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| Tompkins, Karen Lynn August 18, 1961; California 11 years old | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jul 30 2006, 11:41 AM (1,674 Views) | |
| oldies4mari2004 | Jul 30 2006, 11:41 AM Post #1 |
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http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/t/tompkins_karen.html |
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| oldies4mari2004 | Nov 21 2006, 12:06 PM Post #2 |
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Karen Lynn Tompkins Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance Missing Since: August 18, 1961 from Torrance, California Classification: Endangered Missing Date Of Birth: July 25, 1950 Age: 11 years old Height and Weight: 4'11, 55 pounds Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Ash-blonde hair, blue eyes. Tompkins's hair was cut short with bangs at the time of her disappearance. She has freckles across the bridge of her nose and a brown-colored birthmark in the middle of her forehead half an inch below her hairline. Tompkins's teeth are uneven and the right eyetooth protrudes. Clothing/Jewelry Description: Royal blue shorts with a white printed band on the bottom, a white sleeveless blouse, rubber sandals, and a white cardigan sweater. Details of Disappearance Tompkins was last seen on Friday, August 18, 1961, in Torrance, California. She and her eight-year-old brother were attending a summer arts and crafts class at Halldale Avenue Elementary School at 215th Street and Halldale Avenue in Harbor Gateway. That day, their dog followed them to the class so Tompkins's brother took it home before the class was over. Tompkins stayed behind. The teacher and other students saw Tompkins leave the class when it ended at 5:30 p.m. that day. She was carrying two toy covered wagons, the crafts she and her brother had made in the class. It is a four-block walk between the school and Tompkins's home, and a classmate rode with her on a bicycle for the first few minutes of the trip. The police were called when she did not arrive home by 6:00 p.m. A few days after Tompkins disappeared, a forty-year-old man was arrested for kidnapping her when the police found bloodstains on his underclothes. He denied having anything to do with her disappearance and was eventually released for lack of evidence connecting him to Tompkins's presumed abduction. In 1962, an eleven-year-old girl, Dorothy Gale Brown, was kidnapped and her body was found in the ocean off of Marina Del Rey, California, thirty miles from Torrance, the next day. She had been sexually molested and drowned. Investigators at the time believed the Tompkins and Brown cases were related. Both girls were the same age, both were blonde, and both disappeared at around the same time of day and from only blocks apart. Brown's murder has never been solved. Tompkins resided with her younger brother and infant sister, her mother and her grandmother at the time of her disappearance; her father was stationed at sea with the United States Navy, but returned home when he realized his daughter was missing. Her case remains unsolved. Tompkins was a good student in 1961 and enjoyed playing with Barbie dolls. She is believed to have been abducted and her disappearance is being investigated as a probable homicide. Investigating Agency If you have any information concerning this case, please contact: Los Angeles Police Department 213-485-5381 Source Information The National Center For Missing and Exploited Children California Attorney General's Office The Doe Network Los Angeles Police Department Unsolved-Crimes International Newspaper Archive The Daily Breeze Updated 4 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated October 17, 2006; picture added, details of disappearance updated. Charley Project Home |
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| oldies4mari2004 | Nov 21 2006, 12:08 PM Post #3 |
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Karen Lynn Tompkins |
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| oldies4mari2004 | Nov 21 2006, 12:08 PM Post #4 |
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Karen Lynn Tompkins |
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| oldies4mari2004 | Nov 21 2006, 12:09 PM Post #5 |
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Karen Lynn Tompkins |
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| oldies4mari2004 | Feb 10 2007, 05:09 PM Post #6 |
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http://z13.invisionfree.com/PorchlightUSA/...opic=3004&st=0& |
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| Ell | Mar 7 2007, 09:12 AM Post #7 |
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Karen Lynn Tompkins Name: Karen Lynn Tompkins Missing: Aug 18, 1961 Age: 11 Sex: F Descent: White Height: 4'11 Weight: 55 Hair: Blue Eyes: Blonde Missing From: Los Angeles Report #: 03-05-04054 / 61-152757 CIRCUMSTANCES The missing person was last seen on August 18, 1961, at approximately 1:00 p.m. leaving the Halldale Elementary School grounds. The missing person was enroute home where she was never seen again. CONTACT INFO Los Angeles Police Department Detective Support Division Missing Persons Unit 150 N. Los Angeles St. Los Angeles, California 90012 Phone# 213-485-5381 (24 Hours) OR 1-877-LAWFULL (1-877-529-3855) - 24 Hours http://www.lapdonline.org/missing_persons_...person_view/493 |
