In a special "General Hospital" episode dedicated to Luke's past, Luke had gone to revisit his childhood home in an effort to remember what happened the night he lost his parents. "Flashbacks" scenes from that time were depicted by current actors on the show and were interspersed with scenes of Patricia explaining to Tracy, Lulu, and Bobbie what happened, per Soap Opera Network.

Tim Spencer (played by Tony Geary in the flashbacks) was a violent and demeaning man who was abusive to his wife Lena Spencer (Laura Wright) and his three children. During the night in question, teenaged Patricia and Luke began standing up to their father who was degrading their mother at the dinner table (via SoapCentral). In the following confrontation between Tim and Luke, Lena attempted to stop Luke from fighting with his father, and in doing so, the young man accidentally struck her in the head with a baseball bat he was holding. Patricia rushed her mother to the hospital but tragically Lena succumbed to her injuries and died. Tim blamed his son for his wife's death and a distraught and enraged Luke hit his father with the bat, killing him instantly.

Patricia further revealed that she and their cousin Bill Eckert returned to the house to find Luke in shock and unable to remember what happened. They made the decision to hide Tim Spencer's body and tell everyone that their mother had passed away from appendicitis and their father ran out on them as a result. Patricia then shipped her younger siblings off to Florida to live with extended family and vowed to keep her distance for fear that Luke would someday remember what he had done.

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support on their website.