When a Tucson-Arizona teen vanishes from her home while her mom is at work, evidence suggests that she was abducted.

Her body is located on the outskirts of town the following morning, prompting a homicide investigation that remains open decades later in this episode of Last Seen Alive.

Music Thanks for listening to Last Seen Alive.

I'm your host, Leah,

crime analyst by day and true crime

storyteller by night. And as always, I'm your co-s Scott, and I have a confession before we start.

I do know a little bit about this case, but we'll find out more about that in a minute.

A quick heads up. This episode contains discussion of

sexual assault. Please listen with care. Margaret Carabetta was last seen alive on April 8th,

1982. She was 15 years old at the time and lived with her mom in Tucson, Arizona. Margaret was a

sophomore at Sahara High School, and according to those who knew her, she had a well-balanced personality that was complimented by an enthusiasm for life.

She was on the quiet side, but still friendly. She was introspective, yet self-confident, and squared away, as the dean of her high school put it.

She wasn't a standout student, but she still enjoyed school for the most part.

In short, she was a down-to-earth girl who was really beginning to look forward to the future.

She was just a few short years from adulthood and was increasingly excited about what the world had to offer.

Margaret's mom, Judy, summed her daughter up when she told the Arizona Daily Star, quote,

she really liked herself. She didn't like anything more than being alive, end quote.

Margaret lived with just her mom. Her parents had recently divorced, which had been hard on her.

When they'd split, Judy had moved out of her former family home and into a new house,

and Margaret had gone with her.

Margaret did have a sibling, a brother, but to the best of my knowledge, he wasn't living with her and

her mom, at least not at the time that this all occurred. In any case, the move had put Margaret

...