YREKA – On February 6, 2023, Philip William Frase, 75, was arrested in Yreka by investigators with the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office for the 2005 killing of Patricia Joseph.

On July 15, 2005, Patricia Joseph, 56, was reported missing from her residence in Fort Jones. Patricia Joseph was found three days later in the Klamath River near the Ash Creek Bridge along State Route 96, approximately 27 miles north of Fort Jones. She was partially clothed and had been in the water for several days. The forensic autopsy revealed she died from multiple blunt force traumas and asphyxia.

Since 2005, science and technology has advanced significantly to bring new capabilities to forensic evidence analysis. A cold case team completed a comprehensive review of the investigation and re-submitted evidence to the Department of Justice for fresh analysis, which produced compelling results connecting Frase to the killing of Patricia, according to the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office.

On February 8, 2023, Frase was formally arraigned in the Siskiyou County Superior Court and charged with the unlawful killing of Patricia Joseph. Frase remains in-custody at the Siskiyou County Jail with a 2-million-dollar bail.

“With advances in science and technology, the work of California DOJ criminalists, and dedicated cold case investigators, murder suspects are running out of places and lies to hide behind,” said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) President Alan Barcelona.  “DOJ criminalists are the key to many of these cold cases and we thank them for their service in forensic labs throughout California.”