Patricia Lee Parsons

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

essex-police

Offense Location:

Friern Barnet, London

Summary:

Patricia Parsons, 42, was found dead in her car on June 24, 1990, and lived in Friern Barnet, a suburb of London. She had been shot three times with a crossbow and the killing had all the hallmarks of a professional hit. As of 2022, Patricia's murder remains unsolved.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Offense:

On June 23, 1990, Patricia was due to attend Ozzie's restaurant for a party in the evening. At 6 pm Ozzie called Patricia at her home to find out what time she would be arriving at the party. When she answered the phone, she told him that she was still getting ready, but would be there for the party at 7.30 pm. At 7.30 pm, Patricia was seen driving away from her home, returning approximately 30 minutes later, the police could not determine where Patricia drove to. Another witness said that at approximately 5 pm on the 23rd of June, they saw a very nice black car pull onto Patricia's drive. At 8 pm, Patricia had still not arrived at the party, Ozzie called her again at home, she answered and told him that she had something to tell him but she had to do it in person and would tell him when she got to the party. At approximately 8.30 pm, Patricia's next-door neighbour heard an argument between a man and a woman coming from Patricia's home. The neighbour said that he saw Patricia get into her white C-reg VW Golf GTi Cabriolet on the passenger side, a male, who the neighbour did not recognise got into the driver's side and the pair drove away. The man was described as being white with fair hair. On Sunday 24th June around lunchtime, Patricia's dead body was found by ramblers in the driver's seat of her car which was parked off Long Street in Upshire. She had three deep puncture wounds to her head, which a post mortem later confirmed was the cause of her death and it was suggested these wounds could have been caused by cross bow bolts. Her body also showed signs that she had been beaten.

Additional Details:

Patricia worked as a masseuse in Camden Town. However, the bulk of her income came from working as a discreet escort, serving clients at her home. Patricia was known to her colleagues as Debbie and to her friends as Lee. Patricia was a wealthy lady, owning 3 properties, with her main home said to be worth £500,000 back in 1990. At the time of her death, Patricia was divorced but was dating a man named Ozzie. Patricia had loaned Ozzie money to open a restaurant in Harlow. A witness came forwards and told police that she noticed two strange men near Fernhall Lane on the 23rd of June, near where Patricia was found. She told the police that at about 1.30 pm she was on her way to the shops when she saw two men in two separate cars parked on either side of the road, a red one and a green one. When she returned home from shopping approximately 5 hours later, these men were still sitting in their cars. It is possible that these men had been there from 1.30 pm to at least 6.30 pm. In 2007, thanks to breakthroughs in DNA technology, police arrested and questioned 58-year-old Colin Rosenheim over Patricia's murder. He was questioned for five hours but it is said that he refused to answer any questions. He was released on bail, but no charges were made against him. Patricia Parsons' diary, containing the names of her high profile clients, was never found. The surmise was that it was a contract killing, possibly to prevent the disclosure of names in a story to be told to a Sunday newspaper.

Case Last Updated:

Sep 13, 2026