NY NY - Karen Wilson, 22, Albany, 27 March 1985

[Arixtotle]

Missing: Wilson, Karen Louise

On Wednesday 3/27/85, Karen Wilson was the subject of three credible sightings by unrelated eyewitnesses, when she was walking south on Fuller Road from Central Avenue (Route 5) in Colonie (Albany County), NY. The night was described as being very dark; the road was not heavily travelled.

1) In the first sighting at 8:15PM, Witness #1was traveling southbound on Fuller Rd after she turned from Central Ave. She stated that as she approached a gas station on her left, she passed a very slow moving vehicle, also traveling southbound ( gas station is believed to be the Workingman's Friend Gas Station). She could not recall any specifics of the vehicle's description, except that the operator was a white male in his forties with an intent look on his face. The male had a beard, brown hair with a reddish tint, and a long nose and face. Witness #1 then saw a female believed to be Karen, walking near a guide rail along the west side of Fuller Road near Sysco Food. By the time that Witness #1 reached Fuller Rd at Railroad Ave, she had already driven past the female.

2) The second sighting of the female believed to be Karen, was also on the west side of Fuller Road. This was between 8:10Pm - 8:15PM. Witness #2 stated that the female was walking south of the entrance of Six Mile Waterworks (also known as Rensselaer Lake) near the construction road leading west off of Fuller Road. This area is located just north of the I-90 underpass. The female was walking on the grassy portion off of the sidewalk, with her head down. A smaller person of unknown sex was walking along Karen's right side ("almost shoulder to shoulder") seemingly urging her up an embankment or incline into the Six Mile area. The smaller person was described as being between 5'5" - 5'8", and between 120 - 140 pounds. When the female turned her head to the left, Witness #2 thought she appeared nervous. Witness #2 also described a white male following 50 to 100 feet behind the two subjects. He was walking at a steady pace, not seeming to be gaining on the two. He was described as being about 5'11" with a slim build, in his early 20's, and wearing dark pants and a waist length jacket (possibly beige). He had light colored hair (gold to red), and a beard or some type of facial hair. The couple then returned to the sidewalk and began walking in a normal manner southbound on Fuller Road. After Witness #2 stopped at the red light at the I-90 ramp, and then continued southbound, she saw the couple past the dirt construction road on the right, just out from the I90 underpass. Witness #2 also stated that she saw a stopped or disabled small unoccupied black vehicle at Fuller Rd at Washington Ave Ext. The vehicle had a New York plate bearing partial plate 239 (and unknown letters). The car was sedan style, and believed to be about five years old. The driver's window was down about 6"; and the passenger window was down about 2". She thought this was odd, because it looked like it was about to rain. Also noted on the driver's side window was a hole about 1/4" in diameter with cracks radiating from it. She thought that it looked like a bullet hole.

3) The last sighting of Karen was by Witness #3 at approximately 8:20PM as he left work at the SUNY Albany Campus, and was waiting at the traffic light on Washington Ave and Fuller Rd. He was waiting for traffic to clear so that he could turn right, to proceed north on Fuller Rd, to access the I-90 entrance ramp across from the Six Mile entrance. The female was reportedly

seen standing on the northwest corner of Fuller Road for about 10 seconds while Witness #3 was waiting for the traffic to clear. Witness #3 believed that the female appeared to be waiting for the traffic light to change. When Witness #3 made the right turn onto Fuller Rd, he saw a male crossing Fuller Rd from the west side to the east side, just south of the I-90 underpass. He took a few steps up the driveway where the construction trailers were on the east side of Fuller, but seemed to change his mind. He then walked south on the east side of Fuller Rd. The male subject did not appear to be looking towards Karen. He was described as being a white male with "sandy or light brown, messy or curly" hair, with a couple of days growth of facial hair. He was of average height, about 18 - 25 years old, and was wearing a jean or aviator type jacket, jeans, a flannel shirt, and high tan construction boots. (Refer attached composite). As Witness #3 turned right onto the I-90 ramp, he saw a lime green Volkswagen Rabbit (estimated to be a 1981 or 1982) parked along the road. There was no one around the vehicle.

Wow that's way more information then I've seen before. That means she was literally almost on campus. UAlbany butts up on Washinton Ave. I wish it said which way she was facing. I also wish information said which dorm she lived in. It's also so hard to find information on when certain parts of UAlbany were built.

