CA Ca - Karen Marie Mitchell, 16, Eureka, 25 Nov 1997

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I think Karen looks a lot like MJD notwithstanding the swelling post mortem. Very similar features including eyebrows that were/could have been shaped later. MJD has that not long from adolescent look and Karen changed remarkably in the 2 pics shown with enough resemblance to be the same person. (not the age progression pic)

I really haven't seen any other pics that are this close. Let us know if this works out.

This was a find by one of our great newbie's Soulmagnet. I will keep everyone posted and it is nice to have you on here!

:blowkiss:
 
Thanks so much for calling and sending that email Believe. I find it very odd that Karen's DNA is not entered giving that they put so much into her case. I will try to find the link where it said they had 30 files on her case and had searched a house in connection with her dissapearance in 2004 but didnt find anything. Wonder what kinda evidence they where looking for that wouldnt include DNA?? I was really looking for her to be ruled out but this is definitly interesting.I am even stunned. Now I hope Det. P Oneil gets back in touch with you or it really may drive me insane. FOUND LINK http://www.times-standard.com/ci_7554193
 
Glad to see this has been submitted. I can't get the above link to work...
Excellent job everyone! :blowkiss:
 
Good job Soulmagnet! Maybe MJD will have a name and a family to return to!!:blowkiss:
 
Wow. Out of all the missing matches, she looks the closest.
Great find!
 
I added MJD's eyebrows to Karen as well as a longer blonde hairstyle not unlike MJD's. I'm no pro at PShop by any means, but what do you all think?

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e127/popular_minoritry/janedoe-3.jpg


:eek:

Here is a side by side of one of the sketches of MJD and your sketch of Karen (if I can get it to work)
I think we need to have Shane look at Karen Mitchells picture


janedoe-3.jpg


mjd.jpg
 
Remarkable likeness. I sincerely hope detectives are checking on this possibility.
 
:eek:

Here is a side by side of one of the sketches of MJD and your sketch of Karen (if I can get it to work)
I think we need to have Shane look at Karen Mitchells picture


janedoe-3.jpg


mjd.jpg


WOW! Look at the upper lip line on both. When the Chicago Jane doe was id'd I distinctly recall the correctness of the lip shape. The nose is right on too.

excellent job on the pics Vash!
 
Today is the 11th anniversary of Karen's disappearance. That is a long time for a family to go without knowing anything.

Does anyone know if James Daveggio was ever considered a suspect?
 
http://www.times-standard.com/ci_8829485
Online sleuths take on missing persons cases
Ryan Burns/The Times-Standard On the Web: The Doe Web site, www.doenetwork.org.
Posted: 04/06/2008 01:36:59 AM PDT


Click photo to enlarge«1»When Karen Mitchell disappeared on November 25, 1997, just five days before her 17th birthday, she became one of an estimated 100,000 people formally listed as missing in the United States.

There are also more than 40,000 unnamed bodies in the country -- John, Jane and Baby “Does” whose identities remain a mystery.

The Doe Network, an online resource for mystery-solving volunteers, seeks to make connections between those two tragic groups by giving names to the dead and thereby providing closure for families of the missing.

Missing person profiles, which include such details as dental records, photographs and police reports, are posted on the Doe Web site, www.doenetwork.org. The amateur sleuths of the network can then cross-reference this information with law enforcement agencies and medical examiner's offices, putting in the kind of time and effort that many officials can't spare.

The Doe Network's Web site has had nearly 1.8 million visitors since it was established in 1999, and according to media director Todd Matthews, more than 40 bodies have been identified by or through the group in that time.

”There are no advocates for the dead, so that's what we had to become,” said Matthews, a 37-year-old Tennessee man who works for an automotive parts supplier during the day and peruses the Web at night, looking at morgue photos, artist sketches and forensic reconstructions.

His obsession with the dead began two decades ago

when his girlfriend, Lori, who would later become his wife, told him the story of “Tent Girl.”
In 1968, Lori's father stumbled across the body of an unidentified young woman wrapped in canvas. None of the Georgetown, Ky., locals knew who she was, so they buried her under an apple tree with a tombstone marked simply “Tent Girl.”

”It all sounded so familiar to me,” Matthews said.

He began spending all of his spare time researching the case. As described in a recent Associated Press story, once Matthews found his way online, he discovered thousands of people just like him, digging through evidence hoping to solve a case.

