Today’s #cclivechat was dedicated to the 1974 Canadian cold case of Karen Caughlin.
I highlighted several things that concern me in her case. Of course, those concerns are just the top of the iceberg!
I started with the evidence in her case, worried that it might not have been preserved properly for examination with modern technology. I also raised concerns about the tire mark on her back and her coat.
Another concern is that the family was shown a replica of her sweater instead of the original. Why?
Most importantly, blood found at the crime scene was determined to be contaminated. However, some blood was later used to eliminate people as suspects in this case. What blood was used to make those comparisons?
And, something to consider: Karen was supposed to sleep over at a friend’s house. They were both driven there by three boys. At the house, the friend gets out but Karen does not. She had decided to stay over at another friend’s house. The boys drive Karen to that address but, Karen never entered that house. Here’s a thought: what if the three boys had told Karen something during the drive there that spooked Karen to the point where she did not want to sleep over there anymore? That opens the possibility that she started walking, maybe accepted another ride, etc.
The case remains puzzling and I can only hope that the new case manager starts from the beginning to dig into this tragedy.
The verbatim thread is below as usual.
Next week, my guests are the Writing PIs!
Cheers, V
| Vidocq_CC | It is noon on the East Coast of America so time for another #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 15:59:57 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | Today's chat is dedicated to 14 year old Karen Caughlin who was murdered in 1974. her case was never solved. #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:00:23 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | Her sister Kathy, is organizing a protest tomorrow in Canada because she wants an independent review of her sister's case. #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:01:00 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | This chat is not about the protest but to highlight a few elements of the case where clearly, we need more answers. #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:01:28 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | All the posts I wrote about this case can be found here http://t.co/RfTTqJme #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:01:47 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | The best place to start reading about the Karen Caughlin case is here http://t.co/tFwxleNF #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:02:34 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | I wish to go over evidence, the 3 boys who dropped Karen off, the autopsy, Richard Boudreau, and my gut feelings. #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:03:32 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | Evidence: When Karen was found by Mr. Bygrove he covered her with a blanket for privacy. Was that blanket properly preserved? #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:06:24 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | That blanket could have particles on it that would tell us more. I have not been able to find out if it is still in storage. #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:08:09 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | Two sets of foot prints were found near Karen. Were they walking towards her or away from her? Shoes, sneakers or boots? #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:08:55 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | Blood found at the crime scene not belonging to Karen has been discredited as contaminated in several reports. #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:09:54 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | However, in later years some people were "cleared" by DNA. How did they make the comparison? #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:10:42 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | If you have any thoughts about any of the above, jump in! #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:11:25 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | @funnykids2011 Going over the Caughlin case right now, search for hashtag #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:12:36 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | The 3 boys who gave Karen a ride: 2 still alive, one deceased. Rumours is that all 3 were allowed to write statements from home. #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:14:06 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | They had the time to get their thoughts straight and hand in their statements to the cops the next day. Suspicious, anyone? #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:14:53 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | I am not saying these three were responsible for Karen's murder but, if this is true it was negligence on the side of the cops. #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:15:54 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | @funnykids2011 Use the hashtag so your tweets show up in the search stream #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:16:23 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | @funnykids2011 No, one male was checked and cleared by DNA, he is deceased #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:17:01 +0000 |
| funnykids2011 | @Vidocq_CC one male? That's it? What about the others? #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:17:47 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | So I wonder why the OPP states on their website that all 3 boys were cleared as suspect and what blood did they use? #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:17:56 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | if the blood from the crime scene was contaminated how do you eliminate people as suspects? #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:18:21 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | @funnykids2011 I have not been able to find out but one still lives in the area, the other was involved in another dead #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:18:49 +0000 |
| ColdCaseSquad | @Vidocq_CC @miriamsaid barely #cclivechat following in background | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:20:43 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | @ColdCaseSquad ok #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:21:21 +0000 |
| ColdCaseSquad | RT @Vidocq_CC: All the posts I wrote about this case can be found here http://t.co/RfTTqJme #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:21:32 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | Now something else worries me: the autopsy. #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:21:54 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | Karen was found face up, her father saw a tire mark on her back when he ID-ed her. She also had a tire mark on her coat. #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:22:34 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | Was that tire mark used to make impressions and to see what vehicle would carry such a tire? I cannot find that either. #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:23:12 +0000 |