 

[Moonwalker9]

Karen Louise Wilson – The Charley Project

Karen Louise Wilson

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Wilson, circa 1985; Sketch of unknown man; Wilson's ring

• Missing Since03/27/1985
• Missing FromAlbany, New York
• ClassificationEndangered Missing
• Date of Birth02/02/1963 (56)
• Age22 years old
• Height and Weight5'3, 114 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry DescriptionFaded blue Levi's jeans, a light blue short-sleeved pullover Izod golf shirt, a three-quarter length cream-colored women's raincoat, white sneakers, a size 5 1/5 fourteen-karat yellow gold ring with a light blue stone (possibly a zircon), a Seiko watch with a black face, plastic earrings and a yellow and white two-strand necklace. A photograph of Wilson's ring is posted with this case summary.
• Distinguishing CharacteristicsCaucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Wilson may wear eyeglasses.

Details of Disappearance
Wilson was last seen in the 1600 block of Central Avenue in Colonie, New York, on March 27, 1985 at approximately 7:20 p.m. She gone to the Colonie Center and bought a red t-shirt and a blue t-shirt in preparation for an upcoming spring break trip to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She may or may not have gotten a tan at the Tanning Hut; she had booked an appointment, but no one at the salon remembers seeing her there.

Investigators initially believed Wilson got on a bus near the Butcher Block restaurant on Central Avenue and took that to Fuller Avenue, but it was later determined that she could not have gotten on the bus and probably walked to Fuller Avenue instead. Witnesses told authorities that she was spotted there shortly afterwards.

Wilson has never been heard from again. Investigators have been unable to locate the personal belongings that she carried with her on the night of her disappearance; she had a gray cloth pocketbook, a blue nylon wallet with a velcro closure, a green and white plastic bag from Ups N Down, and possibly also a blue knapsack containing a yellow dress.

Authorities believe Wilson probably walked south on Fuller Avenue towards the State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany, where she was a senior political science major. They think she was abducted somewhere near Six-mile Waterworks, the entrance ramp to Interstate 90 westbound and the Northway.

The night was very dark and the road not heavily traveled, and it would have been possible for a man to pull her into a vehicle in a matter of seconds without having any witnesses. A strange man was seen in the area at around the time Wilson vanished; a sketch of him is posted with this case summary. He has never been identified and is being sought for questioning as a witness, if not a suspect.

Police looked into the possibility that Wilson had possibly traveled to Florida after her disappearance like she planned to, but found no evidence that she ever left New York.

A possible suspect in Wilson's case died in an accidental house fire in 2013. Authorities stated they were never able to directly link the man to Wilson and they didn't think he could have been involved because he reported to work as usual at 4:00 a.m. on March 28, only hours after Wilson vanished.

Another SUNY-Albany student, Suzanne Lyall, disappeared in 1998, thirteen years after Wilson. Her disappearance remains unsolved. Authorities have not found anything to link the two cases, but they stated the circumstances of the women's disappearances were similar.

Wilson's family lived in Plattsburgh, New York in 1985; her father was in the Air Force there. She aspired to a career in the foreign service and had interned at the State Assembly. Her case remains unsolved.

 

[deedee21]

Karen Louise Wilson – The Charley Project

Karen Louise Wilson

• 
• 
• 
• 

Wilson, circa 1985; Sketch of unknown man; Wilson's ring

• Missing Since03/27/1985
• Missing FromAlbany, New York
• ClassificationEndangered Missing
• Date of Birth02/02/1963 (56)
• Age22 years old
• Height and Weight5'3, 114 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry DescriptionFaded blue Levi's jeans, a light blue short-sleeved pullover Izod golf shirt, a three-quarter length cream-colored women's raincoat, white sneakers, a size 5 1/5 fourteen-karat yellow gold ring with a light blue stone (possibly a zircon), a Seiko watch with a black face, plastic earrings and a yellow and white two-strand necklace. A photograph of Wilson's ring is posted with this case summary.
• Distinguishing CharacteristicsCaucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Wilson may wear eyeglasses.

Details of Disappearance
Wilson was last seen in the 1600 block of Central Avenue in Colonie, New York, on March 27, 1985 at approximately 7:20 p.m. She gone to the Colonie Center and bought a red t-shirt and a blue t-shirt in preparation for an upcoming spring break trip to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She may or may not have gotten a tan at the Tanning Hut; she had booked an appointment, but no one at the salon remembers seeing her there.

