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Body Found In Escambia Bay Tentatively Identified
March 19, 2012
The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office has made a tentative identification of the body found floating in Escambia Bay on Saturday.
The body had a GPS ankle monitor attached to it, which led investigators to the tentative identification. The GPS manufacturer was able to check the serial numbers assigned to the unit, and found that it was registered and assigned to Patrick Willingham, 29, from Pensacola.
Willingham was on GPS monitoring through State Probation in Escambia County due to his being a registered sex offender. The GPS ankle monitor was intact on Willingham and had not been tampered with at the time of his discovery.
Willingham was reported missing to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office on December 22 by his family after his vehicle was discovered abandoned on the I-10 Escambia Bay Bridge by the Florida Highway Patrol on December 21. Willingham’s family was also concerned due to some recent comments that Willingham had made and believed that he was depressed.
Willingham’s GPS monitor last transmitted at 9:00 on December 20 from the top of the Escambia Bay Bridge. At that time, State Probation received a notification that Willingham had traveled too far away from his base unit, which was found located inside his vehicle. Once Willingham’s ankle monitor was out of range from the base unit, the ankle monitor could not be tracked. Willingham had not been heard from or seen since that time.
Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit checked the area by boat on December 22 with no result. On December, Fish and Wildlife was contacted and also checked the waterways for signs of Willingham. This was also met with negative results.
The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office is continuing the investigation, however foul play is not suspected at this time. A positive identification will have to be confirmed through further analysis of the remains.
Comments
21 Responses to “Body Found In Escambia Bay Tentatively Identified”
@Michelle, I know of a better tracking system………………..keep them locked up until the sentence is up.
To know more than you-
I never said his car was found on the 3 mile bridge. I said “The ankle unit did track him which is why they last had signal of him in December on the 3 mile bridge. His car was found a day later”… but I did not say where his car was found.
I know his family and I know what they did and we sure did not see anyone looking for him other than one time for about an hour.
He may have chosen to take his life and that was his decision if that is indeed the actual case. Since it is reported to be that way, then it must be true like everything else that has been reported, right.
Either way, his mom does not deserve all the back and forth talk.
And for anyone else— if you know of a better way of tracking someone- please let our sheriff and probation depts know.. Maybe we could have found this person and got him some help before it ended the way it did. His mother tried to get him some help before he was sentenced but it looks as if the judge and the probation office never acted on her request to get him an evaluation.
Michelle- Its painfully obvious that you do not know what you are talking about, his car was not found on the 3 mile bridge, it was found on the Interstate 10 bridge, secondly when he jumped off the bridge he abandonded his car and there was numeous pubilc safety vehicles that stopped with his car but nobody in sight…. When his family waited the proper amount of time for missing persons, then they sent search and rescue crews out to look for him in the waters, several attempts were made but they were unsuccessful….. This is a sad story, but he is the one that did the crime, and he was facing his punishment, and he is the one that choose to take his life, no else made that decison for him
the base unit IS the GPS transmitter for the unit. the ankle braclet just makes it more feasable to take showers and work and such by just being in the vicinity of the base. LEOs still have the tracking ability of the base.
And for the 3RD TIME THIS YEAR search and rescue teams weren’t called to help look for a missing person…
I don’t understand why someone like this man’s family read the posts of
people, they really have to know the minute the word pedophile or sexual
predator comes up people are going to not care if this young man is gone.
I wish none of it had ever happened right from the start.I wish people would respect themselves and others to much to cross the lines that could ever end in this fashion. I do also despise hearing another story about bad cops or a bad
sheriffs office. I realize they can never please everybody, but we also know how many bad cops we read about in the news or hear about on T.V., and we all have had our own experiences with their injustices when applicable. It is so sad to hear that so many have needed them and they did the wrong thing as they did in my case. It does leave a bad taste in your mouth which is just reinforced every time you hear they didn’t do right by someone else. We don’t hire them to make
a victim feel worse after they pick up the phone and call for help, and they tarnish
the badges of all.
The cops in santa rosa and escambia county’s do nothing but store type people, when half of them are more crooked then anyone. My prayers are with this family.
I believe there is still limits at which they must stay… like for example they probably can’t cross the state line of where they are charged (I think most individuals on probation can’t do that) … maybe even be limited to county… Obviously a person can’t be put out of work for the period of a long probation so thats probably why he was allowed to take his reciever with him. But I agree… not a very good system of tracking either way.