| miriamsaid | I'm here guys. #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:23:50 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | It is unclear whether Karen's hands were bagged so I do not know whether we have nail scrapings or not. #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:23:59 +0000 |
| RealRosieLarson | @Vidocq_CC Was that blood related to the case? How would they know? #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:24:46 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | @funnykids2011 "reasons like this is why I think every living person should have their dna taken at birth" #cclivechat Maybe | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:24:53 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | @miriamsaid Awesome, going over the point that worry me in Karen's case. #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:25:22 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | @RealRosieLarson All I have been able to find if that it was "found" at the crime scene. #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:25:44 +0000 |
| RealRosieLarson | @Vidocq_CC I think it was hit/run & she was turned over by killer to c if she was dead. #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:25:46 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | Now this: the cops show the family the coat and they ID it as Karen's. Then they show the family a replica of her sweatshirt! #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:26:52 +0000 |
| miriamsaid | Have Karen's clothes ever been tested by forensics as the perp/perps would have had close contact with if they folded them. #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:27:13 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | Why do you show the family a replica of the sweatshirt if you just showed them the real coat? #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:27:21 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | was that to spare the family so they would not see the blood? They had ID-ed Karen's badly damaged body in the morgue. #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:28:03 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | @miriamsaid Not as far as I know. #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:28:17 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | @RealRosieLarson Then why not hunt for that car if you have paint chips and the rumours that the original car is in the area? #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:28:53 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | Here is another beauty: Mr. Kells told the cops he heard a car near his farm around 5am that night Karen died. #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:30:06 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | Kells was on the same side of the road where Karen was found. He was never re-interviewed after that night. Why? #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:30:36 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | Now what bothers me about "the boys dropping off Karen." Let me type my gut feelings first. #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:31:48 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | Karen was supposed to stay at a friend's who was also in the car. The friend got out but Karen did not. She'd stay elsewhere. #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:32:32 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | The boys drive her to the other address and claim they dropped Karen off. But Karen never entered that house. So ... #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:33:01 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | Is it possible that while driving the boys told her something that made Karen hesitate to enter that house? #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:33:24 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | That might explain why she did not go inside. That friend claimed that she left the door open so Karen could get in. #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:34:05 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | But what if the boys told Karen something that spooked her? She might have decided then to walk or go somewhere else. #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:34:36 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | And that might open up a whole new avenue of possibilities and suspects. But are we looking into that possibility? #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:35:02 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | Well, is this an option? What do you think? #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:35:44 +0000 |
| miriamsaid | There's possibility that she did go into house & saw something she shouldn't have & she left unaware she'd been seen. #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:37:12 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | @miriamsaid Good point! #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:38:44 +0000 |
| miriamsaid | I'd also like to know where the mysterious sweater found in Karen's purse came from & who it belonged to. #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:41:18 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | @miriamsaid A mystery ... and where are her earrings? #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:42:20 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | Please read the posts about Karen. It contains what I have been able to find out. Let me know if you have more information. #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:42:24 +0000 |
| miriamsaid | Mysterious sweater & missing earrings & no sexual assault or robbery points to a female perp being involved as a possibility. #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:44:59 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | @miriamsaid The involvement of a female is definitely a possibility considering Karen's popularity e.g. jealousy #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:46:39 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | There is a reward available in this case. More information about Karen's case is on my blog http://t.co/BtADBwBv #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:46:45 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | My guests next week are the writing pis @writingpis and I hope they can both join us. #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:47:09 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | I have to cut this chat short but as I said, more info is on the blog. Thanks all for being here. #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:47:33 +0000 |
| Vidocq_CC | I'll post a recap later on DCC including the verbatim thread. Signing off! #cclivechat | Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:48:09 +0000 |