NV - Karamjit Kaur, 16, Reno, 30 Sept 2009

SheWhoMustNotBeNamed · #1 10-02-2009, 05:36 PM

Reno police seek clues into missing teen

Reno police are looking for clues into the disappearance of a teenage girl who went for a bike ride and never returned.

Police say 16-year-old Karamjit Kaur, who came to Nevada only eight weeks ago from East India, told her family she was hot and left her house about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday to ride her bike.

When she didn't return within a half hour, the family started looking for her and then called police.

Officers say the girl was wearing pajamas. She also was just learning how to ride the bike and usually stayed in front of her house.

Officers found the bike the next afternoon, about a quarter-mile away.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...&type=business

SheWhoMustNotBeNamed · #2 10-02-2009, 05:37 PM

Police Suspect Foul Play in Search for 16-Year-Old

Karamjit Kaur was last seen riding her red and silver mountain bike from her residence on Anchor Point Drive in Reno Wednesday at 6:30pm. The bike was found in a drainage ditch nearby Thursday afternoon, and now Reno Police are treating the case as if foul play is involved.

Lt. Miike Whan of RPD says, "it wasn't accidentally put there, it looks like it was forced into this drainage ditch."

http://www.kolotv.com/home/headlines/63183362.html

SheWhoMustNotBeNamed · #3 10-02-2009, 05:38 PM

Karamjit's NCMEC Poster: http://www.missingkids.com/missingki...archLang=en_US

SheWhoMustNotBeNamed · #4 10-02-2009, 06:28 PM

Secret Witness offers reward in case of missing girl Karamjit Kaur from Stead

Secret Witness is offering a reward for information leading to the whereabouts of missing 16-year-old Karamjit Kaur. She has been missing since approximately 6:30 p.m. on September 30, 2009.

[snip]

Anyone having information relating to this incident should contact the Reno Police Department at 334-2115, Secret Witness at 322-4900, or www.secretwitness.com. REMINDER: All calls to Secret Witness remain anonymous, and Secret Witness pays rewards for information on all crimes.

http://www.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...EWS01/91002028

ETA: The article above also says: "If someone else found Karamjit Kaur’s red-and-silver mountain bike and rode it to a skate park near Stead Elementary School, the Reno Police Department is asking that person to contact police so they can determine where to focus their search for the missing 16-year-old. There will be no repercussions for taking the bicycle."

SheWhoMustNotBeNamed · #5 10-02-2009, 07:20 PM

This case reminds me so very much of Mariam, the girl from Georgia missing in Canada. Prayers that both girls are found safe. But it doesn't look good for either.

Missing Stead Girl's Family Fears The Worst

High School student Karamjit Kour disappeared two nights ago from her home in Stead. It happened on Anchor Point Drive, at around 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 30th. Thursday, detectives found her bicycle thrown into a drainage ditch by the highway. Police say her disappearance is very suspicious.

Karamjit Kour moved to Reno less than a year ago from East India. Her family says she speaks little english, has no friends, and no reason to run away.

[snip]

Search and rescue workers combed the hillsides and empty fields near Kour's neighborhood, hoping to turn up more evidence. Her family is staying close together, as they say they always do. Kour's bedroom is still untouched, her bed made--her gold watch on the night stand, just where she left it. They say her pink backpack is a reminder of her favorite color, and her love for school. Kour's mother says she doesn't know how she'll go on without Karamjit safe at home.

"Why did they do that? Why did they kidnap her?" asked Mantwt Kour.
Kour's father says his daughter didn't have a boyfriend, and she hardly talked to other students at North Valleys High School. Police say 16-year-old Kour doesn't fit the profile of a runaway, so they can only assume she's been the victim of some type of crime.

"Karamjit, come home please. I miss you. Your mom misses you," pleaded her dad.

More: http://www.kolotv.com/home/headlines/63325212.html

jnTexas · #6 10-02-2009, 07:44 PM

So she's been here a year and doesn't have ANY friends. Poor thing.. This is a weird case.

nursebeeme · #7 10-02-2009, 07:44 PM

Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community - View Single Post - Forensic Astrology - CASE REQUESTS only

I have submitted her case to our forensic astrologers. I pray this girl is found soon!

eyes4crime · #8 10-02-2009, 07:55 PM

Just sounds strange to me that a 16yo would go for a bike ride in her pajamas. Why? Did she leave the house in a hurry - was she upset - was there an argument? Who reported her missing? Did a family member go after her once she left in her PJ's? Not enough information yet. mho

nursebeeme · #9 10-02-2009, 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eyes4crime

Just sounds strange to me that a 16yo would go for a bike ride in her pajamas. Why? Did she leave the house in a hurry - was she upset - was there an argument? Who reported her missing? Did a family member go after her once she left in her PJ's? Not enough information yet. mho

from what I am reading she had learned to ride a bike a month ago and only rode in front of the house. In the article I linked upstream she was "hot" and decided to go out and ride the bike. It did not sound as though she went out without her parents' permission as she always rode right in front of the house.

