Funeral set for Patricia Martin, runaway teen, found dead in motel as investigation continues
A public funeral service to memorialize a teenage runaway reportedly found dead in a Newark motel last Friday is set for this weekend.
Patricia “Tricia” Martin photo BringTriciaMartinHome Facebook
The service for 17-year-old Patricia Martin, nicknamed “Tricia” is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at Graham-Hitch Mortuary, according to a funeral home employee.
Police have yet to confirm that it was Patricia Martin, along with a 24-year-old Livermore man, James Cole, who were found dead on Sept. 14 inside a Newark motel.
Kathy Martin, Tricia’s mother, told the Pleasanton Weekly that the girl was her daughter, 17-year-old Village High School student had been missing for nearly a week – reported missing September 10.
Officers said the mother was unable to provide any information regarding her daughter’s whereabouts but believed she was in the company of her boyfriend.
Patricia Martin was listed as an “endangered runaway” on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children website.
A Facebook page set up to help find the missing teen was flooded with condolence notes over the weekend. The page also said the man found in the motel was Martin’s boyfriend – Cole, who used the alias James Shanelec.
Newark police are continuing to investigate the case and are awaiting for lab results on the two bodies.
Mike Carroll said it could be weeks before authorities determine whether the cause of death is a murder-suicide or double suicide.
A Facebook page dedicated to finding Patricia Martin said that she was last seen with James Cole, also known as James Shanelec, a 24-year-old from Livermore. Credit Posted on “Missing! Bring Tricia Martin Home” Facebook page
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