The Skeleton Key Chronicles

14 hours ago

More than 200 bodies have been recovered from Houston’s waterways since 2017. That number alone has fueled years of online debate. Every time another recovery makes local news, the same theory starts circulating again.

Roughly 2,500 miles of bayous, creeks, and drainage channels weave their way through Houston. They cut behind subdivisions, alongside highways, and through public parks. In a metro area of that size, with waterways woven into the landscape, recoveries are not unusual, but when the total passes 200, people start looking for a pattern.

A new documentary by a local Houston network takes a look at how the sheer number of recoveries began fueling theories around the city and beyond. It follows one local family in their search for answers and also includes interviews with Sean Teare, the district attorney, who states that investigators have found no evidence the cases are tied to one person.

Although officials maintain there is no common thread linking these cases, as long as the number continues to grow, the theories will continue.

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The Skeleton Key Chronicles

18 hours ago

Robert Cosby Jr., the 23-year-old son of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City cast member Mary Cosby and Robert Cosby Sr., has passed away.

The family had been in the news after TLC aired the three-part documentary The Cult of the Real Housewife, which took a look into Mary Cosby’s life and the unusual history surrounding how she came to inherit Faith Temple, the church founded by her grandmother. The series included interviews with former congregants, family members, and journalists who have followed the story since she joined The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.

On Wednesday, the Cosbys released a brief statement confirming his passing and asking for privacy. A difficult moment for a family, especially one that has recently been under scrutiny.

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The Skeleton Key Chronicles

20 hours ago

After nearly 50 years without a name, Boca Raton Jane Doe has been identified as Patricia “Patsy” Ann Falls Ritchie of Harrisonburg, Virginia.

On January 18, 1978, construction workers in Palm Beach County came across partially buried skeletal remains in a wooded area. Investigators responded and began working to determine who the woman was, but with no means to identify her at the time, the case eventually stalled. She became known as a Jane Doe and her information was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.

Decades passed with no answers until the case was reopened through modern DNA testing. In 2024, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office turned to Othram, a forensic lab based in Texas that specializes in genetic genealogy. Using preserved evidence, scientists were able to develop a DNA profile detailed enough to compare against potential relatives, and that work ultimately confirmed she was Patricia “Patsy” Ann Falls Ritchie.

Born December 3, 1953, she was 24 years old when she disappeared. Investigators say she left the Harrisonburg area in 1976 or 1977 and was last seen at a local truck stop getting into a truck with an unknown individual. At the time, she was married to Donnie Wayne Ritchie.

Authorities are still working to determine when she arrived in Florida and what her movements looked like in the time before she was found.

Nearly five decades after those remains were discovered, Boca Raton Jane Doe is now known as Patricia “Patsy” Ann Falls Ritchie. Authorities say they continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding her case, and anyone with information is asked to contact Investigator William Springer with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit. … See MoreSee Less