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 Beth Kamsch


Karen, date, approximate 1976; Age-progression to age 59 (date, approximate 2020)
Date Missing 01/09/1976
Missing From
Pasadena, Maryland
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 01/19/1962 (60)
Age 14 years old
Height and Weight 5'0, 110 pounds
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes.
Details of Disappearance Karen was last seen in Pasadena, Maryland sometime during the winter months of 1976. She was living with her grandmother, Olga Kamsch, in the 50 block of Wishing Rock Road at the time. She was a straight-A student at Brooklyn Park Senior School and had skipped the sixth grade.
However, around the time of her disappearance she had been getting into trouble and had also run away from home several times. It is reported that she may have been abused, but the nature of the abuse and the identity of the abuser(s) have not been disclosed. She had moved in with her grandmother because she was having problems with her family.
Olga told everyone that Karen ran away during the winter of 1976. She said she realized the child was missing when Karen did not arrive at school. She left behind all of her belongings, including her winter coat. Karen has never been heard from again and there has been no indication of her whereabouts since 1976.
In 2007, Karen's younger brother contacted police to inquire as to the status of her . Olga and Karen's father had said they reported Karen as a missing child in 1976, but investigators have found no record of the report. It is unclear whether the report was never made, or whether it was simply misplaced or destroyed in the intervening three decades.
Olga died in 1999, and Karen's aunt and uncle now live in the house on Wishing Rock Road. A new missing persons report was officially filed for Karen on May 15, 2007, and police began interviewing her friends and surviving relatives.
Authorities believe foul play may have been involved in Karen's disappearance, as they cannot find any records of her existence after 1976. Her is being treated as a homicide.
Investigators searched Olga and Karen's former home for evidence, and sucked five feet of debris out of a dried-up well behind the house. They stated they have a person of interest in Karen's disappearance and this individual is a close associate or relative of hers.
The investigation is ongoing and Karen's disappearance remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Anne Arundel County Police Department
410-222-3415
Other
The Baltimore Sun
The Capital Gazette
The Wilmington News-Journal
The Washington Post
WBAL TV
The Doe Network
NamUs
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

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