A Yale professor has broken her silence regarding her 81-year-old father’s arrest, connected to the 1982 murder of her mother. This case had perplexed investigators for over 40 years.
According to a statement released on November 24 by the Foster City Police Department in California, Patrick Galvani was apprehended in San Francisco. He faces murder charges in the death of his wife, Nancy Galvani, and is currently held at the San Mateo County Jail.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times on December 3, Alison Galvani, who is an epidemiology professor at Yale and was only about five years old when her mother died, expressed her appreciation to the investigators and prosecutors for “seeking justice for my mom.”
“With an incredible blend of compassion and determination, they are diligently working to bring clarity to even the most challenging cases,” she conveyed in a text message to the publication.
Patrick Galvani’s arrest by the Foster City Police Department sheds new light on the decades-old murder case involving his wife, Nancy.
Back in August 1982, Nancy was discovered deceased, her body “floating inside a sleeping bag near the San Mateo Bridge” in Foster City, according to police. Although the case had been revisited multiple times, it “remained unsolved until recent developments allowed investigators to proceed.” The authorities have not disclosed the nature of these developments.
Patrick had been considered a suspect early in the investigation, the L.A. Times reported, but charges were dropped due to a lack of witnesses and usable evidence. His attorney at the time said he had passed a polygraph test, and Patrick said in court filings that his wife was experiencing a “mental illness.”
Following Patrick’s arrest, his current attorney, Douglas Horngrad, told the L.A. Times that his client is innocent.
Patrick Galvani was booked in the San Mateo County Jail. (San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office)
“This murder charge was filed against him years ago and the case was dismissed for lack of evidence,” Horngrad said. “As I understand it, the evidence is the same, and we believe the outcome will be the same. Mr. Galvani will be exonerated again.”
Prosecutors expressed a different view.
San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe told the L.A. Times, “We think we have enough to convict and we have an ambitious prosecutor who can accomplish that.”
The moon rises over San Francisco Bay behind the San Mateo Bridge in Foster City, California, on Dec. 15, 2024. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
At the time of Nancy’s death, she and Patrick were separated. She had filed for divorce, secured a restraining order, and moved out of their Pacific Heights home to a residential hotel in San Francisco, according to the L.A. Times.
On Aug. 8, 1982, Patrick allegedly asked Nancy to pick up their daughter Alison a day earlier than scheduled under their shared-custody arrangement. Nancy disappeared that evening, and her body was later discovered. Her yellow Buick was found inside Patrick’s garage.
Alison told the L.A. Times that she had long feared “my father used me as bait to lure my mother to her death.” The uncertainty surrounding her mother’s final hours, she said, has haunted her for decades, even overshadowing her wedding day, when she asked her father to walk ahead of her so she did not “have to touch him.”
She also recalled confronting him during a 2008 visit to her home in Connecticut, telling him, “You killed my mother.” According to Alison, he replied, “It wasn’t my fault.”
According to jail records, Patrick Galvani is being held without bail. His next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 15.
Alison Galvani, Horngrad’s office and the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office did not respond to requests for comment.
Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.
