On January 3, 1997, Karen King is at her family home in Saginaw.

While she was enrolled at Michigan State University, Karen was on break between terms from

her studies and staying with her parents Greg and Linda. She'd had a lovely holiday

with her parents and was enjoying the last few days of break before returning to campus.

18-year-old Karen was studying psychology. She wanted to be a child psychologist because,

according to her father, there were so many troubled kids in the world that she wanted

to help.

The slender young woman with long dark hair had worked at Kellogg Center, a hotel and

conference center near the Michigan State campus, but what she really wanted was to find

work at a daycare provider. Locating a job in her field, something part-time while she

continued her studies, it was on her to-do list when she returned to campus the next week.

Karen and her father were cooking dinner that Friday night, taco night at the King

home. When they discovered, oops, they didn't have any taco shells.

Ever the helpful child, Karen offered to go to a nearby market and pick some up.

Karen took the family's 1991 white Chevrolet Blazer to the Genesee market, located at

1115 West Genesee Avenue.

Dad put the finishing touches on the meal as he waited for Karen to return with taco shells.

The market was just a few blocks from the house. This should have been a quick trip, taking

no more than 30 minutes. And that long, only if the store was really busy.

At 7.41 pm, one hour and 26 minutes after Karen left for the store, Greg King reported

his daughter missing to police. A check of the market's parking lot showed no sign of

Karen or the family's white SUV. The store's clerk did confirm that she'd come in and

...