Karla Carolina Rodriguez was born on September 29, 1992. Her nickname was Karlita. She was born in Michoacán, Mexico. Her mom is Elia Zepeda and her father is Ramon Rodriguez. Karla was the youngest of 4 daughters.
When Karla was round 12 months outdated, the household moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. The household lived close to the Stratosphere. Karla was stated to have been adventurous, she beloved driving her bike and being outdoors.
Karla was fairly a sickly youngster. By the point she was seven, she had undergone an appendectomy. She additionally suffered from recurring kidney and urinary tract infections. Her enamel had been in poor situation and he or she had seen cavities – that is all info from the FBI.
She was on the small aspect for a lady her age, about 3-foot-6 and 50 kilos/22kgs.
The typical top for a 7-year-old lady is round 47.7 inches (121.1 cm) – Karla was round 91cm so she was very tiny. This appears exceptionally small however that’s her top as per a number of sources – Charley Mission and the FBI.
The day that Karla disappeared was Wednesday October 20, 1999. There are differing tales about what occurred that day. Nearly all of studies appear to point that Karla was on a break from college, however she was nonetheless attending an English class to assist her enhance her vocabulary since Spanish was her major language.
Karla’s mom stated that she walked Karla two blocks in the direction of her college. It’s then implied that Karla would have walked the extra 5 blocks to highschool by herself.
Karla by no means made it to her class that day. The FBI stated a witness later got here ahead saying they noticed Karla strolling in the direction of college, alone and crying.
In response to the FBI, it’s unknown the place Karla went that day as she didn’t go to her class. Throughout the late afternoon, she went to the house of a feminine buddy.
Earlier than 7pm that evening, the buddy walked Karla to a different home. This can be a bit complicated however Karla informed Buddy One which this was her house, when in truth her actual home was across the nook. A male buddy of Karla’s lived on this home.
She rang the doorbell. When her buddy appeared on the clock and noticed that it was 7pm and getting darkish, he informed Karla that his dad and mom wouldn’t let him go outdoors and play.
This information about what Karla presumably did subsequent is from the FBI:
‘She could have stayed outdoors for about one other quarter-hour on the swing that they had outdoors their home. She could have additionally gone to her home the place one other buddy stated that he gave her $2 to go purchase sweet. The police went and pulled video from the shop the place the buddy stated that Karla deliberate to go for the sweet, however they might not discover her there.
Karla’s dad and mom labored reverse shifts which partly explains why no person realized for thus lengthy that she was lacking. Her father Ramon arrived house later that evening – her mom was working the evening shift. When Karla was not there, he spoke to a neighbor who had seen her earlier that day. After confirming that Karla had been seen within the neighborhood, Ramon assumed his daughter had stayed at a buddy’s place and he went to mattress.
Karla was nonetheless not house the next morning. Her mom Elia had now completed work. Elia referred to as the varsity to see if Karla had arrived for her lessons. When the principal realized that Karla had not turned up, police had been referred to as.
A command submit was arrange on the college.
Karla’s bike was discovered deserted close to the neighbor’s house.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Division arrived to analyze. The FBI additionally turned concerned within the case. Karla’s disappearance was additionally featured on ‘America’s Most Wished.’
The FBI traveled to Mexico to conduct interviews they usually additionally investigated areas across the border.
In response to the ‘Luminol Podcast’, each of Karla’s dad and mom took polygraphs they usually handed.
In response to the FBI, there are two important theories about what could have occurred to Karla.
Idea one consists of the potential involvement of two brothers. The FBI have labelled them as Mark and Randy on their web site about Karla.
As a part of the investigation into the disappearance, the police used two bloodhounds named Barney and Blossom to trace Karla’s scent. The canine began off in two totally different locations, and each of them tracked the kid’s scent to the house of Mark and Randy.
Randy was a Navy veteran who had been discharged below unfavorable circumstances. Each he and Mark had no secure employment.
On the time that Karla disappeared, Randy had been working as a on line casino vendor from 6pm to 2am. Mark had been working at an area retailer from 10am to 7pm, every day of the week apart from Tuesdays.
The boys had been recognized to make use of medication recreationally. That is information direct from the FBI:
‘They frequented trafficking victims pressured to do prostitution. Mark was additionally recognized to inform sexually specific “jokes” about little ladies.’
Police went to the condominium the place the lads lived they usually consented to searches of their house and automobiles.
When the scent canine entered the condominium, they each hit on the toilet space. One of many canine jumped into the tub and grabbed a sponge in its mouth.
Authorities stated the toilet appeared to have been just lately cleaned and disinfected. This was uncommon as the remainder of the condominium was described as ‘filthy.’
On the aspect of the bathroom close to the tub, blood spatter was discovered. It was examined and was discovered to be human. Nevertheless, there was not sufficient of a pattern to amass any DNA from.
Police discovered a drink container within the kitchen sink, which they believed indicated that one of many males had been to a comfort retailer just lately. Mark would have left his job at round 7/7.15pm on the evening that Karla disappeared. This could have been across the time that Karla left her buddy’s home to buy the sweet. Mark was stated to have been capable of communicate Spanish. The speculation is that he intercepted Karla and spoke to her, convincing her to stroll alongside the road near his condominium. One in all Karla’s neighbors was a recognized drug vendor. It’s believed that Mark presumably bought medication from that particular person and had seen Karla previously.
