice had spoken about divorcing Rob a few weeks prior to her disappearance. She allegedly had been unhappy about the relationship for several years. Rob claimed that she had never mentioned divorce to him. He admitted that there were issues sometimes, but he chooses not to remember them. He claimed that he was looking forward to spending their whole lives together.
The day after Patrice went missing, Rob changed all of the locks on the doors to the house. He would not let Pistol in to get his clothes or any other possessions. Pistol knocked on the doors and windows, but Rob would not answer. Rob claimed that he did this as a precautionary measure. He said that he did not want Pistol in the house because he did not like him. He wanted him to stay somewhere else so that he knew he would be safe. He also did not want to have to "put up with his stuff".
After Patrice vanished, Pistol went to live on his father Don Black's farm. It was a difficult time because Don was also depressed about Patrice's disappearance. Despite their relationship ending, the two had remained close friends over the years and spoke every day. As the days passed, Pistol became more and more anxious. He hoped that Patrice would turn up one day, claiming that she left in order to set up a place for them to get away from Rob. Every morning, he woke up hoping that it would be the day his mother came home. Sadly, that day never came.
Patrice's father Richard Tamber Sr. had similar hopes that she would show up at his house one day. Ann also had hopes that she would receive a phone call or a letter from her one day. Others, like Nancy, began to realize as time passed that she was probably not going to be found alive.
Meanwhile, investigators tried to interview everyone that knew Patrice. They reviewed financial records, phone records, and other information to try and figure out what happened. They also looked into several possible suspects. One was serial killer Gary Michael Hilton. He abducted Meredith Emerson and her dog while they were on a walk. He took them to neighboring Dawson County where he kept her alive for several days before brutally murdering her.
Hilton was known to have been in Forsyth County (where the salon is located), as he had been stopped for a traffic violation there. He was known to call people over the phone and con them out of money. However, he also did that in person as well. In one statement to investigators, he told them that his favorite place to go was a hair salon. He would go in and ask for money, usually around lunchtime. He was known to "hunt" for people and would kidnap a person if the opportunity arose. Investigators could not find an alibi for him on the day of Patrice's disappearance. Although they do not have any evidence to prove his involvement, he remains a potential suspect.
Another possible suspect in the case is Jeremy Jones. In January 2005, he was arrested in Mobile, Alabama for the murder of a woman there. Investigators noted that he was easy to talk to, but also seemed to have a "demon" inside him and liked to sexually abuse and kill women. He confessed to the murders of at least six women. He then told investigators that he needed to tell them about a hairdresser in Georgia.
Jones confessed to Patrice's murder. He claimed that he would become an evil person while "high on dope". In his confession, he said that he was passing by when he decided to approach the salon. He came inside and told her that his car needed a jump. Outside, he pulled out a knife and forced her into his car. He told her that he would kill her if she tried to escape. He drew a diagram of where her vehicle was parked and where he parked his vehicle; the depiction was accurate. He claimed that, after killing her, he took her to a bridge above Sweetwater Creek in Douglas County and dumped her into it.
Investigators brought in cadaver dogs, boats, and search-and-rescue personnel to the creek. Despite an extensive search, no trace of Patrice was found. Investigators began to suspect that Jones may have made a false confession. Ultimately, he recanted it. No evidence was found to link him to Patrice's case. However, he has not been eliminated as a suspect. In fact, one investigator noted that there were things Jones told them that he felt were impossible for him to know unless he had been to the salon.
On December 6, 2005, twenty months after Patrice's disappearance, Elbert Clark and some friends were working at Lebanon Baptist Church, six miles from the salon, when they took a snack break on the back steps. Elbert noticed some buzzards were flying around in the nearby woods. He and a friend decided to go over and see what they were interested in. After finding a dead deer, his friend noticed a white object nearby. They then realized that it was a human skull.
Elbert and his friend contacted the police. The Dawson County Sheriff's Office contacted investigators in Cumming and told them of the discovery. The area was extensively searched and more remains were found. They were confirmed to be Patrice's. Pistol was at school that day when he was called to the principal's office. Don came in and told him that her remains had been found.
The area where Patrice's remains were found was very rural and remote. According to investigators, it would have been difficult to carry dead weight over that terrain. However, they noted it was possible that she was walked into the area. It is also possible that her body was dragged to the area.
Pistol told police that he believed Rob had something to do with Patrice's murder. He believed that her trying to get a divorce from Rob played a major part in it. He believed that Rob would have been very jealous if she left him for someone else. Nancy also told the police that they should look at Rob. She knew that Patrice had not been happy with him. She has always thought he had something to do with it.
Rob denies any involvement in Patrice's murder and claims that it was physically impossible time-wise for him to have been involved in it. On the day of her disappearance, he was at home. Before he went to work, he got gas for his car. He had a time-stamped receipt to prove this. According to him, her salon was about a forty-five minute drive from Woodstock, where he was getting gas. He also claimed that there was a turnstile at work that recorded what time he came in. Furthermore, he claimed that there was no motive for him to kill Patrice because she did not have any life insurance on herself.
