Murder Indictment Returned In Missing Worcester Woman's 2009 Disappearance

WORCESTER, MA — The ex-boyfriend of a Worcester woman who vanished more than 16 years ago was charged with her murder.

A Worcester County grand jury returned the murder indictment against Albert Carabba, 64, last month, charging him with killing 36-year-old Patricia Santos, according to a media release from the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office.

Following the indictment, Carabba, a resident of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, was taken into custody by police there with the assistance of detectives from the Worcester Police Department, the release said.

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"Mr. Carabba is expected to be brought back to Massachusetts and arraigned in Worcester Superior Court at a later date," the release said.

Santos was reported missing from a residence on Fruit Street in Worcester in May 2009, according to the release.

"Ms. Santos was staying with a friend and went home one morning to get ready for work and no one has seen her since," according to NamUs, the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.

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Santos was 36 when she disappeared, NaMus said.

Santos "had a history of drug addiction, but went through rehabilitation and had been clean for two years by the time of her disappearance," according to the missing persons website the Charley Project.

Santos had obtained a restraining order against Carabba that was set to expire two days after she was reported missing, the Charley Project said.

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"Carabba stated he saw Santos on Pleasant Street on May 20 and she told him she had relapsed on drugs and planned to go to Florida, and left the car with him," the Charley Project said. "Her friends, however, said she would never let him use her car and they didn't think a relapse was likely, since she had been clean for years."

In the release, Worcester Police Chief Paul Saucier said the Santos case had not been "forgotten."

“For the last 16 years, the Worcester Police Department has not forgotten Patricia Santos," Saucier said in the release.

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"This arrest highlights the steadfast, patient determination with which WPD officers and detectives worked to take the next steps towards justice for her and her family," he said. "As this unresolved homicide finally moves forward, we are confident that the facts provided will resolve any questions surrounding Patricia’s disappearance and deliver much-deserved closure to her family."

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