”My obsession with 'Tent Girl' finally got annoying for Lori,” Matthews said. “One phone bill was $300, which is a problem when you're making minimum wage.”

The two even separated for a period of months.

But in 1998, after years of fruitless investigating, Matthews had a breakthrough. A woman from Arkansas had posted a message in a chat room about her sister, who had disappeared 30 years earlier.

It was 'Tent Girl.' Or, as it turned out, it was Barbara Ann Hackmann.

”I wish I'd had the Doe Network at the time,” Matthews said.

Since a recent Associated Press story, the Doe Network has been bombarded with offers to help.

”We've had about 3,000 e-mails today,” Matthews told the Times-Standard a few days after the article appeared. “Everybody wants to be Batman. But it takes time. Most people lose interest after 10 days.”

The Doe Network now works in conjunction with other agencies like Project EDAN -- where forensic artists donate their time to create sketches of the missing -- and the federal agency NamUs, the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.

Mitchell's profile is just one of thousands listed with organizations like the Doe Network and The Carole Sund/Carrington Memorial Reward Foundation, which was created by the parents of Carole Sund after she disappeared in Siskiyou County in 1999 and was later found murdered along with her own daughter and friend.

In many ways, Mitchell's case is not typical. With most missing persons cases, law enforcement is unable to spend a lot of time pursuing leads, especially after months or years have passed.

”It's just the opposite with this one,” said Dave Parris, who was working as a detective with the Eureka Police Department when Mitchell disappeared. Now the police chief of the Yurok Tribal Police Department, Parris has kept a position with the EPD specifically to work on the case.

”That happened on my watch,” he said. “I'm going to stay with it.”

There are now 35 volumes on Mitchell's case at the EPD, “the largest paper trail case in Eureka's history, I would expect,” Parris said.

But while the continued efforts of Parris along with the high level of awareness in the community at large make Mitchell's case unique, Bill and Annie Casper, the aunt and uncle with whom Mitchell was living when she disappeared, embrace all offers for help. Databases like the Carringtons' and the Doe Network increase the chances of finding someone, somewhere who knows what happened.

Annie Casper believes that locals are still the most likely to prove helpful. But she's thankful for the assistance of others across the country.

”We've utilized many organizations,” she said, “some through the state, some federal. Everything's a help.”

Parris said he continues to pursue new leads.

”I feel comfortable with where we're at (with the case),” he said. “But by the same token, she hasn't been found or come home.”

As for what really happened on November 25, 1997, Parris admits, “We may never know.”

But there are hundreds if not thousands of people online right now, working to solve cases just like Mitchell's. And Matthews' experience shows that, even 30 years later, the right person stumbling upon the right piece of information at the right time can solve a case.

And the network is getting bigger all the time.

After the Associated Press story appeared in papers around the world, Matthews got a call from a CNN affiliate in Ecuador.

”They wanted to know what they could do to help,” said Matthews. “They asked, 'Can we feature cases from Ecuador?'”

He told them he'd have to do some homework -- learn the ins and outs of Ecuadorian law enforcement. But he loved the idea.

”Yeah!” he told them via a translator. “We'll take it international.”


Ryan Burns can be reached at 441-0563 or rburns@times-standard.com.
 
Breakthrough May Be Near in Case of Missing Eureka Teenager
By Mary Curtius
May 06, 1999


For 17 months, Police Det. David Parris has combed underbrush, searched swamps, banged on doors and run down hundreds of tips--including ones from psychics--in a frustrating search for Karen Mitchell, a high school junior who vanished in broad daylight from a downtown street.


The detective's almost immediate conclusion that Mitchell had been kidnapped sent a wave of fear through this North Coast town of 28,000, where no one can remember another teenager being snatched off a city street and there are only about three murders a year.

Posters of the oval-faced, green-eyed 17-year-old still hang in shops, and tips still come in to the Police Department. Local media highlighted the case again recently, after two other Eureka residents--Carole Sund and her daughter, Juliana--disappeared on a Yosemite trip and were found murdered in Tuolumne County.

Mitchell has never been found, but Parris believes that he may finally have a solid lead in the case.

The mystery may have begun to unravel in November, Parris said, when a trucker named Wayne Adam Ford walked into the Humboldt County Sheriff's Department and allegedly confessed to killing four women. He brought with him the severed breast of one victim as proof of his crimes.