To huh:
To answer your question “Yeah, well, how about the victim? Think THAT PERSON felt that he did his time?” ——–
I agree with that when the circumstances call for it but this time is not like that. Since you obviously do not know the facts and the truth to everything that happened as well as the way it happened, I can see why you said what you did……. But, did you know that the “victim” and “victims” family did not want to press charges and did not want him in jail? Whether or not he received what YOU thought he should have gotten, he did not deserve this and his mother definitely did not deserve it either. She is a mother who accepted her son no matter what but could not control everything he did. And just for the record, everyone makes mistakes and bad decisions. Unfortunately, he made a bad one that ultimately cost him his life but he cooperated every step of the way and never swayed from accepting his punishment. You can think anything you want but you can never take away his honesty. Just please do not hash it up over and over on here. His mother does not deserve this.
to huh regarding what you had to say to Michelle
not to be mean or rude about anything. I do understand where you are coming from. but with all respect not meaning to be rude or mean but she is my mother. And haven’t you thought that maybe the victim could have been the one to insist on doing this also Patrick is the type of man that would never hurt anyone on purpose he was my friend and I knew him for many years. The victim insisted on doing things with this person also they both were in this together. I knew the victim personally and they both did what they did so there was nothing about the victim being hurt. Not trying to be rude or mean
This man was a good friend to many and even though he made a mistake. friends, family, and I still supported him through it all. I knew this man he use to take me to church and hang out with everyone. He was a friend to all. He has done such great things for many people and all people can think about is that he is a sex offender and no one remembers him for the good things that he has done only the mistakes. We all make mistakes. This man was my friend and I would pray for him to return every night before I went to sleep. Plus even though he had a ankle GPS monitor that dosen’t mean he was free to roam anywhere he pleases. This man was coming home from work and disappeared last December and we have not seen him since. He was a very smart man and wanted to help others and did everything that he could for others even if it meant he was going to make a mistake. Many of us know him and people may say this is disturbing. well This man was a HUMAN, SON, BROTHER, COUSION, NEPHEW, FRIEND, AND ETC. Yes he made a mistake he did his time and he even admitted to his mistake. How many sex offenders do you know that will admit that they were guilty not very many. But Patrick was one who did admit it and he did what was right by admitting and doing his time. Patrick will be loved by many including me.
@ Michelle– I have to agree with you. I do not know the family or any of went on. The family can not control what an adult child does—- I feel sorry for the victim in the crime and for all of the families on both sides. Hope they can all find peace.
Everyone is talking about a gps base unit and tracker. The real story is he is a sexual offender and he comes up missing. Hummmm; maybe someone who has interest in this joker getting off or a short prison sentence or even aquitted on his pending charges maybe someone to look at.
Sounds like a lawsuit against the police that refused to look for the man … They dont get to make judgement calls on who they should help or not help. They are public payed servants
to Michelle regarding “This man knew he made a mistake, admitted what he did, and did his time in jail for it. ”
Yeah, well, how about the victim? Think THAT PERSON felt that he did his time? Maybe now that he’s no longer around to hurt anyone else, but, jail is not good enough for a sex offender in my opinion. Had my child been the victim, I would not be weeping tears at this news. Just saying.
Its the systems fault! If it had worked properly he would still be in jail for being a sex offender! There is no rehibilation for a sickness such as that!
Here’s a thought: when electric devices get into water they stop working. Hmmmmm. I feel sorry for his mom, my sympathy to his family.
I know this family personally and this man was on his way home from work the morning he disappeared.
The ankle unit did track him which is why they last had signal of him in December on the 3 mile bridge. His car was found a day later but no one wanted to look for him. Instead, his mom was told that he absconded just because he was on probation and the authorities did not want to look for him as a missing person because of this. His mom insisted that he was missing and needed help but no one wanted to listen to her.
Since you do not know the exact details, do not classify him with all sex offenders. This man knew he made a mistake, admitted what he did, and did his time in jail for it. The day he was released was the day he went missing.
And, no, they cannot ride around wherever they choose.
He is still a human being and neither he nor his family deserved this. Pray for his mother. She needs it.
“At that time, State Probation received a notification that Willingham had traveled too far away from his base unit, which was found located inside his vehicle”
I’m pretty sure the authoritys had already been alerted. I believe the “base unit” is tied to his residence. He can freely movie it, but once it’s been taken away from the residence, it sets off an alert. Once he jumped in and drifted out of range, they could no longer track him.
I’m pretty sure anyone who moves the “base unit” from their home sets off an alert.
Not sure why they do not track individuals GPS tracking like cell phones or RF ID Tags via satellite? Having the individual able to take their base unit with them…dosen’t that go against the point of tracking in a specified location? So they can now go on vacation with their units, and travel anywhere they can drive in the US?
Sorry for his family, they had to put up with alot before his death, and now this.
So, now sex offenders can take the base unit with them in their car, free to ride around whereever they choose?? Disturbing.
Terrible. But, why would you have a tracking device attached to your ankle if it doesn’t track you? So anyone who has one, just has to go beyond the range of the base unit and poof…no more tracking you.? hmmm…not good.