According to investigators, Rob was thoroughly investigated by them. They created a timeline of his day. They noted that while this timeline does not eliminate him from being involved, it greatly reduces the chances that he could have done it. They also could not eliminate a murder-for-hire scenario; however, they did not feel that was probable. They uncovered nothing that suggested he did that.
Rob believes that someone who knew Patrice's routine was involved. Based on the lack of struggle at the scene, he believes that it was someone she knew. He also suspects that more than one person may have been involved. Furthermore, he speculates that someone may have kept her captive for several days, using her as a "toy", before killing and dumping her. He also speculates that the killer used a wheelbarrow to place her where she was found.
Investigators are certain that whatever happened to Patrice occurred in the thirteen-minute window between 11:37 and 11:50AM. Despite the fact that money was taken from the cash register, they do not believe that robbery was the primary motive. They have noted that salons are rarely targeted for armed robbery because there generally is not much cash available. They have also noted that the road her salon was on was quite busy, with people often coming in and asking for directions or other help. It is speculated that the "wrong person" came into the store and may have taken her.
Investigators believe that the blue car seen outside of the salon is critical to solving the case because the sighting occurred in the thirteen-minute window. They hope to find someone who owned that type of car at the time and was acting very strangely on the day of Patrice's disappearance.
Patrice's wedding ring is also missing. It has a 1.5 carat pear shaped diamond with two other 14 carat gold rings attached. There are some aspects of the investigation that investigators refuse to discuss because they define it as "guilty knowledge information". This is information only known to the killer and the police. This information helps to substantiate or disprove a confession.
When Patrice's remains were brought to the funeral home, Rob asked the staff to "re-assemble" her and lay her out for him to see. They did just that, placing the remains in the correct anatomical position. When that was finished, the director brought Rob into the room with the remains. Rob then incredulously picked up her skull and carried it around for a few minutes. He then put it back and kissed her goodbye.
Patrice was later cremated. When her ashes with given to Rob, he kept them in his bed with him for over a year. He described them as his "teddy bear" because when she was alive, he would do the same thing with her (snuggle together in bed). He said that it brought back good memories for him. He also said that "he has her. And that's a good thing." He now keeps her ashes in a box in the bottom of a closet. He has never shared the ashes with anyone, even Pistol.
Pistol confirms that he has never received any of Patrice's ashes. He also did not get any of her pictures or other belongings. Despite fifteen years passing, he still hopes to get closure and justice for her.

Suspects: Rob Endres is suspected by Patrice's loved ones as being involved in her murder. According to her friends and family, she was not happy with their marriage and wanted a divorce. According to her son Pistol, the two fought often. The day after she vanished, he changed the locks to the house, despite the fact that she was still missing. After her remains were found, he kept them in his home and refused to give them to anyone else. However, Rob claims to have an alibi for the day of the disappearance, with a time-stamped receipt that seemed to confirm it. Despite this, he has not been ruled out as a suspect.
Serial killer Jeremy Bryan Jones confessed to multiple murders, including Patrice's and that of the Freeman family and Lauria Bible. He said that he went to the salon and pretended that he needed help getting his car jump started. He then pulled out a knife and abducted her. Afterwards, he killed her and dumped her body in Sweetwater Creek. However, her body was not found there. He later recanted this confession and the confession in the Freeman/Bible case. Her remains were later found in a wooded area nowhere near the creek. However, according to one investigator, he knew details about the salon that only someone who had been there would know. Other sources contradict this, stating that he only knew things about the case that had been reported in the news.
Serial killer Gary Michael Hilton has also been considered a possible suspect in Patrice's case. He kidnapped and murdered another woman, Meredith Emerson. Her dog and some of her belongings were later found in Cumming. He was known to have been to Forsyth County where Patrice vanished. He also told investigators that hair salons are one of the favorite places he likes to go to, and that he likes to go to salons around lunchtime and ask for money. He has never been charged in Patrice's case but remains a suspect. He is also considered a possible suspect in the murder of Judith Smith.
Two witnesses driving by the salon shortly after Patrice was last heard from reported seeing an unidentified blue car in front of it. One witness described the car as a 1992 Chevrolet Lumina with a Georgia Wildlife tag. The same witness reported seeing two women, one being older, in front of the car. The other witness described the car as a '99 to '02 Ford Taurus or Chevrolet Malibu. He reported seeing a woman and a man with shoulder-length hair next to the car.
Extra Notes: This case was first released on July 1, 2020 as a part of the first volume of the Netflix reboot of Unsolved Mysteries.
Results: Unsolved. Rob Endres passed away on October 8, 2023. Patrice's ashes has been returned to surviving family.
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