Karen Lynn Tompkins, 11, went missing on August 18, 1961 while walking home from summer school at Halldale Elementary School in the Harbor Gateway area of Torrance, CA. at approximately 5:30pm. She stayed late to help a teacher clean the classroom.
Karen should have walked home with her brother but their dog followed them to school so her brother was told to take the dog home early, leaving Karen to walk alone.
According to reports, there was a massive search for her. Firefighters on boats, the Boy Scouts, men on horseback and helicopters. People had her photo displayed on their vehicles. Karen was never found.
It has been suggested that police theorize that Karen is a victim of the same person that abducted little Dorothy Gale Brown on July 3, 1962. Because of the similarities, LE focused mainly on a connection between the two and didn't seem to consider that the two abductions were not related.
The girls were from the same area, were the same age and both had blonde hair and blue eyes, however Dorothy's body was found, the following day. She had been, sexually assaulted, drowned and her dress was stuffed in a beer can.
Some WS posters speculate that Karen Lynn Tompkins was possibly abducted and held captive for several years by Franklin Delano Floyd. Floyd is a convicted murderer, a pedophile and kidnapper. He allegedly kidnapped a girl, 4 or 5 yrs old in 1974 and raised her as his daughter, later married her and finally killed her. Pics of her (and other females) were found, showing he molested her from childhood until her death.
It is unknown how he got possession of her. Her real identity is unknown. Floyd used aliases for her throughout her life. She is known as Sharon Marshall, Suzanne Davis and Tonya Tadlock. See the Sharon Marshall thread for all the details-the case is mind-boggling.
An article in the Daily Breeze archives stated LAPD has reopened the case at the insistance of Karen's sister, Lori Buck. Some of the evidence, including the reports were not in the evidence boxes, however there were flash cards I tried to contact someone in LAPD Cold Case Unit to no avail, however I was able to speak to a wonderful detective at the Torrance PD.
The detective is reviewing the case to find if Karen Tompkins is possibly Sharon Marshall's mother. She would have been in her late teens when "Sharon" was born. With Floyd's history of sexual abuse, and possible ties to a group of ex-cons accused of abducting another family, killing the mother and selling the kids, it is possible that Karen may have been dealt the same fate.
Ironically, Chloe Gilmore, one of the 1st lady detectives on LAPD was assigned to Karen's case in 1961. She has a daughter named Sharon Marshall.
I have some articles that will be posted here in the next day or so.
Karen should have walked home with her brother but their dog followed them to school so her brother was told to take the dog home early, leaving Karen to walk alone.
According to reports, there was a massive search for her. Firefighters on boats, the Boy Scouts, men on horseback and helicopters. People had her photo displayed on their vehicles. Karen was never found.
It has been suggested that police theorize that Karen is a victim of the same person that abducted little Dorothy Gale Brown on July 3, 1962. Because of the similarities, LE focused mainly on a connection between the two and didn't seem to consider that the two abductions were not related.
The girls were from the same area, were the same age and both had blonde hair and blue eyes, however Dorothy's body was found, the following day. She had been, sexually assaulted, drowned and her dress was stuffed in a beer can.
Some WS posters speculate that Karen Lynn Tompkins was possibly abducted and held captive for several years by Franklin Delano Floyd. Floyd is a convicted murderer, a pedophile and kidnapper. He allegedly kidnapped a girl, 4 or 5 yrs old in 1974 and raised her as his daughter, later married her and finally killed her. Pics of her (and other females) were found, showing he molested her from childhood until her death.
It is unknown how he got possession of her. Her real identity is unknown. Floyd used aliases for her throughout her life. She is known as Sharon Marshall, Suzanne Davis and Tonya Tadlock. See the Sharon Marshall thread for all the details-the case is mind-boggling.
An article in the Daily Breeze archives stated LAPD has reopened the case at the insistance of Karen's sister, Lori Buck. Some of the evidence, including the reports were not in the evidence boxes, however there were flash cards I tried to contact someone in LAPD Cold Case Unit to no avail, however I was able to speak to a wonderful detective at the Torrance PD.
The detective is reviewing the case to find if Karen Tompkins is possibly Sharon Marshall's mother. She would have been in her late teens when "Sharon" was born. With Floyd's history of sexual abuse, and possible ties to a group of ex-cons accused of abducting another family, killing the mother and selling the kids, it is possible that Karen may have been dealt the same fate.
Ironically, Chloe Gilmore, one of the 1st lady detectives on LAPD was assigned to Karen's case in 1961. She has a daughter named Sharon Marshall.
I have some articles that will be posted here in the next day or so.
