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| Jay Hickey Disappearance: Where Is Patty Hickey Now? |
Patricia “Patty” Hickey has largely stayed out of the public eye since her husband, John “Jay” Hickey, disappeared from their property in Epsom, New Hampshire, in October 2023. The 76-year-old was living with dementia when he went missing, yet his disappearance was not officially reported until February 2024. The lengthy delay, conflicting accounts about his final days and unsuccessful searches have left investigators with more questions than answers.
New Hampshire Public Radio’s podcast Bear Brook: A Private Matter revisits the case through interviews, personal accounts and details from the investigation. But while attention has turned towards Patty and her statements to authorities, one important question remains unanswered: what actually happened to Jay?
Jay was born around 1947 or 1948 and spent much of his life building a reputation as a friendly, hardworking member of the Epsom community. He grew up surrounded by his parents and brothers, including Donnie Hickey, with whom he shared many childhood memories. Those who knew him locally remembered someone who was not afraid of putting in the work, particularly when it came to running his own business.
His entrepreneurial journey eventually led him to establish McCoy Mountain Tree Farm in the early 1970s. Located on McCoy Mountain in Epsom, the Christmas tree farm became an important part of his professional life and a familiar seasonal destination for local families. It also provided opportunities for young people in the area, as Jay and Patty reportedly hired local children to help during the busy Christmas season. It was the sort of community business that gave people more than just a place to buy a Christmas tree.
Jay's contribution to Epsom extended well beyond the farm. He held several positions in local government, including serving on the select board and the rescue squad. His business also sponsored a local baseball team, giving him another connection to the community through his work as an assistant coach. He later became the town's Zoning Compliance Officer, a position he held until his retirement in 2020.
Away from his professional responsibilities, Jay built a family life with Patricia, known to those around her as Patty. The pair eventually married and raised a blended family of five children, including Emily and John Hickey Jr. For years, their lives appeared closely connected to the local community, with the family business providing a familiar setting for neighbours and seasonal workers.
However, things reportedly became more difficult when Jay began experiencing memory problems. He was eventually diagnosed with dementia, a condition that would become an important part of the investigation into his disappearance. Given his age and declining memory, concerns about his ability to navigate unfamiliar surroundings would later become central to the search.
The first major warning sign came in February 2024, when Emily struggled to contact her father. Concerned about his welfare, she asked her brother, John Jr., to visit the family property and check on him. Unfortunately, he could not find Jay anywhere. The family subsequently reported the 76-year-old missing on February 26, 2024.
In March, authorities publicly appealed for information and indicated that they believed Jay might have walked away from his home. Investigators organised searches around the property and nearby wooded terrain, including areas with difficult, hilly ground. Cadaver dogs were also used as part of the search efforts. Despite the resources involved, the searches failed to establish what had happened to him.
The fact that Jay had dementia made the situation particularly concerning. A person experiencing memory difficulties could become disorientated after leaving familiar surroundings, making an already difficult search considerably more complicated. Unfortunately, investigators have yet to establish a confirmed destination or identify where he might have gone.
Much of the attention surrounding the case has also focused on Patty's statements to authorities. According to information discussed in Bear Brook: A Private Matter, she told investigators that she had last seen her husband in October 2023. However, the last independently confirmed sighting by someone other than Patty reportedly dated back to April 2023. That substantial gap became an important detail as authorities attempted to reconstruct Jay's final known movements.
During interviews, Patty reportedly told investigators that Jay had wanted to spend some time away and had mentioned visiting his brothers, who lived in other states. She also suggested that when she returned home and could not find him, she assumed one of his brothers might have collected him.
In another account, Patty reportedly said she had established that Jay was in Florida visiting his brother Donnie. However, when authorities contacted family members, they found no confirmation that such a visit had taken place. The difference between what Patty believed had happened and what investigators could independently establish added another complication to the case.
There were also questions about Jay's medical care. According to the podcast, investigators discovered that some of his medical appointments had been cancelled around the period when he was last believed to have been seen. This became another point of interest as authorities examined his circumstances before he disappeared.
When questioned about how Jay could have travelled alone, Patty reportedly maintained that she believed he was capable of making his own decisions. She also indicated that she did not want to restrict his independence. Throughout her interviews, she maintained that she did not know where her husband had gone.
Another development emerged through the account of the Hickey family's longtime babysitter, Cathy, also identified as Kathy O'Mara. During an interview, she alleged that Patty had told her she discovered Jay dead on the property, near an old fountain.
The allegation naturally attracted attention, although it is important to distinguish between what someone claims to have heard and what investigators have actually established. When detectives reportedly questioned Patty about the fountain, she described it as one of the last places where she had seen Jay alive.
In April 2026, authorities executed a search warrant at the Hickey property and examined the grounds, including areas relevant to the reported account. However, no human remains were discovered. Cathy’s allegation has not been substantiated by physical evidence, and it should not be treated as an established explanation for Jay's disappearance.
The investigation has also raised questions about whether Patty could face legal consequences over the delay in reporting her husband missing. According to the legal explanation featured in the podcast, New Hampshire law does not automatically make a failure to report an adult missing a criminal offence. There are provisions concerning the neglect of disabled, impaired and elderly adults, but prosecutors would need to establish the necessary legal elements, including evidence of serious bodily injury in the circumstances described.
In Jay's case, authorities have not publicly established direct evidence demonstrating that neglect caused him serious bodily injury. Consequently, Patty Hickey has never been charged in connection with her husband's disappearance.
This distinction is important because public suspicion and criminal responsibility are two very different things. Although the circumstances have prompted questions about Patty's accounts and the delay in contacting authorities, no charge has been brought against her in relation to Jay's disappearance.
Authorities have also indicated that the active investigative work was suspended at one stage, although the case remains open. This means investigators can still examine credible new information and pursue potential leads if something useful emerges.
Under New Hampshire law, a missing person may be presumed dead after four continuous years without being found, subject to the applicable legal requirements. Since Jay was reported missing in February 2024, February 2028 is the earliest point at which that four-year period would be reached. Until then, his disappearance remains an unresolved missing-person case.
So, where is Patty Hickey now? Based on the publicly described information surrounding the case, Patty appears to be maintaining a low profile away from public attention. There is no confirmed recent public information establishing her current activities or providing a detailed account of her life since the investigation attracted attention. She has not been charged, and there is no verified development indicating that she has publicly provided a new explanation for Jay's whereabouts.
Opinion:
Jay Hickey's disappearance is unsettling not simply because an older man with dementia went missing, but because the delay in reporting it left so many basic questions unanswered. The gap between the last independently confirmed sighting and the account given to investigators deserves careful attention, as do the claims attributed to Cathy O'Mara. But suspicion is not proof, and a reported conversation about an old fountain cannot be treated as an established fact.
That distinction matters, particularly when Patty Hickey has not been charged and no remains have been found. It is also frustrating that searches have produced no clear answer for a family and community that knew Jay as a familiar local figure. The case needs evidence, not internet verdicts. Until investigators find something reliable, the fairest conclusion is also the simplest: Jay is still missing, and what happened to him remains genuinely unknown.
For now, the biggest question is not simply where Patty Hickey is today, but what happened during the months before Jay was officially reported missing. His disappearance has left a family without clear answers and a community waiting for information that could finally explain his fate. Whether future evidence will bring investigators closer to the truth remains to be seen. What do you think is the most important unanswered question in Jay Hickey's disappearance? Share your thoughts while remembering that the allegations surrounding the case have not been proven.