Karla Rodriguez was a 7-year-old girl who loved riding her bike, playing and skipping school. That was exactly what she did on the day she went missing on October 20, 1999. The usual school day began, and Karla and her mother set off to walk to elementary school, located a few blocks from their home in Las Vegas, Nevada, just like any other week day. They ran into a group of Karla’s school friends and mother and daughter parted ways. Unfortunately, Karla never actually made it into school. Karla sometimes skipped school so the fact that she was absent did not immediately raise concerns. At around 3pm. that afternoon, Karla’s father returned home from work. Karla wasn’t home but her bike was. Her sisters told their father, Karla “is around here somewhere.“ After that, her father left for a meeting and returned at 2 hours later. By then, Karla’s bike was gone. Karla was last seen playing in her neighborhood around 7pm. When Karla did not return home that night, her parents didn’t even think twice, and thought she was sleeping at a friend’s house, or had been picked up by an aunt who sometimes took Karla unannounced. She was only reported missing the next morning, on October 21, 1999, when Karla’s mother could not find her daughter at school pick-up time. The principal called police. It is widely accepted that Karla was most likely abducted by a stranger on October 20. Karla had black hair and brown eyes, she was 3'5” and weighed 49 lbs. She had visible cavities in her teeth and a small mole above her right eyebrow. In a newspaper interview on June 15, 2001, Karla’s mother expressed her guilt. The case remains unsolved. Photo on the left is Karla at age 7 in 1999. The middle photo is an age-progression of what she may have looked like at 14. The the right photo is an age-progression of what she may have looked like at 20.

On August 23, 1994, the body of 17-year-old Beth Ellen Vinson was found on Atlantic Avenue in New York. Her body had been covered with cardboard, and left between two warehouses on Wicker Road. Beth had lied about her age and been working for an escort service to earn quick cash. Beth was last seen at around 2:30 am on August 16, 1994, when she left her apartment to meet a client at the Innkeeper Motel. At 5:30 am her 1990 white four door Mazda 626 was found at the entrance of a car dealership on Capital Boulevard. The driver’s door was open. The motor was still running, and the radio was still on. Police found her shoe on the floor of the driver’s side. Seven days later, on August, 23, a factory manager found her body a half-mile from the car. She had been stabbed 15 times. Continuing investigation, determined that she was in possession of four pieces of jewellry and a multi-coloured cloth purse on the morning of her murder. These items have never been recovered.

On February 15, 1991, the remains of a Caucasian female were found in the woods near “Horseshoe” recreation area, located south of the Bahia Honda Channel Bridge, on West Summerland Key, Florida. The victim was said to have been around 16-25 years old, and was last seen hitchhiking on US 1, at mile marker 17, on Big Coppitt Key, a day before her remains were discovered. She had been sexually assaulted and then murdered. It is suspected the victim was not from the area she was discovered in due to her clothing and lack of tan lines. An autopsy report surmised the victim may have carried a baby to full term. Additionally, she suffered from ovarian and fallopian tube cysts, adhesions to uterus, and chronic pelvic inflammation. Due to expected abdominal pain she may have sought medical attention (hospital/medical records of her appointments may exist somewhere). She remains unidentified. 

On November 5, 1980, the remains of a young woman were found in Daytona Beach, Volusia County, Florida. She had been murdered several weeks before and had most likely died due to stab wounds that occurred in her upper torso. The victim was a prostitute, according to convicted “serial killer” Gerald Eugene Stano, who stated he choked the victim, instead of stabbing her, and had met her a few years before she was found dead. She was likely Hispanic, although she could have been White/Black biracial as well. She was estimated to have been between 15-25 years old. She remains unidentified. Her “killer” Gerald Eugene, was executed by electric hair on March 23, 1998 in Florida.

On October 10, 2012, the decomposed remains of an Hispanic woman were found buried on the beach, scavenged by coyotes on South Padre Island, Cameron County, Texas. The victim’s body most likely became exposed due to changes with water levels on the beach. It is believed that the woman had been dead for one or more weeks before the discovery. The sand above her body had been “covered with slime", possibly to speed decomposition or plant growth, likely as a way to prevent the body from ever being found or identified. She was middle-aged, at approximately 42-55 years old at the time of death. One or more of the female’s limbs were not found with the body, as they were likely carried away by animals, (coyotes). A distinctive feature about the female was that she had tattoos in place of makeup on her eyebrows, eyelids and lips. Her ears had also been pierced. She was clothed, wearing a dark top, multicolored shorts with star decorations and bikini underwear, along with a sanitary pad. The woman’s death is considered to be due to foul play and a “suspicious” white-colored “powder” was found on the face region. She remains unidentified, and the case remains unsolved. See a few photos >here<. 

