TX TX - Katherine Korzilius, 6, Austin, 7 Aug 1996

[annemc2]

After driving down Elder Circle last week while visiting relatives, it seems even more unlikely to me that Katherine's death was related to an attempted abduction. The loop on which they lived is quite secluded from the main road (off of which you probably wouldn't drive unless you were trying to get directly to the neighborhood - does that make sense? There wouldn't be any aimless cruising in the area unless you were a looky-loo like myself).


The only way I could see attempted abduction being a possibility was if there was construction in the area (ie house-building) or if it was someone doing business (yard work, etc) on Elder Circle or Exton Cove. It was about 4:30 pm when we drove by and all was quiet - we saw one man out jogging and a family of deer.

 

[cocytus]

This death has always struck me as being an accident. There was simply no evidence of an attempted abduction and the wound patterns resemble those of someone either falling from a vehicle or being struck by a vehicle.

To my mind, if the police had been more empathetic towards the family this case would have been resolved much sooner. The confrontational attitudes that this case seems to have brought out are a major cause of this still being considered a mystery, IMHO.

 

[bykerladi]

Maybe I read this wrong, but I THOUGHT the original post said that

1. After dropping Katherine off at the mailboxes, the mother went directly home.

2. Katherine's mom checked the route from the home to the mailboxes and did not see Katherine.

3. Katherine's body was found on a different road a short distance away.

Based on this, it is impossible that Katherine "fell off" her mother's car. Did I miss something?

 

[Kimster]

Katherine is the week's featured cold case from 1/9/11 to 1/16/11.

 

[annemc2]

Thanks, Kimster!

The thing that's been bothering me lately is that Katherine was found (according to the UM segment) face down in the street. If someone had "placed" her there, as her mom purports, wouldn't it be natural human inclination to place her on her back? Especially when the concrete would have been exceptionally hot.

 

[belfastgirl73]

A strange case. My thoughts are:-

: someone tried to pick her up
: they managed to get her into the vehicle
: she made a real fuss kicking & screaming
: they tried to shut her up by knocking her unconscious
: that didn't work and because she was creating a lot of fuss, they panicked
and threw her from the vehicle?

Surely if this were the case though someone should have seen or heard something. I wonder if there were any fibres from a vehicle on her body or clothing?

JMHO

 

[RoseTree]

The above explanation seems the most likely to me.

 

[fullofsecrets]

Is it possible she could have been struck by a vehicle? Perhaps they attempted to lure her and when she ran they followed, or she was pulled into the vehicle and then managed to escape and was struck at that point. Are the more autopsy details available? TIA!

 

[Mr. E]

A strange case. My thoughts are:-

: someone tried to pick her up
: they managed to get her into the vehicle
: she made a real fuss kicking & screaming
: they tried to shut her up by knocking her unconscious
: that didn't work and because she was creating a lot of fuss, they panicked
and threw her from the vehicle?

Surely if this were the case though someone should have seen or heard something. I wonder if there were any fibres from a vehicle on her body or clothing?

JMHO

This is the scenario I have always envisioned, as well. In the past month I have had the Orkin guy (plus a new guy he was training), a roofing company representative, an insurance adjuster, and a crew of men to put on a new roof at my house. Strangers, all of them. You can live in the nicest gated community in the world with the best neighbors, but there will still be strangers in you neighborhood at any given moment. I would like to know who was in the neighborhood that day. Pool cleaning company? Yard workers? Visiting relatives/friends of neighbors? Have these people been checked out?

It seems like an attempted abduction gone very wrong.

 

[VictoriaVictoria]

This case played again on UM. So many baffling things about this case. A very defiant interview, but if she were being blamed, I would be too.

Also, for such a "exceptionly quiet day" how did no one hear this child scream? Cars racing away?