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Ell Only after the last tree has been cut down; Only after the last fish has been caught; Only after the last river has been poisoned; Only then will you realize that money cannot be eaten. | |
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| oldies4mari2004 | May 28 2007, 11:18 AM Post #8 |
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me.jpg Other Oictures of Karen |
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| oldies4mari2004 | May 28 2007, 11:19 AM Post #9 |
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me.jpg |
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| Begood | Jul 9 2008, 02:35 PM Post #10 |
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Endangered Missing KAREN TOMPKINS DOB: Jul 25, 1950 Missing: Aug 18, 1961 Age Now: 57 Sex: Female Race: White Hair: Blonde Eyes: Blue Height: 4'11" (150 cm) Weight: 55 lbs (25 kg) Missing From: TORRANCE CA United States Age Progressed Karen's photo is shown age-progressed to 57 years. She was last seen at approximately 5 p.m. on August 18, 1961 leaving an arts and crafts class which was held at a local elementary school. Karen left the school with her craft and was to return to her home a few blocks away but she never arrived home. ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT National Center for Missing & Exploited Children 1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Los Angeles Police Department (California) 1-213-485-5381 http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/ser...earchLang=en_US age progressed |
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| oldies4mari2004 | Jul 20 2008, 07:57 AM Post #11 |
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Karen Lynn Tompkins Missing since August 18, 1961 from Torrance, Los Angeles County, California. Classification: Endangered Missing Vital Statistics Date Of Birth: July 25, 1950 Age at Time of Disappearance: 11 years old Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 4' 11" - 150 cm; 55 lbs - 25 kg. Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Blue eyes; blonde hair. Clothing: Royal blue shorts with a white printed band on the bottom, a white sleeveless blouse, rubber sandals, and a white cardigan sweater. Dentals: Not available Circumstances of Disappearance Tompkins was last seen on August 18, 1961, at approximately 1:00 p.m. leaving the Halldale Elementary School grounds. She was en route home and was never seen again. Although police and her family members believe a kidnapper grabbed her, no one knows for sure what happened. In March 1970, Mack Ray Edwards surrendered to police and confessed to murdering 6 children between 1953 and 1970. He once claimed to have killed 18 but in 1971 while on death row he committed suicide. Edwards confessed and was convicted of the murder of Gary Rochet, Donald Allen Todd, and Stella Darlene Nolan. He also confessed to killing Brenda Jo Howell, Donald Lee Baker, and Roger Dale Madison. He was never charged with the murder of these children because their bodies haven't been found. He is suspected in the disappearances of Bruce Kremen, Karen Lynn Tompkins, and Thomas Eldon Bowman. Investigations are currently underway, some new and some re-opened. Investigators If you have any information concerning this case, please contact: Los Angeles Police Department Cold Case Unit 213-485-2129 Agency Case Number: 0305-04054 NCMEC #: NCMC952801 NCIC Number: M-462968190 Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case. Source Information: National Center for Missing & Exploited Children CA DOJ Los Angeles Police Department LA Times -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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| oldies4mari2004 | Jul 20 2008, 08:03 AM Post #12 |
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http://z13.invisionfree.com/PorchlightUSA/...opic=3004&st=0& |
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| monkalup | Sep 30 2008, 03:22 PM Post #13 |
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The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
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Thursday, August 24, 1961 Long Beach, California L.B MAN CLEARED ON KAREN Harbor division detectives early today eliminated xxxxxx xxxxx of Long Beach as a suspect...... ...originally arrested here early in the day as a plain drunk, was later re-booked because he mumbled the missing girl's name. Then, when his stories failed to check out with preliminary investigations, he was booked again for suspicion of kidnapping and held overnight. Even the peculiarities of his case , however, brought no direct link to the missing girl. The search for Karen Lynn was personally led by her father Wednesday. He arrived from Hong Kong by plane at 5 a.m. Within four hours, he was leading groups of relatives and neighbors through the neighborhood. "I know these places have been checked before," William Tomkins, 38, first class