Missing Person Photos
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2 to 5 percent of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
Resources for Missing Persons
According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day.
Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends.
Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.
Missing Person Case Updates with Photos
Karen Ann Penson
Karen, date, approximate 1970 (approximately 13 years prior to her disappearance; more recent photographs are unavailable)
Date Missing 05/21/1983
Missing From
Tacoma, Washington
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 05/25/1952 (70)
Age 30 years old
Height and Weight 5'2, 105 pounds
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Karen's maiden name is Marzano.
Details of Disappearance Karen was last seen at her residence in Tacoma, Washington on May 21, 1983. Her husband of twelve years, Michael Penson, stated they argued and Karen called a friend to come get her. He left their home before she did and when he came back she was gone. She has never been heard from again. On May 26, someone found Karen's purse with her belongings, wet, on the beach.
Michael married again in 1990. In 2001, while he was living in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho he shot his second wife in the pelvis, wounding her, and police officers who responded to the scene shot him to death after he pointed his gun at them. He was 49 years old. His wife made a full recovery and the police shooting was ruled a justifiable homicide.
It's unclear whether Michael had anything to do with Karen's disappearance, but the couple did have a history of domestic problems. Authorities stated that since his death, they had no further leads to pursue in the investigation. Karen's parents are now deceased and her remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Tacoma Police Department
253-591-5506
Other
Washington State Missing Persons Information
The Idaho Spokesman-Review
Missing Person Photos
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2 to 5 percent of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
Resources for Missing Persons
According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day.
Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends.
Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.
Missing Person Case Updates with Photos