Her family called police within a half hour...

nursebeeme · #10 10-02-2009, 08:05 PM

Quote:

"She had just been learning to ride the bike for the past month, so she normally only rode it in front of the house," Whan told the Reno Gazette-Journal.

He said authorities do not believe she ran away.

"She's never done that before and the family says it is not in her character," Whan said. "She has only been in the country eight months and it is not part of their culture. She normally doesn't leave the house unless she's with her brother or one of her sisters."

http://cbs2.com/wireapnewsca/Reno.po...2.1224449.html

SheWhoMustNotBeNamed · #11 10-02-2009, 08:12 PM

Weird. The first article I posted said she had been here for 8 weeks. That last one from nurse says 8 months. Which is it?

nursebeeme · #12 10-02-2009, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Authorities are continuing the extensive search for a Stead teenager who was last seen riding her mountain bike through her neighborhood on Wednesday evening.

Quote:

Kaur was nowhere to be found. The bicycle was located in the Anchor Point Drive area at 6:30 p.m.
Later in the evening police walked the streets, interviewing residents and looking for witnesses.
Kaur's parents say this is unusual behavior for their daughter and they do not think she had any reason to run away from home.

Quote:

Police say they have reason to believe Kaur's bike may have been moved before they found it-- possibly by children.

http://www.krnv.com/global/story.asp?s=11248755

okay... so:

1) I would hope LE has dusted the bike for prints

2) I would hope that if it was moved by a child that they could find the child who used the bike and find out where he/she found it

3) there is already misreporting in the case as to how long she had lived in the US and exactly where the bike was found (IE, SKATE PARK OR DITCH) there is a picture of the bike at the link and it appears to be on cement so I am leaning toward skate park

nursebeeme · #13 10-02-2009, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Idaho4Groenes

Weird. The first article I posted said she had been here for 8 weeks. That last one from nurse says 8 months. Which is it?

I am going to stick with eight months... as one of the first articles said that she had been at her school for a year and hadn't made any friends.. let me go back and check though

nursebeeme · #14 10-02-2009, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Reno-area leaders in the Indian-American community said Friday they are working frantically in the search for missing 16-year-old Karamjit Kaur.

At the Sikh Temple of Reno on Selmi Drive, Amolak Powar, a temple leader, said he and others spent the day with Kaur’s parents and family. The Kaurs attend the temple, Powar said.

“It’s very tough for the family,” Powar said. “We are giving them our emotional support and are here for them.”

Rajan Zed, a local Hindu chaplain, said the community has rallied to offer their assistance to Kaur’s family as needed.

http://www.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...EWS01/91002028

nursebeeme · #15 10-02-2009, 08:38 PM

adnoid · #16 10-02-2009, 09:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eyes4crime

Just sounds strange to me that a 16yo would go for a bike ride in her pajamas. Why? Did she leave the house in a hurry - was she upset - was there an argument? Who reported her missing? Did a family member go after her once she left in her PJ's? Not enough information yet. mho

I'm glad more is coming out about this - after the initial report I was searching all the local news and found very little.

The fact that she was in her PJs intrigues me - you tend to think she had an argument with her folks and took off. But the parents say she just wanted to ride her bike to cool off. It's been pretty cold in the evenings this week, to the point where if I wasn't so well insulated myself I'd be putting on a jacket to walk the dog. They live on the far North end of Reno while we're on the South end and it gets cooler up there as well.

nursebeeme · #17 10-02-2009, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adnoid

I'm glad more is coming out about this - after the initial report I was searching all the local news and found very little.

The fact that she was in her PJs intrigues me - you tend to think she had an argument with her folks and took off. But the parents say she just wanted to ride her bike to cool off. It's been pretty cold in the evenings this week, to the point where if I wasn't so well insulated myself I'd be putting on a jacket to walk the dog. They live on the far North end of Reno while we're on the South end and it gets cooler up there as well.

Hey Adnoid,
Thanks for that weather info.. the hot thing.. interesting... It has been VERY COLD here in Kansas this fall as well... Today felt like a late November/early December day. The weather forcasters here are calling for the coldest winter in a while (dammit! LOL)
~knowing what you said about the current weather gives me pause. Was she really hot? Could she have used it as an excuse to independantly try out the bike that she just learned to ride? Either way... from what you are saying about the weather... a short sleeved tee was NOT the answer to warmth that day. After reading the scant info that we know about her, I would venture to guess that she was trying out her flying wings on her new bike (I mean she just learned to ride a handful of weeks ago and was most likely feeling more confident to go outside the comfort zone in front of the house). Bottom line tho.. she was a newbie to our country, our culture, etc, etc.. list goes on...~

As for the clothing description... it was a tee shirt and pajama bottoms. It could have been misreporting (ie, that at 630 this girl is out riding her bike in her jammies). I am thinking along the lines that the pants she had on at the time were jammie bottoms.. (like loungers) but not neccessarily that she was dressed and ready to hit the hay. MOO of course

dreamweaver · #18 10-02-2009, 10:02 PM

Don't some parts of the country still have the p.j. bottoms look worn as pants/jeans?

Maybe that is why she was in pj bottoms.