petty officer for the Navy said, "but, I'll never rest easy until I see them for myself." The father's search was augmented by a steadily widening scrutiny of the area about her home, 21110 Dalton Ave., by motor and foot patrol, and by helicopter. In addition, weary detectives continued their fruitless check of more than 400 telephone clues. Three times during the day, finds were reported , on Crenshaw Avenue a thong sandal was discovered ; in a shopping center near Sepulveda Avenue and Hawthorne Boulevard the pendant of a necklace was found; and in the car of a temporary suspect police located a pair of girls panties. All these were shown to the parents, since they approximated the description of Karen's clothes and possessions. But Mr. and Mrs. Tompkins each time definately said they did not recognize the items. |
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Lauran "If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only. | |
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| monkalup | Sep 30 2008, 03:23 PM Post #14 |
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The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
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Wednesday, August 23, 1961 Long Beach, California NEIGHBORS OF GIRL STAND VIGIL Down quiet Dalton Avenue Tuesday every passing car sent a ripple of tension up on the lawns and porches, where anxious neighbors and playmates of Karen Lynn Tompkins waited and waited. When the day had come and gone, the fourth day of the search had ended like the first, second, and third days. The neighborhood had turned out it's boys to search the gullies and ravines; it's housewives and daughters to make coffee and bring ice water to the men keeping the watch- from the newspapers, televisions and radio stations. And, in the end, when the houses were shuttered one by one for the night, the fathers and mothers sat quietly on the porches, watching the little white house on the corner. Dalton Avenue is like a small chunk of average America. The tract was built 10 years ago and the homes sold for $8,500. Many families have come and gone since then.....Like most chunks of average America, Dalton Avenue's biggest contribution in 10 years has been children--- scads of them. Even the children were quiet Tuesday. The boys, who range in age from 10 to 16, were barefooted and dirty--and tired. They had volunteered to help officer M.B Gilmore search a neighboring dry wash. It was Officer Gilmore's theory that these boys would know, more than anyone else, where all the hiding places and pitfalls might exist. And it was down this wash, presumably, that Karen Lynn Tompkins had walked Friday afternoon, on her way home from a school recreation center. At the end of the search, the caves and pitfalls , and concrete drains and bridges had been scoured. Piles of lumber had been turned over. At one place, the boys found a cache of stolen automobile tires. At another, they rousted a sleeping drunk from a cave. But, if Karen Lynn had ever been there, no trace existed now. Officer Gilmore was as exhausted as the boys, when his day was done he worried: "This tract was built over a big farmland, where there were many houses . The land is full of cisterns and wells, now covered. You can make any sort of a guess you want to here........... |
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Lauran "If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only. | |
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| monkalup | Sep 30 2008, 03:25 PM Post #15 |
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The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
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INDEPENDANT Long Beach, California August 22, 1961 MISSING GIRL FEARED DEAD, FIND NO CLUES "There has been no trace of the missing girl. She has just disappeared. We fear the worst." This was the ominous, depressing report Monday night on the disappearance of little Karen Lynn Tompkins, missing from her Torrance home since Friday afternoon. Los Angeles Harbor Division Detectives Monday night continued checking reports from persons who believed they had seen the child. None of the reports threw any additional light upon the case that has been without a single concrete clue since it's beginning. Homicide Detective Sergeants Gene Tinch and Wayne Butts entered the investigation Monday for the first time Monday, indicating an official fear the child may have been slain. Eleven year old Karen was seen last as she left Halidade Avenue School Playground, only four blocks from her home at 2110 Dalton Ave. The small boned 57 pound girl was pulling a little covered wagon she had made and was wearing the new watch she had purchased with money sent her by her father, William Tompkins, a boilermaker first class aboard the USS Ticonderoga. "She is not in that area" said Lt. Ralph Wayant, commander of Harbor Detectives. "We have covered every foot and re-covered them." The Federal Bureau of Investigation has not entered the investigation. "we are maintaining a close liaison with the Los Angeles Police Department to determine if developments indicate a violation of federal law," an FBI spokesman said Monday night. The strain of the long ordeal is reflected on the features of Karen's mother, Laura, 32, who has never left the house since Friday night. "If we would only hear something, anything at all," said the mother The father is scheduled to arrive by air from the Far East today. When last seen, Karen was wearing blue shorts, a white sleeveless blouse, a white knit sweater and blue sandals. |
