For 24 years, Shawn Gertsch has lived with the same relentless question: who killed his mother, Patricia Hodges? He fills notebooks with leads and half-remembered details and returns to her grave on the anniversary of her death, scattering rose petals. For his family, the loss still feels raw, and they say justice for the person who took her life remains nonnegotiable.
Detectives with the St. Petersburg Police Department say the case is back in active review. They are working with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Pinellas County Forensics Laboratory to re-examine evidence and decide what new testing could make a difference. Investigators told reporters they hope modern forensic tools might generate stronger DNA profiles or fresh leads that simply were not possible during the original investigation, and they note no one has ever been arrested in the killing. As reported by FOX 13 Tampa Bay.
What the police file shows
According to the St. Petersburg Police Department’s case flyer, Patricia G. Hodges was found dead inside her apartment on April 18, 2002. The flyer lists the address as 6100 9th Street North, #2 and states that she died from upper-body trauma. The case is featured on the department’s unsolved-homicides page and is still marked as under investigation, with the flyer urging anyone who knows something to contact the Homicide Unit.
Family keeps searching
Gertsch and other relatives say they have spent decades pressing for information, gathering names and possible leads, and working to keep Hodges’ memory present for the grandchildren she raised. They also recall that jewelry she frequently wore, including pieces that read “Number One Grandma” and “Number One Mom,” disappeared after her death. That missing jewelry has weighed on the family as investigators have chased down leads over the years. Those family accounts and broader community attention to the case were detailed in local coverage. As reported by Tampa Bay Times.
What detectives hope new testing will reveal
Police say their work has been complicated by the passage of time: witnesses and relatives have died, and the original investigation did not have access to today’s forensic technology. Detectives publicly said in 2013 that they had a person of interest, but not enough evidence to file charges. They also note that the last major round of lab work on the case was completed in 2017. Now, they are banking on fresh testing to produce usable DNA profiles or other leads that could finally move the case forward. Those steps and the renewed push were described in recent coverage. As reported by FOX 13 Tampa Bay.
How to help
The St. Petersburg Police Department is asking anyone with information to contact its Homicide Unit at 727-893-7164 or the police communications center at 727-893-7780. Those numbers, along with additional case details, appear on the department’s case flyer. Investigators say even a small piece of information could shift the trajectory of this long-running investigation, and they continue to coordinate with state and county forensic partners as the renewed review moves ahead.
