TN TN - Karen Beard, 35, pregnant, Kingston, 16 Jan 1991

[OkieGranny]

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/local-news/pregnant-womans-disappearance-unsolved

When Karen Farmer Beard disappeared in January 1991, she was 35 years old, locked in a custody fight with her ex-husband over their two daughters, and 7 1/2 months pregnant with a third child...

Karen Beard was last seen on Jan. 15, 1991, dropping her two daughters off at the home of her former in-laws: Dr. Carolyn Beard, director of the Roane County Health Department, and Dr. Craig Beard, a prominent Kingston dentist.

She did not show up for work at Shoney's in Lenoir City the next day. That day, a local wrecker service received a call from a woman identifying herself as Karen Beard and giving them directions to her car to tow. It is now suspected the caller was an imposter. The full circumstances of the call and tow remain unclear.

Charley Project: http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/b/beard_karen.html

Karen's lawyer reported her missing on January 23 after she missed an appointment. When the lawyer and the police went to her apartment in Harriman, Tennessee, they found it undisturbed with no indications of forced entry or a struggle. Her purse, wallet and car keys were at the apartment. Her car was found near the Center Ferry Bridge at the Clinch River, less than a mile from Karen's former in-laws' home...

Authorities believe Karen was taken to a house in Kingston and killed, and her body disposed of. They viewed several of Reece's friends as suspects in Karen's disappearance. Years later, as one of them was dying of cancer, he asked to speak with investigators. By the time the police arrived at the hospital to interview him, however, he had died.

NamUs: https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/26173

 

[Laughing]

Wait, drops the kids off at the in-laws, clearly involved in their community, and doesn't pick them up -- but it's her lawyer that reports her missing 2 weeks later?

Uhm, MIL, FIL, gotta few questions for ya'.

 

[MagnoliaMountain]

Her poor children. Wondering what has become of the two girls.

 

[NJEverCurious]

So many questions. Motive, opportunity, and means...

• Knowing who got custody may provide a possible motive.
• Opportunity (and possibly Means): Where was the estranged husband when she disappeared?

Harriman, TN, looks like it is surrounded by rural land, even now. If she was murdered and disposed of, there probably are a million places she could be. That said, NamUs only lists one exclusion as of today.

 

[faeriegyrl]

I live in this community and this is a case that I have thought about often. The ex husband got custody of the children. Prominent and wealthy family. Both MIL and FIL are now deceased and I just today saw that there home is now for sale. Made me think about Karen again and decided to sign in and see if anything had ever been said about her. I have some stuff that I researched a while back while pondering this case. I will have to dig it out and see if I can add anything on here.

 

[CastlesBurning]

Bumping for Karen - it's now been over 30 years.

 

[Caring1]

Bump for Karen

 

[Pennysmom1]

Karen is still missing

Missing Person / NamUs #MP26173

View NamUs missing person case MP26173 for Karen Farmer Beard missing from Harriman, Tennessee. Date of last contact: Jan 16, 1991. NCMEC case number: --.

namus.nij.ojp.gov

2723DFTN - Karen Farmer Beard

Distinguishing Marks/Features: 7 1/2 months pregnant when she disappeared

Identifiers​

Dentals: Unknown
Fingerprints: Unknown
DNA: Unknown

Karen Farmer Beard – The Charley Project

Details of Disappearance​

Karen was last seen at 7:30 p.m. on January 15, 1991, when she dropped her two daughters off at the home of her former in-laws in Kingston, Tennessee. She was supposed to go to work the next day at the Shoney's restaurant in Lenoir City, Tennessee, but never showed up.

That day, someone identifying herself as Karen called a towing service, Colyer Wrecker Service, and gave them directions so they could tow her car. Investigators believe the caller may not have really been Karen, however; the towing service employee who took the call listened to a recording of Karen's voice and said it wasn't the same person who called him. She has never been heard from again.

Karen's lawyer reported her missing on January 23 after she missed an appointment. When the lawyer and the police went to her apartment in Harriman, Tennessee, they found it undisturbed with no indications of forced entry or a struggle. Her purse, wallet and car keys were at the apartment. Her car was found near the Center Ferry Bridge at the Clinch River, less than a mile from Karen's former in-laws' home.

Prior to her disappearance, Karen was involved in a bitter custody battle with her ex-husband, Reece Beard. They had separated in California in 1985. Reece was given custody of their two daughters by default in 1987 after Karen failed to appear for a custody hearing. She later went to Tennessee to try and get the children back.

The two girls reportedly said they wanted to live with their mother. There were charges of alcoholism, adultery, drug abuse and drug dealing on both sides, and Karen was reportedly "mortally afraid" of Reece. She asked her sister to become her children's legal guardian if anything should happen to her.

Karen did have a history of cocaine and methamphetamine use and was hospitalized for her drug problem in California in 1985, but her sister stated she had gotten clean in order to be a better parent to her children. Her sister stated Reece was the father of Karen's unborn child, but Reece denied it. Karen's former mother-in-law described her as unstable and stated she had dropped out of sight before, once for nearly a year.

Authorities believe Karen was taken to a house in Kingston and killed, and her body disposed of. They viewed several of Reece's friends as suspects in Karen's disappearance. Years later, as one of them was dying of cancer, he asked to speak with investigators. By the time the police arrived at the hospital to interview him, however, he had died.

No one has ever been charged in Karen's disappearance, but foul play is strongly suspected. Her case remains unsolved.

 

[John/Jane Doe]

Karen Farmer Beard – The Charley Project

 

[Jsizzle]

Wonder what her children think of this now that they are adults.