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Lauran "If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only. | |
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| burnsjl2003 | Oct 13 2008, 06:51 PM Post #16 |
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A lifetime of wondering about Karen By Peggy Kelly Sunday, October 12, 2008 I always wondered what happened to Karen Lynn Tompkins a little girl with blue eyes and a small brown birthmark covered by her short blonde bangs who disappeared Aug. 18, 1961. Karen vanished as she carried craft projects to her Torrance home that she and her younger brother created in summer school. Karen's brother had to leave school early because the family dog followed them to the classroom. He and the canine which Karen had spoken to schoolmates of entering in a competition made it home, but nary a trace of Karen, whose father was serving in the Navy and whose mother had a new baby girl to take care of, was ever discovered. Karen and I were about the same age, had similar physical characteristics and my elementary school was like hers, just blocks from home, even though I lived in Encino, many miles from Torrance. Still, it was a coincidence that caused me who read newspapers even then to feel a chill up my spine and seared a memory in my brain. A year after Karen vanished, another little girl who lived in the same neighborhood was murdered, but clues were scarce.The murder revived stories of Karen's case, but, soon, references to her disappearance themselves disappeared, other issues, other mysteries dominating the news. As the years passed, I never forgot Karen and the wooden-covered wagons she carried away from Halldale Avenue Elementary School, reportedly calling, "I'm having a nice summer, but I'll be glad when school begins," to her former teacher. Once the Internet came into my life, I tried to try to track down Karen, but with no success. I even contacted agencies that focus on missing children, asking if they listed the little girl whose fate I hoped had been discovered, and with the discovery, perhaps recover that sense of my childhood comfort disrupted by her disappearance. I persisted, sometimes spending hours trying to find not the little girl's being, but to see if the mystery of her gone missing was resolved. In about 2003, I made contact with Missing Children International, which listed Karen, including an age-progression rendering of what the baby-boomer would now look like. Although cooperative, a representative said Karen was just one of thousands of the missing who would probably remain unfound. Then, Karen's name started to appear on Web sites concerned with amateur sleuthing, postings that I found oddly comforting. I reached for the phone on several occasions to call Karen's sister a 4-month-old in August 1961, now living in Oklahoma whom I tracked down or detectives who had worked the case, but I never did. And although news came that a cold-case investigation had been launched, I reconciled myself to the fact that I would never know what happened to Karen, whose life and disappearance I knew so much about through newspaper archives. A mystery unsolved perhaps now has been solved. Although I always felt inexplicitly close to Karen, it appears I might have been much closer at least in proximity to her suspected abductor, Mack Edwards, California's most notorious child serial murderer. There was a search going on last week just a few miles from where I lived in Thousand Oaks in 1968, where Edwards confessed to burying another child that same year. Working throughout California's highway-construction boom of the 1950s and 1960s, Edwards, a heavy-equipment operator, is believed to have buried Roger Dale Madison off Route 23 at the Tierra Rejada exchange near Moorpark. Edwards, who hanged himself in a prison cell in 1971 after confessing to other child murders, is the prime suspect in Karen's disappearance. The scene of the excavation, which drew 100 law enforcement and forensic personnel from throughout the state, until it was called off Friday, did not yield clues to Karen's disappearance. I hoped it would bring closure to Dale's family, who, like the loved ones of other missing children, are condemned forever to grief. And perhaps closure even to strangers whose concerns like mine were captured for a lifetime decades ago by the photo of a child who went missing. Peggy Kelly of Santa Paula is a freelance writer. http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008...ng-about-karen/ |
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Lisa Thou shalt not be a victim. Thou shalt not be a perpetrator. Above all, thou shalt not be a bystander. (On a plaque at the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C.) | |
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3:45 AM Jul 11