Ford told investigators that he picked up his victims on the street. They were hitchhikers or prostitutes, who he told detectives died during "rough sex."

The first killing Ford allegedly confessed to happened one month before Mitchell disappeared while walking to work at a day-care center Nov. 25, 1997.

Mitchell was neither hooker nor hitchhiker, but she was walking down the street when last seen, and three witnesses eventually came forward to say they saw her get into a car that stopped to pick her up. The witnesses, however, differed in describing the car, and the only description of the driver sounded nothing like Ford.

When Parris learned of Ford's confession, he got in line to interview the trucker, who lived in a trailer park in nearby Arcata and has relatives in Eureka.

It was a long line. Investigators from all over the state and across the West wanted to talk to Ford about unsolved slayings of women dating back to 1986.

Parris spent three hours with Ford. The trucker said he had nothing to do with Mitchell's disappearance. Unconvinced, Parris said he tracked down cars owned by Ford's relatives that the trucker might have driven.

http://articles.latimes.com/1999/may/06/news/mn-34523
 
Grim Discovery in Burned Car
Husband Stunned With Grief -- Teens' Classmates Try to Cope
Pamela J. Podger, Torri Minton, Chronicle Staff Writers

Saturday, March 20, 1999



(03-20) 04:00 PDT Eureka -- Students in a health and safety class at Eureka High School knew something unspeakable had happened when their substitute teacher was handed a note yesterday, just before noon.

``The teacher just went in the corner and cried. We all just knew,'' said Angela Younger, 16.

The FBI had announced that two bodies had been found in the trunk of a charred Pontiac in which friends Julie Sund, 15, and Silvina Pelosso, 16, had ridden on a trip to Yosemite with Julie's mother, Carole Sund.

The bodies were not identified, but all day yesterday the hallways of Eureka High School were awash in tears.

``I am totally devastated. This has totally devastated the whole school,'' said Nick Lende, 16, a good friend of Julie's since seventh grade, who danced with both girls at Homecoming in October.

``It's the worst thing that could ever happen to anybody,'' he said. ``How anybody could do this shows they are out of their minds.''

Classmates of Julie and Silvina slumped on the floors, red-eyed, hugged in groups and packed the counselors' office. Ten adults were on hand to counsel grief-stricken teens.

This is the second such disappearance to hit Eureka High School in two years. In 1997, student Karen Mitchell was picked up by someone outside the food court at the Bayshore Mall, and she has not been heard from since.

Yesterday, on one hallway wall were pictures of the two girls -- Julie in her blue cheerleading sweater, and Julie with Silvina, an Argentine exchange student.

All around the pictures, in blue, light-green and red markers were messages of hope and affection. ``I miss you in Spanish and World History,'' said one. ``I miss you Juli and love you very much.''

The mother, daughter and their Argentine friend have been missing for more than a month.

``I feel horrible,'' said Claire Lang, 15, her face flushed from crying. ``Whoever did this -- I'm just so mad and angry. I'm not going to feel safe walking anywhere, and I don't believe it. I still don't believe it. I don't even believe it.''

The horrific news came to Jens Sund, Carole's husband, in the form of a note just after a 9:30 a.m. press conference in Eureka.

Sund then called Carole's father who had just been briefed about the bodies by the FBI in Modesto, family friend Lee Ulansey said.

Jens Sund's first comment after that phone call -- ``This is the most likely thing to happen. But dealing with the reality is something else completely,'' Ulansey said.

Sund plans to stay in Eureka for now. ``Jens has three kids who pretty desperately need him, with the news today,'' Ulansey said.

Last night, the Sund home was quiet, with white curtains drawn tight.

The whole town seems to have been rallying around the family, quietly, for weeks. That includes three retired Caltrans workers who stood outside Stanton's coffee shop in downtown Eureka yesterday -- and worried about the people they had never met.

``Everyone is paying very close attention,'' said Larry Brewer, 65. ``We talk about what's happening to the Sund family every morning over coffee.''

Paul Welty, 72, had a message for the families: ``Hang in there.''

Carole Sund comes from a prominent family, the Carringtons, who made millions in Northern California real estate and now live mostly in Eureka. She has been active in the PTA, and as a court-appointed advocate for CASA, which helps neglected and abused children in the court system.

``Carole Sund is one of the most important parents in Eureka city schools. She's just a wonderful, wonderful woman,'' said Tim Scott, superintendent of Eureka Unified School District.

