PASADENA, Md. (WUSA9) -- Friday morning, Anne Arundel County Police released an age progression image showing what a woman missing since 1976 may look like if she is alive today.
Karen Beth Kamsch was last seen at 51 Wishing Rock Road in Pasadena, Md. on October 1, 1976. The image from police shows what she may look like at age 52.
According to police, someone called the Anne Arundel County Police Missing Persons Unit on May 14, 2007 to report Kamsch's disappearance. According to that person, Kamsch had been missing from Wishing Rock Road, where she lived with her grandmother Olga Kamsch after having problems with her family, since the winter of 1976.
An investigation revealed that school officials had called Olga Kamsch to report that Karen Kamsch had been absent from school and when Olga Kamsch went home she discovered Karen was not there. Karen's personal belongings, including her winter coat, were still in her room, say police.
Police say Olga Kamsch, who is now deceased, and Karen't father had called police to file a missing persons report at that time but "no records have ever been located listing Karen Kamsch as a missing person. " Follow-up computer database searches for Kamsch were unsuccessful so a detective took a missing person report on Karen Kamsch on May 15, 2007.
Police say that Kamsch was born on January 19, 1962 in Baltimore. According to school records, Kamsch attended the Brooklyn Park Senior School in June 1976. Police tell us, however, "A check through various computer systems has been unable to verify Karen Kamsch's existence since 1976." Additionally, interviews with family, friends, and schoolmates of Karen has led detectives to suspect that her disappearance is "suspicious in nature" and that she may have been killed.
Anyone with information regarding the disappearance of Karen Beth Kamsch is asked to call Detective Jason Dipietro of the Homicide Unit at 410-222-3415, the Anne Arundel County Homicide Tip Line at 410-923-4543 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7LOCKUP. Crime Stoppers phone calls are not recorded and callers remain anonymous. You may also be eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000.