When police searched Mark’s automobile, it was described as a van with boarded up home windows. The van has Mississippi license plates that had been registered to an ex of Mark’s. The FBI contacted the ex and he or she stated that she was stunned the van was nonetheless in her identify.
One in all Mark’s shirts was discovered contained in the van, and it contained bodily fluid stains. The canine didn’t detect Karla’s scent on the upholstery within the automobile.
Police had been by no means capable of affirm that Karla had been within the condominium or the van, so neither Mark or Randy had been ever convicted in relation to this case. They finally concluded, with FBI help, that Mark was a situational youngster intercourse offender.
Mark died in September 2002 of drug-related causes, and Randy additionally died in 2005 of comparable causes.
The second idea put ahead by the FBI consists of the serial killer Curtis Dean Anderson.
That is information about his crimes from the FBI web site –
Anderson was convicted and sentenced to over 300 years in jail for the 1999 kidnapping and homicide of 7-year-old Xiana Fairchild in Vallejo, California, and different crimes. He was captured after one among his kidnap victims was capable of escape. Anderson was interviewed by FBI brokers in November of 2007, and confessed to murdering eight victims in the US, together with Fairchild and 7-year-old Amber Swartz-Garcia of Pinole, California. Anderson additionally confessed to 2 murders in Mexico, however didn’t present any info on these victims.
Round Might 1999, Curtis had been launched from jail in California. He had been serving time there for kidnapping a girl in California and taking her throughout state strains to Oregon. By that time, he had sexually assaulted and killed seven females. Most of his victims round this time had been of their late teenagers/early grownup years.
In September 1999, one month earlier than Karla disappeared, Curtis was concerned in a motorbike accident and he was considerably injured. One in all his protection attorneys would later say that due to his accidents, Curtis switched from having a choice for victims who had been older, to youthful, prepubescent females as a result of they had been simpler to overpower.
A receipt was present in 2000 in Curtis’ automobile which was a white or beige Oldsmobile Firenza. He was stated to have been dwelling within the automobile in 1999. The receipt confirmed that he was in Las Vegas on October 20, 1999, the day that Karla vanished. The receipt was from a cigarette retailer that was 1.1 miles away from Karla’s house. He had been on the retailer at 1.41pm that day.
Regardless of apparently being in Las Vegas on October 20, Curtis was confirmed to have attended physician appointments in San Jose, California on October 19 and October 22. San Jose is round a 7.5-8 hour drive from Las Vegas. It’s unknown why he was in Las Vegas on October 20.
One media outlet appeared on the days that Curtis killed his victims and located that he all the time did it on a Thursday. We all know that Karla disappeared on a Wednesday night.
Curtis died in jail in December 2007 – he hanged himself in his cell. Earlier than his dying, he referenced a map of Nevada the place he had positioned 5 ‘X’ marks throughout the state. He stated that these had been locations the place he had buried tapes of him and his victims. Two further maps present in his cell after he died supplied extra exact instructions for 2 of the 5 websites.
The FBI went to the areas to look. In March 2019, authorities tried to make use of floor penetrating radar however because of the quantity of particles on the web site, the effectiveness of that software was lowered.
The FBI went again to the location in 2020 and 2021 to look once more. Nothing was present in relation to Karla’s case.
2019 marked 20 years since Karla disappeared.
“We miss you, Karla,” her sister Rosy, now 35, stated. “Please somebody who has any clue — please tell us, contact the police.’
“We’re nonetheless going to be right here,” she stated. “We’re not going to surrender till we discover anyone or somebody who has seen her.”
“We consider in our coronary heart that she’s nonetheless on the market someplace, and we don’t lose that hope,” she stated.
Ramon, Karla’s dad, additionally spoke to the media as he held her favourite doll. He informed the Evaluation-Journal in Spanish that he and the lady’s mom now perceive the risks of leaving youngsters unattended. The household nonetheless lives in Las Vegas.
Retired Metro Deputy Chief Al Salinas informed the Evaluation-Journal in 2019 that, in his opinion, Karla was “a sufferer ready to occur.”
“Dad didn’t name us. Mother didn’t name us. It was the principal of the varsity that referred to as us. These form of conditions actually give me concern,” Salinas stated, later including that he thought Karla “fell via the cracks.”
Officers stated in 2019 that no substantial leads have come to gentle in about 10 years. Supervisory Particular Agent Elena Iatarola, with the Las Vegas FBI workplace, stated there’s now a $5,000 reward accessible for anybody with info that results in a decision of the case.
Karla was final seen carrying a blue jacket, a blue-and-white striped shirt and pink pants. Her fingernails had been painted inexperienced. She was 3 toes, 6 inches tall and weighed about 50 kilos, in accordance with the Polly Klaas Basis, which additionally has assisted with the case.
Police stated Karla had a medical scar on her stomach, a small mole above her proper eyebrow and spoke restricted English.
SOURCE LIST:
https://luminolpod.com/weblog/f/the-disappearance-of-karla-rodriguez
https://www.sinsandsurvivors.com/weblog/the-unsolved-disappearance-of-karla-rodriguez
https://www.fbi.gov/needed/kidnap/karla-rodriguez
https://www.fbi.gov/information/podcasts/inside-the-fbi-podcast-what-happened-to-karla-rodriguez
https://www.fbi.gov/needed/seeking-info/curtis-dean-anderson
