What Happened to Patrice Endres?

Netflix's reboot of Unsolved Mysteries takes us down the rabbit hole of some of America's most puzzling cold cases. (opens in new tab) One case covered in the show is the disappearance and death of Patrice Endres, a Cumming, Georgia mom and hairdresser who owned her own salon and suddenly went missing on April 15, 2004. She left behind a son, Pistol Black, (opens in new tab) who is featured in much of the "13 Minutes" episode; his pain over the mysterious loss of his mother, and the dearth of answers in the last 16 years, is clear to see. There are currently no suspects in Patrice's disappearance and death.

What happened during those "13 minutes" to Patrice Endres?

The "13 Minutes" episode title refers to the 13 minutes in which authorities believe Patrice was taken from her salon. Very little is known about what could have happened; passers-by saw that Patrice's car was parked at an unusual angle, but the salon was empty by the time another person arrived.

When authorities were called, they discovered that money had been taken from a safe and Patrice's lunch had been left out uneaten, but there was no other evidence of a break-in or a struggle. All the cops had to work on was the understanding that something had happened between 11:37—the time of the last phone call Patrice answered—and 11:50 a.m., the time of the first call she didn't pick up.

Who killed Patrice?

It wasn't until 600 days later, on December 6, 2005, that skeletal remains were found behind Lebanon Baptist Church in Dawson County. The remains were later identified as Patrice's. Later, officials realized that Patrice's wedding ring was not recovered with the body; the ring has never been found.

The main figure featured in the episode, other than Patrice's son Black, is Rob Endres, who was married to Patrice at the time she died. Although Rob and Pistol openly despise each other—Rob says in the episode that he threw Pistol, then a teenager, out of their house as soon as his mother disappeared—both have been key figures in pushing for Patrice's murder to be solved.

In the 16 years since Patrice's death, two separate serial killers, Jeremy Brian Jones and Gary Michael Hilton, have been suspected in her death, with Jones even confessing to her murder. It was determined by authorities that neither men likely killed Patrice.

Where is Patrice's ring?

Georgia officials hope that someone may come across the ring, consisting of two 14-carat gold rings soldered together with a 1.5-carat pear-shaped marquis diamond in the center. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation writes on its website (opens in new tab) that if you have information about the case or the ring's location, you can call their tip line at 800-597-8477.

"We are dedicated to solving this case," said Special Agent Kimberly Williams in a statement to the Forsyth County News (opens in new tab) in 2019. "And we continue to encourage the public to contact us with any information that may help us hold the responsible party accountable."

Visit unsolved.com if you have any information about Patrice's disappearance.