WY WY - Karen Valdez, 25, Cheyenne, 21 Nov 1983

[Gardener1850]

No Picture

Karen Lee Valdez
Laramie County, Wyoming
25 to 26 year old white female

Height: 61 inches
Weight: 115 lbs

Hair: Brown
Eyes: Blue

On Nov. 20, 1983 Karen was last seen at her residence in Cheyenne, WY.

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/38394/

Please help find a picture and more info about Karen's case!

 

[symmetry]

I can't find much about this case anywhere. The one interesting thing about the NamUs listing is that the investigative agency is the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, so the case might have something to do with the Air Force base local to Cheyenne.

 

[booghawk]

All I can find for Karen Lee Valdez is a Karen L. Valdez in a 78' NJ highschool yearbook.

Sent from my SM-G935W8 using Tapatalk

 

[Gardener1850]

All I can find for Karen Lee Valdez is a Karen L. Valdez in a 78' NJ highschool yearbook.

Sent from my SM-G935W8 using Tapatalk

Thanks for looking! I saw that one but age would be off a couple years (by my calculations, Karen should have graduated High School in either 1975 or 1976) and we know nothing that ties the missing Karen to New Jersey. I think Valdez may be a married name but I could not verify that. Too many Karens.

 

[CastlesBurning]

Bumping for Karen...it's now been 37 years.

 

[Panhypopit]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
She is in NamUs, but not on any of the state websites, doe networks etc... I wonder if she was found?

 

[CastlesBurning]

I don't have FB, so I can't see this, but when I Googled "Wyoming missing persons", I got articles about a woman who found this group on FB:

Missing people of Wyoming

If you can, maybe check if Karen is on it.

 

[Panhypopit]

She is not noted there as well.

 

[Beccalicious]

Bumping for Karen

 

[Beccalicious]

Bumping again

 

[HopeRains]

OSI seeks new leads in 1983 missing person’s cold case

• Published June 12, 2024
• By Thomas Brading
• OSI Public Affairs

QUANTICO, Va. --
Sergeant Karen Lee Valdez-Blackburn, a vehicle mechanic with the 90th Transportation Squadron, was stationed at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, when she was reported missing in Nov. 1983.

At that time, she was 25 years old, stood just over five-feet-tall with a small build and weighed roughly 118 pounds. Valdez-Blackburn, a white female with blue eyes and brown hair, would be 66 years old today. She has ties to family in Florida.

The vehicle mechanic was last seen Nov. 20, 1983, loading her yellow Dodge Ram truck (Colorado license plate no. 4250JX) and was believed to be heading to Denver, Colorado, to visit a friend.

However, she never arrived and subsequent checks revealed no further clues about her whereabouts. She was initially classified as a deserter a month following her disappearance and the case saw little progress.

The years turned into decades and the case grew colder, buried under the weight of newer, more pressing issues. However, OSI’s Cold Case team has never given up on the investigation into her disappearance.

“With modern technologies and new tips from the public, OSI is more committed than ever to solving the case of Sgt. Valdez-Blackburn's disappearance and bringing peace to her family and loved ones,” said Special Agent Shelley Pillman, OSI Cold Case Team action officer.

The team has sifted through old evidence while also seeking new leads that could shed light on the circumstances surrounding Valdez-Blackburn's last known actions.

The case's reclassification from a deserter to a missing person reflects the current understanding that there is not enough evidence to confirm whether her disappearance was voluntary or involuntary.

“OSI’s cold case team is reaching out to the community and asking anyone who might know something, no matter how small, to help us piece together what happened to Sgt. Valdez-Blackburn in 1983,” Pillman said. “Your information could be the key that solves this decades-long mystery."

If you have information regarding this missing person, please contact OSI directly at 877-246-1453 or visit Tip Form

 

[HopeRains]

Oh my goodness, I was thinking Cheyenne was so far away from Denver - it's not! 100 miles, straight down I-25.

 

[Caring1]

 

[victoriarobinson642]

She was born Karen Lee Blackburn in Florida. She married J R Valdez on Sep 28th, 1978.

 

[mlhenn]

Karen Lee Valdez-Blackburn – The Charley Project

Casefile added Aug 3 2024

Karen Lee Valdez-Blackburn​

• 

Details of Disappearance​

Valdez-Blackburn was last seen in Cheyenne, Wyoming on November 21, 1983. She was a vehicle mechanic assigned to the 90th Transportation Squadron at the F.E. Warren Air Force Base. Valdez-Blackburn was seen loading up her yellow Dodge Ram pickup truck, which had the Colorado license plate number 4250JX, and she said she was leaving. She is believed to have been on the way to visit a friend in Denver, Colorado.

She never returned home and was officially classified as a deserter on December 21, a month later. She is now listed as a missing person, however, as decades have passed without any contact and the Air Force does not know whether her disappearance was voluntary or not.

The circumstances of her disappearance are unclear.

 

[Caring1]

Bump for Karen

 

[orchidaceaes]

Construction Workers Find Human Remains South Of Cheyenne
She wasn't mentioned in this article, but I think it's not completely out of the realm of possibility. Unlikely, though. 40 some years is a long time to be out in the elements.
"Laramie County Sheriff’s personnel are still investigating the discovery of the body, which appears to have spent “a substantial amount of time” among weather and wild animals, Chief Deputy Aaron Veldheer told Cowboy State Daily on Monday afternoon."