MUS-2026-0005
Archive card
MUS-2026-0005
Missing person
- Incident
- November 25, 1997
- Indexed
- Oct 1, 2026, by MuseUnsolved
- Agency
- Eureka Police Department
- Location
- Eureka CA
Public record. Index entry.
Index entry. Case details compiled from public reporting; our researchers have not verified this file yet.
Summary
What happened, as the record shows.
Karen Marie Mitchell, 16, vanished on Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1997, in Eureka, California. She left her aunt's shoe store at the Bayshore Mall around 2:45 p.m. to walk about three-quarters of a mile to her daycare job at the Coastal Family Development Center; she never arrived. A witness described a light-blue four-door sedan, a 1976 to 1978 Ford Granada or Mercury Monarch, driven by an older white man, 60 to 70, balding with gray or sandy-blonde hair, glasses, and a large nose; a composite sketch was made. Eureka Police Department case number C979949. She is listed with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and a poster with an age-progressed photo hangs in the Eureka Police Department lobby. No charges have ever been filed. Years later, speculation linking Robert Durst to the case was investigated by Eureka police, who found no credible link and ruled him out.
Timeline
What the record establishes.
- November 25, 1997, about 2:45 p.m.
Karen Mitchell, 16, leaves her aunt's shoe store at the Bayshore Mall on Thanksgiving afternoon, headed for a daycare job about three-quarters of a mile away. She never arrives.
- November 1997
A witness reports a light-blue 1976 to 1978 Ford Granada or Mercury Monarch driven by an older white man, 60 to 70. Police release a composite sketch.
- December 3, 2012
The Willits News covers the case.
- 2010s
True crime podcasts including Hell and Gone Murder Line, Crimepedia, and High Mystery feature Karen's disappearance.
- Ongoing
Karen is listed with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and her age-progressed poster hangs in the Eureka Police Department lobby. EPD case number C979949.
Key people
The people in the file.
16, of Eureka, California. Vanished November 25, 1997, walking to her daycare job. NCMEC-listed; a poster with an age-progressed photo hangs in the Eureka Police Department lobby.
Her mother Mary Casper spoke publicly about Karen's college and financial-aid plans that morning. Per CrimeSolversCentral, her family continues to seek answers and justice. No privacy or takedown requests are on record.
Case number C979949.
Investigating agency
Where tips go.
This case is with the Eureka Police Department, case number C979949. If you know something, say something to them.
Continue