Investigators initially believed Wilson got on a bus near the Butcher Block restaurant on Central Avenue and took that to Fuller Avenue, but it was later determined that she could not have gotten on the bus and probably walked to Fuller Avenue instead. Witnesses told authorities that she was spotted there shortly afterwards.

Wilson has never been heard from again. Investigators have been unable to locate the personal belongings that she carried with her on the night of her disappearance; she had a gray cloth pocketbook, a blue nylon wallet with a velcro closure, a green and white plastic bag from Ups N Down, and possibly also a blue knapsack containing a yellow dress.

Authorities believe Wilson probably walked south on Fuller Avenue towards the State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany, where she was a senior political science major. They think she was abducted somewhere near Six-mile Waterworks, the entrance ramp to Interstate 90 westbound and the Northway.

The night was very dark and the road not heavily traveled, and it would have been possible for a man to pull her into a vehicle in a matter of seconds without having any witnesses. A strange man was seen in the area at around the time Wilson vanished; a sketch of him is posted with this case summary. He has never been identified and is being sought for questioning as a witness, if not a suspect.

Police looked into the possibility that Wilson had possibly traveled to Florida after her disappearance like she planned to, but found no evidence that she ever left New York.

A possible suspect in Wilson's case died in an accidental house fire in 2013. Authorities stated they were never able to directly link the man to Wilson and they didn't think he could have been involved because he reported to work as usual at 4:00 a.m. on March 28, only hours after Wilson vanished.

Another SUNY-Albany student, Suzanne Lyall, disappeared in 1998, thirteen years after Wilson. Her disappearance remains unsolved. Authorities have not found anything to link the two cases, but they stated the circumstances of the women's disappearances were similar.

Wilson's family lived in Plattsburgh, New York in 1985; her father was in the Air Force there. She aspired to a career in the foreign service and had interned at the State Assembly. Her case remains unsolved.

This unknown man looks EXACTLY like John Bittroff.

 

[skybluesea]

Bump

 

[smile22]

sometimes these cold cases with little evidence to go on makes me think could they have been taken or did they want to disappear from their life for whatever reasons they had and stay off the grid forever. i was only 4 in 1985 so im assuming back then it was easier to just up and leave if you wanted to. but from the sounds of what im reading on this thread its highly unlikely she just vanished on her own

 

[dotr]

May 22 2020

Cold Case: What Happened to Karen Wilson?
''Wilson was last seen definitively leaving a tanning salon on Central Avenue in Albany around 7:20 p.m. on March 27, 1985. New York State Police say three credible witnesses came forward as seeing someone who fit Wilson's description walking down Fuller Road in the dark. One of those witness accounts produced a sketch of a young man said to have approached her as she neared the intersection of Fuller Road and Washington Avenue.

Investigators suspect murder, and Wilson's parents say they have long believed their daughter to be dead.

Learn more about the disappearance of Karen Wilson on an episode of Cold Cases of the Capital Region.''

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Photo: National Missing And Unidentified Persons System

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Photo: National Missing And Unidentified Persons System

 

[NYDan1230]

Bumping for Karen.

 

[Pennysmom2]

Missing: Wilson, Karen Louise

Last Seen: 03/27/1985 Time: 7:20 p.m. Location: Tanning Hut, 1670 Central Avenue, Colonie, NY

troopers.ny.gov

MISSING: Seven College Students Who Vanished In New York State

She left work, got on the bus to go back to campus, and then vanished. Hers is just one of several stories of college students who've gone missing in New York.

981thehawk.com

Karen L Wilson

oag.ca.gov

Article clipped from Daily News

Clipping found in Daily News published in New York, New York on 4/2/1985.

www.newspapers.com

 

[dotr]

Feb 12 2024 by Yasmin Young
Karen L. Wilson

NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services
''Karen was born on February 10, 1963. She is a white female with brown hair and eyes. She is 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 114 pounds.

Karen was a SUNY Albany college student last seen on Central Avenue in the Village of Colonie, New York. She was last seen wearing blue jeans, a light blue shirt and cream-colored raincoat. The circumstances of her disappearance are unknown.

NYSP Troop G Headquarters COMSEC is investigating. Contact the NYS Missing Persons Clearinghouse at 1-800-346-3543 if you have any information.''
Read More: 6 Missing College Student Cold Cases In New York State | 6 Missing College Student Cold Cases In New York State