 

[calliope68]

There are several problems with this scenerio:
1. The 1996 Suburban had no real places for hand holds. The back door was split vertically and I am not sure the windows in back rolled down or it they did if ther came down all the way.(My uncle had one but I cannot remember this) This being said the door handle recess and higes could provide a hand hold albeit tenuos if she could reach them. This brings me to my second point...
2. At 6 yrs old Katherine would have been on the average about 46 inches tasll(per babybag.com) . The bumper of the Surban is about 1 1/2 feet or so from thew ground; the handle isat last that far from the bumper & while the lower hinge would be few inches above the bumper but being so close to the bumper would be of little help. The uppper hinges are servel feet above the bumper(I dont think she could reach them). I really doubt she could get her foot on the bumper or get a hand hold. Especiallt with a cast and sling on her arm and a couple of fingers. Which brings ne to my next point....
3. With a broken arm and fingers( I assume this to be her dominant hand although this not indicated anywhere in the info) I don't think she could grasp anything with that hand. It would take her both hands to get on the back of the Suburban.
3.My last pint nis a question as to why she was found face down & not on her back. If she fell back off the Subirban is is possible fer her to turn 180 degees to land face down? The vehicle could have accelerated a standstill to a fast MPG could it? Also the coroner indicated the skull was fractured and she had bruises and lacerations on one side (so she must have hit to one side which could have turn her to hit face down possibly) but why no road burn?
These are just my questions on this case. Hopefully we will one day find out her murdered this beautiful little girl, I pray

 

[Cymro]

Two possibilities:

1. The mother is lying completely and was giving the daughter a thrill ride holding on to the back of the SUV and the daughter was thrown off at a high speed; or

2. An abductor took an opportunity that presented itself in a quiet neighborhood and abandoned the attempt to abduct after deciding that Katherine was more trouble alive than she was worth.

While you'd either have to follow the family to wait for the right moment, or be very "lucky" (I hate to use that word in this context - I just mean that this location is probably not the best choice to take a small child and not get caught) that makes more sense than a reckless woman behaving in a very odd way.

Anyone blaming the mother and saying that someone would have seen an abduction would also have to explain why a girl hanging off the back of a Suburban wouldn't have been seen when an abduction would.

 

[dotr]

Bumping for Katherine, just learned of this case/thread.

 

[neverletgo]

:bump: for Katherine. :beats:

 

[Debra46]

I agree with many others this sounds very weird indeed.
My first question is why would she called the police before going to check on her where abouts?
Ok my second question is why in this world would you let a six year old walk what an half an hour trip home? I sure wouldn't I don't care how nice the area was.
And for my finally question do you think she the mother would have abused the little girl I mean they were shopping and sometimes shopping trips can be exhausting and children wanting this or that and maybe mom got a irritated hey her husbands outta town and she exploded with rage and placed the little girls body there I mean she states she sees her daughter laying in the road and grabs her up and puts her in the car instead of calling an ambulance anyway I just think there's more to this story then we most likely will ever know.

 

[dotr]

Bumping for Katherine and hoping that enough time has passed, that anyone who might know something about this case steps forward!

http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Katherine_Korzilius

 

[liz b.]

I just read that she had a broken left thumb, which i am guessing would have involved a splint, rather than a cast. Wonder how she broke her thumb ? Painful injury.jmo

 

[killarney rose]

My DD broke her thumb and it was put into a splint, not a cast. I don't think casts are used for broken fingers unless the hand bones are also broken.

 

[easongt]

When I was about 10 years old... my cousin and I sneaked a ride on my pawpaw's produce van. My cousin had enough sense to jump off after about 10 seconds. Unfortunately I didn't. As he was leaving our neighborhood, I figured I better jump off. He was probably doing about 20-25 mph. I'm telling you that the fall was violent. I remember thinking that I'm just gonna land on my feet and run. WRONG! My jeans were torn, my knees and elbow and face had scratches all over. I hit the ground, immediately went down chest/face first flipped and rolled. My poor grandpa never even knew I was on the back. He never even knew that I jumped off. I'm not sure I ever told him. We were scared about getting in trouble so I lied to my mom and told her I wrecked my bike. Anyhow... I can't imagine what it would have done to me at a higher speed or if I had been a 6 year old girl. I can totally see this same thing being the cause of her death.

 

[luxISlight]

I'm thinking this is an attempted abduction. Mom drops her off, someone tries to pick up the little girl, she runs but they catch her in the field, she fights back and either jumps or is thrown from the vehicle and lands face first. Maybe the kidnapper got out of the vehicle to see if she was dead and smooth her hair down like petting. Sick and twisted.

I don't believe she was trying to ride on the back of the vehicle...how would that explain her scent from the mailbox to the empty lot and then disappears until where her body is found? I doubt a mother that reacted they way this one did would lie her child face down.

Also, why would the mom think someone was out for her? Were there threats before this incident? Did she have enemies that wanted to harm her?