An autopsy revealed the 56-year-old died from blunt force trauma and asphyxia.
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Detectives reopened the case in 2021, using new technology to analyze evidence, leading to the Feb. 6 arrest in Yreka of Philip William Frase on suspicion of murder, the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office said in a statement Monday.
It wasn't known Tuesday if Frase has an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
Suspect Philip William Frase was arrested on Feb. 6 in connection with the cold-case killing of Patricia Joseph (Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office via AP)
On a Facebook page dedicated to Joseph's memory, her family said "the time for justice is long overdue."
"We miss you like crazy mom," the family said in a post Tuesday.
The evidence in the case wasn't specified, but the analysis "produced compelling results connecting Frase to the killing of Patricia," the sheriff's statement said.
Officials didn't name a possible motive or say if Frase and Joseph knew each other. Frase was held in lieu of $2 million bail.