``Our community has been torn apart,'' he said. ``Our hope for a miracle has obviously faded.'' snipped

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/03/20/MN54806.DTL
 
It is sad the only articles we can find about Karen are from the 90's
Would Karen get into a car with a stranger? She had a job a place to go a few blocks away.
I wish Karen's class mates would Join. It would be nice to hear something from someone who knew karen. She had to have had friends. Altho I am not sure how long she had lived with her aunt.
 
It is sad the only articles we can find about Karen are from the 90's
Would Karen get into a car with a stranger? She had a job a place to go a few blocks away.
I wish Karen's class mates would Join. It would be nice to hear something from someone who knew karen. She had to have had friends. Altho I am not sure how long she had lived with her aunt.

I was her friend when she disappeared. I have a friend who as far as 2004'ish, was involved in trying to help solve the case. She told me some information, but I don't know how far anyone got with it. I look up her name from time to time to see if there is any new information, or if she was ever found alive (one can hope).

I don't personally think, having known Karen at the time of her death, that she would have gotten into a car with strangers. She may have gotten into a car with people she knew, though. Why? Not sure, a ride home, maybe? I don't think she was doing any drugs, and she was definitely not promiscuous.

She was a good girl, smart and fun. I'm really jogging my memory here, but as far as I remember, she was somewhat of a loner. She was definitely independent, but friendly and nice. She was into skateboarding, and not very many girls were into that at the time.

Here's a story I shared with her to illustrate how things were with some of her friends the year of her death. Not sure it will help, but maybe good for a laugh.

At the time, Annie's was in the mall, and we used to visit her aunt on occasion and drool over shoes. I think she lived with her Aunt for as long as I knew her. One occasion, Karen and I were sitting at the Bayshore Mall food court with another friend and decided it would be fun to have a played-out domestic dispute between the three of us (females) as lovers (which we were not...we were kids, it just was to mess the with other people in the food court) So we proceeded to have a totally improvised heated conversation about some love-triangle nonsense that resulted in exactly what we wanted - one patron was listening to us intently over her romance novel - which she was obviously not reading, and another person simply approached us and said "is this for real?" Any kid would deem it a successful trolling.

I do still miss her, even though most likely would have lost touch by now anyway, had there been no facebook.

Thanks for caring, its nice to see people still think of Karen, she really was awesome. <3
 
Oh Pandabunny,

Your post made may day! Thank you ! Welcome to websleuths!

I hope you stay and check out the forum. I always felt there has to be a connection to something else with this case like another case or crime that is somehow related or an event. I do not see Karen getting in a car with a stranger when she was so close to work.

Also I am wondering why you say time of her death. She is still listing as missing and has not been found. Or Identifed if found.
Do you have a yearbook photo of Karen?
That would be great if you did. Anyway thank you for posting , I just firgured she would have a ton of friends and I am so glad to have heard from one!

Karens dissapearance is on my top 5 I would like to see resolved. It is very hard to dsicriminate any of the cases for a top five.
 
I knew Karen before she moved to Eureka. This was back in Middle School/Junior High. We were a grade apart but i recall a specific summer where a group of us hung out on a daily basis, grunge was the new and emerging music scene and we were all about Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Stone Temple Pilots. I also recall a Christmas where Karen's mom bought a charlie brown Christmas tree, i had never seen one before and thought it was the funniest looking tree, i may have laughed a bit too much because Karen got defensive but like everything else at that age it was quickly forgotten.

I dont recall when but at some point Karen, her brother, and her mom moved out of the neighborhood, they moved to another part of Long Beach. I recall going to hang out with her several times at their new apt but we slowly fell out of touch. Im assuming this was when the move to Eureka happened. Although we said we would keep in touch we didnt. I think i may have seen her once more, after her move to Eureka, on one of her visits to Long Beach but that was it.

I recall how i found out about her disappearance. It was sometime after high school, a friend of mine who also knew Karen (from that same summer) joined the military and was stationed in Northern California. On a random trip to a local ATM he saw her picture on a poster and called to tell me about it.

I was definitely caught off guard, although she was not someone i had kept in touch with its not how you expect to here about an old friend. I have had this forum posting bookmarked for quite a while and will from time to time pull up the page to see if theres anything new and will continue to do so until i see the ending.

I hope with all my heart wherever Karen is that she is happy.
 

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