On July 21, 1999, the body of a young white female was discovered on the edge of a cornfield near Racine, Wisconsin, by a man walking his dog. Her body had been there for less than 24 hours, prior to the discovery. She was facially recognisable, and was said to have been around age 18 to 35. It was evident that she had been subject to weeks of continuous neglect and torture, which happened to increase a few days before she died. One of the two persons who had discovered her body stated that an arm appeared to be broken, since it was in such an unnatural position. An autopsy indicated that she had died from multiple injuries, such as burning and beating, and her body showed signs of having been malnourished and sexually abused. It was also noted that she had "cauliflower ear", and it was concluded that the deformity may have been caused by the abusive conditions in which she lived. There are also sources that state that she may have also been mentally disabled. She is known and referred to as the Racine County Jane Doe, and “Crystal Rae”.

On October 20, 2016 it was announced that chemical isotope testing performed by the Smithsonian on a sample of her hair and bone suggest she may originally have been from or spent several years of her life in Alaska, Montana or portions of southern Canada. Despite this, the case remains unsolved.

On September 16, 1976, the strangled body of 20-year-old Melissa Ann Rehorek was found in a ditch along 23 km west of Calgary. Melissa was living at the YWCA and working as a chambermaid at the International Hotel. It’s quite possible she was picked up hitchhiking by a stranger. Five months after the discovery of Melissa’s body, 19-year-old Barbara Maclean, pictured on the right, was last seen hitchhiking home after an intense fight with her boyfriend. She was also found strangled the next day near Calgary. There were a number of similarities in the murders of young women around that time period that police believe may be connected to a serial killer. Their cases remain unsolved.

On October 25, 1969 26-year-old Gloria Moody was raped, beaten and left to bleed to death just outside Williams Lake, British Columbia. On October 26th, a day later, Gloria’s body was found 10km from Williams Lake on a cattle trail by two hunters. She had been stripped naked, sexually assaulted, beaten, and had bled to death from her injuries. She is considered the first victim of the Highway of Tears. There are now at least 18 missing and murdered women. Most are aboriginal and most are still unsolved, including Gloria Moody’s.

On November 20, 1969, 7-year-old Evangeline Azarcon was abducted on her way home from Edith Cavell Elementary in Vancouver, British Columbia. Her abduction sparked the biggest search in BC’s history. Her tiny body was found exactly two months later in an abandoned mill site in Surrey. Two years before Evangeline’s abduction, 8-year-old Nancy Johnsen from Surrey was abducted, her cause of death was strangulation. Both Nancy and Evangeline's bodies were found in the same area, around 8km apart. Nancy went missing, and her body was found in November 1967. Evangeline went missing on November 1969 and her body was found on November 1970. Many believe that Nancy and Evangeline’s murders are linked, however, the cases remain unsolved.

On June 8, 1989, the body of 44-year-old Cindy James was found in the yard of an abandoned house in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. She had died from an overdose of morphine and other drugs, she’d been strangled, a black nylon stocking was tied tightly around her neck, and her hands and feet were tied behind her back. For some unusual and strange reason, the RCMP ruled her death as suicide. Two books were written about her death in the early 90s, and her sister Melanie Hack has also written a book called “Who Killed my Sister?” which shows that Cindy’s family believe she was murdered. Cindy was a nurse, and in the seven years before her death she reported nearly 100 incidents of stalking, from violent physical attacks to dead cats in her garden to menacing phone calls and notes that turned up on her doorstep. She changed her last name, moved and painted her car, but the harassment continued. Because there were never any witnesses the police thought she was lying. The “incidents” started a few months after she left her husband, a psychiatrist. He was obviously a suspect, as was a cop she dated, and a man who was seen running from her house after a fire. However, the case remains unsolved.

