Full Name: Karen Sue Adams

Alternative Name:

Case Status: Missing

Record ID#: 0190

*The names “Jane Doe”  and “John Doe” are English names used when the person’s true name is not known. If used above, the name refers to a person of unknown identity.

Date of Birth*: January 10, 1953
Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Age at the Time: 54
Age Group: 50s
Biological Sex: Female
Hair: Shoulder-Length Curly Brown Hair
Eyes: Green
Skin Complexion:
Shoe Size:
Ethnicity: Caucasian or White
Nationality: United States
Languages Spoken: English

*If the date says January 1, this is often just a placeholder for an unknown specific date. It usually means “sometime that year”.

Physical Build:

Height:

Weight

Distinguishing Marks:

• Eyeglasses, Pierced Ears

Medical Condition:
Physical Abnormality:
Dental Condition:
Scars & Other Marks:
Piercings: Ear
Tattoos:

Other Descriptors:

Clothing

• Green Coat worn over a couple of Dark-Colored Shirts
• Blue Jeans

Possessions:

• Baseball Cap
• Lightly Tinted Wire-Rimmed Glasses

Date of the Disappearance*: March 11, 2007

Description: At the time of her disappearance, Karen was living in a modest home in Independence Township, Beaver County, with her brother John, with whom she shared a close bond. Unmarried and fiercely independent, Karen doted on her yellow Labrador Retriever, whom she treated like family. She was the kind of person who had never missed a day of work in three years—a testament to her strong work ethic.

Professionally, Karen juggled two jobs. By day, she worked as a teacher’s aide at Allegheny Valley School in Robinson Township, assisting students with mental and physical disabilities. In the evenings, she clocked shifts as a cashier at Big Lots, a local department store. Friends and family described her as kind-hearted and routine-oriented; she enjoyed simple pleasures like local bingo games and, admittedly, the occasional casino visit. But beneath that stability lurked a struggle with gambling addiction, something her brother John had urged her to curb due to the financial toll it took,

Sunday, March 11, 2007, started like any other. Around 2:00 p.m., after attending a morning bingo tournament near home, she decided to head to the Mountaineer Casino—about a 30-mile drive across the state line into Hancock County, West Virginia. The resort, a sprawling complex of gaming floors, racetracks, and hotels, was a familiar haunt for her.

By 8:00 p.m., Karen called her brother from the casino, leaving a voicemail on his cell phone. She sounded upbeat but admitted she’d lost all her cash and had just withdrawn more from an ATM to keep playing. A mutual friend later confirmed spotting her at the ATM around 11:00 p.m., and casino records showed her using her Player’s Club card at 11:20 p.m. to hit the slot machines. She racked up a $60 charge on her credit card just before 2:00 a.m., fueling her night of highs and lows

As the hours ticked by, Karen kept to herself—no interactions with other patrons or staff were reported. Around 11:00 p.m., shortly after leaving the ATM, she was seen heading from the bingo hall toward the slot machines. But by 3:00–4:00 a.m. on March 12, surveillance footage captured one last glimpse: Karen walking alone toward the parking lot, her green coat bundled against the pre-dawn chill. The timestamp on the final clip read 4:31 a.m., showing her exiting the complex but not reaching her car—the camera angles didn’t extend that far.

Four minutes later, at 4:35 a.m., her cell phone pinged: someone entered her passcode to access her voicemail. Was it Karen checking messages on her drive home? Or someone else with access to her code? The call originated from a cell tower about 2.7 miles from the casino, near a large trucking area along her usual route back to Independence Township—a straight shot along Route 68 and the Ohio River Valley. After that, silence. No more calls, no credit card activity, no sightings.

Karen’s maroon/red 2005 Suzuki Forenza sedan—a four-door model with Pennsylvania plates ETD5587—never made it home either. (Some records list it as a “Forsa,” but Forenza is the confirmed model.) John grew worried when she didn’t show for work Monday morning—Karen, after all, was never late. He reported her missing that day, alerting authorities in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, and Hancock County, West Virginia.

The case exploded into a multi-agency effort from the start, with the FBI joining Beaver County detectives due to the cross-state nature of the disappearance. Early searches focused on the 30-mile route home, scouring roadsides, wooded areas, and the murky Ohio River for signs of the Suzuki. Divers and sonar teams probed the river’s depths near the casino, but sediment buildup and strong currents made recovery a nightmare—vehicles can shift miles downstream in weeks. Ponds and retaining basins along alternate routes were checked too, but nothing turned up

Over the years, tips flooded in with unconfirmed sightings from as far as Walmart stores in unrelated states. DNA from unidentified bodies was tested repeatedly, but no matches. In 2019, the FBI announced a “fresh look” at the case, re-interviewing witnesses and re-examining footage. By 2022, on the 15th anniversary, detectives reiterated their commitment, noting no activity on her phone or cards since that fateful voicemail check.

Private efforts haven’t waned either. Karen’s family—led by John—has distributed hundreds of flyers, canvassed hospitals and morgues, and driven endless miles in search of clues. The family remains adamant: Karen wouldn’t abandon her dog or vanish without a word.

Multiple Victims?: No

Rumored or Actual Sightings:

*If the date says January 1, this is often just a placeholder for an unknown specific date. It usually means “sometime that year”.

Date the Body was Recovered:

Description: Unknown

Time of Death:

Cause of Death:

Recovered Remains (if partial):

Suspected Homicide?: No

Multiple Victims?: No

DNA Tested (No Match):

*If the date says January 1, this is often just a placeholder for an unknown specific date. It usually means “sometime that year”.

Description: Maroon or red 2005 Suzuki Forenza sedan—a four-door model

License Plate: Pennsylvania (PA) ETD5587

Description: