What happened to Patrick 'Pat' Mullins? Theories around Unsolved Mysteries case

In 2013, Mullins's remains were found tied to a 25-pound anchor in four feet of water off Emerson Point, Florida. This was nine days after he took his boat out, was reported missing and an extensive search was launched to find him.

An autopsy confirmed that Mullins died from a shotgun blast to the head and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office called his death a suicide - however, there are multiple theories surrounding his death.

So, what exactly happened to Pat Mullins? Read on for all theories behind the case of Pat Mullins featured in the Netflix series.

What happened to Pat Mullins?

On 27th January 2013, Patrick Lee Mullins, a librarian at Palmetto High School, went missing after taking his boat out on the Braden River.

His boat was found two days later, but there was no one on board.

Seven days after his boat was discovered, Mullins's body was found floating in four feet of water, tied to a 25lb anchor with a tight piece of rope.

Mullins had suffered a shotgun blast to the head.

Theories behind Pat Mullins's death

Pat Mullins committed suicide

The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office declared Mullins's death a suicide.

The medical examiner could not find any definitive clues (on the subject’s body or merely indicative of the scene) to undoubtedly classify the case as either a homicide or suicide.

However, friends and family don't believe Pat committed suicide.

They say up until the moment he went missing, Mullins, 52, appeared to live a happy and stable life alongside his wife Leslie Jill Mullins.

He had no known enemies who would want to harm him, nor was there any suicide note or weapon nearby the boat. Mullins was found with a gunshot wound to the head, but Pat reportedly never owned a firearm.

However, it was revealed that the rope had been tied around Pat waist and not his hands or feet, which he could have done himself.

Was Pat Mullins's neighbour involved?

There's some speculation that Pat Mullins's family friend and neighbour Damon Crestwood could have been involved in or connection to Pat's death.

Crestwood met Pat's brother Gray Mullins in roughly the late 1980s or early 1990s, but he wasn't particularly close to Pat, so his reaction to Pat's passing raised eyebrows.

"Damon was a sweetheart…," fellow family friend Dr Mark Sylvester claimed in the documentary. "He was just a likeable, dependable, admirable guy. But after Pat’s disappearance, his behaviour quickly became markedly different."

Gray alleged that Damon would "break into tears and then uncontrollable sobbing," while Pat's wife, Jill, revealed Damon told her he "would go and look out along the Manatee River and cry and sob for hours".

According to another friend, Stephen Covey, "Damon was just kind of off the rails".

He said: "[He was] constantly asking, 'If something happened, would you still be my friend? Could I count on you being there?' None of us really knew exactly why."

Following Pat's death, Damon is alleged to have started abusing Class A drugs and reportedly had a mental breakdown every January afterwards - right around the anniversary of Pat's death.

Then there's the peculiar way in which Damon publicly tied a rope around his waist on Memorial Day in 2013, exactly like the rope Pat was tied in when he was found dead.

Four years after Pat's death, it was revealed that Damon had passed away. He reportedly died from a drug overdose.

Unsolved Mysteries is available to watch on Netflix. Read our guides to the best series on Netflix and the best movies on Netflix.

Check out more of our Documentaries coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.

The latest issue of Radio Times is on sale now – subscribe now to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times View From My Sofa podcast.