Crime

DA: Man arrested for murder of Worcester woman who disappeared in 2009

The 36-year-old Worcester woman was never seen again after her disappearance, and her murder went unsolved until last month.

October 14, 2025

1 minute to read

A Mississippi man was arrested for the murder of a Worcester woman who disappeared 16 years ago, prosecutors announced Friday.

Albert Carabba, 64, of Ocean Springs, Miss., was indicted by a grand jury on one count of murder in the disappearance and murder of 36-year-old Patricia Santos, his ex-girlfriend.

Santos was reported missing from 45 Fruit St. in Worcester on May 20, 2009, according to Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early, Jr.

After her disappearance, Santos was never seen or heard from again, and until last month, her murder went unsolved. Carabba was taken into custody by detectives in Ocean Springs and is expected to be brought back to Massachusetts at a later date for his arraignment in Worcester Superior Court, prosecutors said in a statement.

“For the last 16 years, the Worcester Police Department has not forgotten Patricia Santos,” Worcester Police Chief Paul Saucier said in the statement. “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.”

Anyone with information about Santos’ murder or any unresolved homicide can contact the Worcester Police Detective Bureau by calling 508-799-8651, sending an anonymous text with the keyword “TIPWPD” to CRIMES (274637), or sending an anonymous online tip.