On September 2nd, 1995, the nude body of 24-year-old Tammy Lee Pipe was discovered in a remote wooded area approximately 10 kilometers north of the Lougheed Highway, British Columbia. Her body was located in the middle of a side road with no attempt to conceal it. Tammy frequently gave money and clothing to the poor, however she began to use cocaine and then became a Street Trade Worker to support her drug habit. Tammy worked the Vancouver downtown eastside area, around the Patricia Hotel on Hastings Street and the area of Victoria Drive and Franklin Street. Tammy occasionally took to the stage and performed ‘interpretive dance routines’ and was locally regarded as a ‘stripper’. She was also known to travel throughout the Lower Mainland area, and had pre-paid rent, but was last seen at the Cobalt Hotel on Main Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, in the late afternoon on Tuesday August 29th, 1995. Tammy was never seen alive again. The case remains unsolved.

The old saying "You are what you eat" might hold the clue to unraveling the mysterious identity of a woman found dead nearly two decades ago in Wisconsin, who may have been raised in Canada. I’ll write a post on this.

On November 15, 1979, 31-year-old Irene Pearson was brutally murdered whilst trying to do her job. She was hit over the head several times with a blunt object and stabbed repeatedly in the chest. Irene was a salesperson for Castlewood Homes in Winnipeg, and she had been working in a show home at the corner of Kinver and Cropo. She was last seen alive at around 6:30pm walking with a man, said to be around aged 22 to 30 with average height and build, and it’s believed that she thought he was a potential client, and was showing him a house for sale in the area. The next morning, Irene’s body was found in the basement of a vacant home that was for sale. The case went cold until 2007 when DNA samples provided new information. The DNA, however, did not provide enough evidence to identify a suspect. The case remains unsolved.

On September 12, 1976, the body of a young woman was discovered along an access road in Woodlawn, Maryland, near the Lorraine Park Cemetery. Photos were taken of her at the scene, and after being embalmed. She had suffered greatly before dying; she had been drugged, tortured, beaten, raped and strangled. The rape had been severe, as it caused bleeding that had seeped into her clothing. It was also evident that she had most likely died at a different location and had been transported to the place she was found. She had been drugged with the sedative Chlorpromazine, which is an antipsychotic medication that is primarily used to treat psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia. Although her body was found in Maryland, there are several clues that suggest a link to Massachusetts. She was estimated to have been between 15-25 years old, she had brown hair and brown eyes, and was approximately 5'8" in height. Her skin was of a dark, olive complexion, and she had a tattoo, with the letters “JP,” which detectives believe may have stood for “Jamaica Plain,” a neighborhood in Boston. In 2015, police received a tip that Woodlawn Jane Doe may have been from Jamaica Plain in Boston. The tip suggested that she may have moved there with her family from Puerto Rico. The case remains unsolved, and Woodlawn Jane Doe remains unidentified. The photo attached is that of Woodlawn Jane Dose after being embalmed.

On June 13th, 1994, Nicholas Barclay’s mother gave him $5 to go and play basketball with some friends down at the park a mile or two away from their home in San Antonio, Texas. He later called to ask for his mother to pick him up, but his mother, Beverly, worked nights and slept during the day. It was his older brother, Jason, who picked up the phone, and he refused to wake her, telling Nicholas he’d need to walk. It was the last time they heard from him. 

This wasn’t the first time that Nicholas had disappeared. He’d run away from home a number of times, but always came back within a day. Three months later, his brother, Jason, called police and told them Nicholas was breaking into their garage, but when police arrived, they were told Nicholas had run off after seeing that he’d been spotted. They searched the neighborhood, but found nothing. Police believed that Jason hadn’t seen Nick at all. This odd sighting is similar to that of Noreen Gosch, when she claimed Johnny had visited her.

In October 1997, a caller from Spain said they had located Nicholas after he had escaped from a child sex ring. His sister flew to Spain, identified him, and brought him home. In 1998, the FBI got a court order to take his fingerprints, which identified the man as 23-year-old Frederic Pierre Bourdin, a French citizen. He was eventually sentenced to 6 years in prison. The documentary “The Imposter” on Netflix gives in depth interviews with Frederic, the man who impersonated Nicholas. Some people think they did it because they were involved in his disappearance and this was a way to further cover it up.

This case is similar to that of Johnny Gosch, Eugene Martin and Marc Allen.