A 66-year-old man has been charged with the murder of Patricia Lashley, who disappeared from her Dudley home more than 27 years ago. Trevor Dunkley is accused of killing Ms Lashley, who was last seen in September 1998 near Hall Street.
West Midlands Police confirmed the charge against Mr Dunkley, who was remanded in custody and is expected to appear at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Monday. The development comes almost three decades after Ms Lashley, a mother of seven, was reported missing.
Detectives are appealing to the public for further information to help piece together a clearer picture of Ms Lashley's life. She was known by several names, including Pat and Jade, and also used the surnames Vanessa and Tricia, as well as Bradford. Ms Lashley, who would now be 61 and a grandmother, had known links to London, Newcastle, Wales, and Scotland.
Police stated that Ms Lashley moved to Dudley in the mid-1990s and was known to frequent the No Limits club and various other pubs in the local area. It is understood that Ms Lashley and Mr Dunkley were acquainted. Detective Inspector Michelle Cordell urged anyone who might have known or met either Patricia Lashley or Trevor Dunkley to come forward, even if they had previously spoken to the police when Ms Lashley first went missing.
The force highlighted that Ms Lashley was fairly well-known in both Dudley town centre and Oldbury. Her family had previously issued a renewed appeal in 2017 in an attempt to trace her, underscoring the long-standing efforts to find answers regarding her disappearance.