Man admits murdering woman in Dudley last seen in 1998
Trevor Dunkley has pleaded guilty to murdering Patricia Lashley
Last updated 11th Sep 2026
A man has admitted to murdering a woman who was last seen in Dudley almost 30 years ago.
Appearing at Wolverhampton Crown Court today (September 11), 66-year-old Trevor Dunkley pleaded guilty to murdering Patricia Lashley.
He also pleaded guilty to one count of preventing a lawful burial, between September 22 and September 28, 1998.
Lashley's body has still never been found, the court heard.
The defendant spoke only to confirm his name and his pleas, with Judge Michael Chambers KC saying the "courage" to admit what he'd done would be reflected in his sentence.
West Midlands Police said the mother of seven and Dunkley knew each other and that she went by a number of other names, including 'Pat' and Jade'.
Lashley was last seen near her home in Hall Street, Dudley in September 1998.
She'd previously been one of the force's longest running missing persons cases.
Dunkley, of Himley Road, Dudley, has been remanded in custody and is set to be sentenced on November 6.
"I killed her. I am sorry."
West Midlands Police Patricia's disappearance was still being investigated when an officer recently went to speak to Dunkley.
During this visit, he made the shock confession, telling the officer "I killed her. I'm sorry".
He was arrested and told officers of their relationship in the months leading up to Patricia's death.
He said the pair had met while Patricia was pregnant and living in Dudley, and soon after, she moved into Dunkley's flat in Hall Street.
Dunkley claimed Patricia had been abusive and violent, culminating in her death in September 1998, although this hasn't been corroborated.
On the day of the murder, Dunkley claimed he had returned home after a night shift and had attacked her while she was in bed - saying the "red mist" had descended.
Standing over Patricia, Dunkley launched a violent physical assault with his fists, killing the 33-year-old.
After the murder, Dunkley, who was 38 at the time, told detectives he took Patricia's child to Social Services, telling them she had left him and abandoned her baby.
Dunkley stated he then returned home to sleep on the sofa before he went to work that night. Upon his return he claimed she hadn’t moved and he ‘knew she was dead’.
Dunkley later covered Patricia's body with bedding and took her down to the cellar, where her body lay for around a year before Dunkley disposed of her remains in household waste over several weeks.
According to Dunkley, he decided to confess nearly 30 years after Patricia's death because he thought police were "onto him".
Detective Inspector Michelle Cordell, from West Midlands Police's Homicide Unit, said: "This was a truly harrowing case in which a young mother was murdered inside the home she shared with her partner and her baby.
"Trevor Dunkley is the only living person who truly knows what happened that day.
"He has provided an account of events which, sadly, we cannot corroborate.
"What we do know, is that by his own admission, he subjected Patricia Lashley to an sustained and violent assault which led to her death.
"His actions afterwards are unspeakably cruel. It is difficult for anyone to comprehend how he could live for so long, knowing what he had done and within the same location he had deposited her body.
"His calculated and sophisticated plan to dispose of her remains in household waste took careful planning.
"Not only did he deprive Patricia a lawful or decent burial, he robbed her family of the opportunity to lay her to rest.
"For decades, they have had to live without answers and with the hope that one day she would return. There can be no justification for his actions."