Or she was not going anywhere but in front of the house, but
outside in your p.j.'s? No teen would go out in p.j's unless it was a fashion statement. Indian culture? I don't know.

Does anyone have the addresses and would be able to do a google map?

dreamweaver · #19 10-02-2009, 10:04 PM

http://www.kolotv.com/home/headlines...orySection=map
Map on this link of home.
How far away was the bike found?

nursebeeme · #20 10-02-2009, 10:08 PM

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sour...4&ie=UTF8&z=15
map (very general as I do not have the exact home location)

nursebeeme · #21 10-02-2009, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreamweaver

http://www.kolotv.com/home/headlines...orySection=map
Map on this link of home.
How far away was the bike found?

anchor point drive

eta: it has been reported as 1/4 mile from her home (which I don't have the exact addy for)

SheWhoMustNotBeNamed · #22 10-02-2009, 10:38 PM

My take on the pajamas...if that is indeed what she was wearing...is that she may have been just trying to be comfortable. I got home from work this evening and had my sweats on by 5:30 lol.

I probably would even go outside in them, because I just don't care, but I probably not ride my bike without putting on a jacket. Which does confuse me. Because even in the early evening, it still should have been pretty chilly. Maybe her family had the heat turned way up in their home? And she thought it was too hot in the house?

I also don't think that she would have been worried about being "fashionable". Most of the articles state that she didn't have many friends, so possibly she didn't care what these kids would think if they saw her in pj's.

I really don't know what to think. Just trying to tie the ends together in my head.

SheWhoMustNotBeNamed · #23 10-03-2009, 03:12 AM

From reading the article below, it sounds like Karamjit has been in the country for 8 months, but didn't start school until this recent school year. That would better explain the lack of friends, IMO. I also snipped a part about a more exact address for the location of her bicycle.

Reno police to widen search for missing North Valleys girl Karamjit Kaur

North Valleys High School students sounded a somber note at their homecoming football game celebration Friday, handing out fliers and putting a sign of one of the halftime floats that said “Help Us Find Our Classmate, Karamjit Kaur.”

[snip]

The family’s missing person report came in at 7:24 p.m. Wednesday, but since it was not a shooting or murder, it was put on a screen as a priority 3, Whan said. An officer called the family about 8 p.m. No one answered so he left a message. At 8:30 p.m., the family called back, and a report was completed and handed to the desk sergeant.

[snip]

On Thursday morning, the search included Raven helicopters and police dogs, he said. They also checked on every registered sex offender in the area.

No Amber Alert was issued because law enforcement needs a vehicle and/or license plate number to help citizens and officers be on the lookout in those instances, Whan said

[snip]

Police found her bicycle at 3 p.m. Thursday about a quarter mile from her home. It had been left at a skateboard park near Silver Lake Elementary School between Red Rock Road and Stead Boulevard northwest of Reno.

More: http://www.rgj.com/article/20091002/...2051/1321/NEWS

eyes4crime · #24 10-03-2009, 03:48 AM

So much time elapsed before LE really looked for this child...

Sept 30 - Wed. night
6:30 Karamjit Kaur goes for a bike ride out in front of her house
7:24 LE is called by family and a message is left
8:00p LE calls and leaves message - no answer by family
8:30 LE connects with family by phone

Oct. 1st Thurs AM
LE searches with helicopters, search dogs, and checks registered SO

3:00p Thurs they find her bike in a ditch 1/4 mile from her home (Skateboard Park) near an elementary school.

4:30p - LE contacts media
later in evening - begin to stop cars

Fri - nothing???

Sat -

Sorry you guys - this is what I have to do to make sense of times. I wish I had a photographic memory! lol

adnoid · #25 10-03-2009, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eyes4crime

So much time elapsed before LE really looked for this child...

Sept 30 -
6:30 Karamjit Kaur goes for a bike ride out in front of her house
7:30 LE is called by family and a message is left
8:30 LE connects with family by phone

Oct. 1st Thurs AM
LE searches with helicopters, search dogs, and checks registered SO

3:00P thurs they find her bike in a ditch 1/4 mile from her home (Skateboard Park) near an elementary school.

Fri - nothing???

Sat -

Here's an article from today's paper that has more detail:

http://www.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...1/91002051&s=d

[soapbox]

The police here have a very strong union and are some of the highest paid in the nation, and as a result we cannot afford a large number of them. So some things like this do not get immediate attention. I am a strong supporter of LE but I have had more than one personal experience with this problem.

[/soapbox]

With that said, it looks like the police did get right on in based on the report in the paper:

"...The family’s missing person report came in at 7:24 p.m. Wednesday, but since it was not a shooting or murder, it was put on a screen as a priority 3, Whan said. An officer called the family about 8 p.m. No one answered so he left a message. At 8:30 p.m., the family called back, and a report was completed and handed to the desk sergeant..."

That was Wednesday night.

"...On Thursday morning, the search included Raven helicopters and police dogs, he said. They also checked on every registered sex offender in the area...Police started asking for the public’s help through the media about 4:30 p.m. Thursday. Later that evening, police stopped cars in the area of Karamjit’s neighborhood, asking residents if they had seen the girl..."