Karen Rosalba Grajeda has been missing from Tucson, Arizona, since January 11, 1996, a day that forever changed her family’s life. Just seven years old at the time, Karen vanished while playing outside her family’s apartment complex on West Valencia Street. Nearly three decades later, her disappearance remains one of the city’s most heartbreaking unsolved missing child cases.
On the afternoon she went missing, Karen was outside with other children, including her younger sister. Witnesses recall that she briefly went back inside the apartment before returning outside to continue playing. Sometime after that, she simply disappeared. When her family realized she was gone, panic set in, and a search began almost immediately. Despite extensive efforts, Karen was never located.
Tucson police, along with federal authorities, searched the surrounding neighborhood, interviewed neighbors, and followed every possible lead. Investigators have long believed that Karen may have been abducted, and authorities have stated there was no indication that her family was involved in her disappearance. Over the years, the Tucson Police Department and the FBI have continued to review the case, hoping that new technology, DNA advancements, or fresh witness tips could finally unlock the truth.
As time passed, age-progressed images were created to show what Karen might look like today. She would now be in her late thirties. Those images serve as a powerful reminder that Karen is still out there somewhere, and that someone may know something about what happened on that January day in 1996.
For Karen’s family, the pain of not knowing has never faded. Decades later, they continue to hold on to hope that answers will come and that they may one day learn what happened to their daughter, sister, and loved one. They have never stopped searching or believing that Karen could still be alive.
Karen Grajeda is not forgotten. Her name, her story, and her smile continue to live on through those who love her and through the community that still hopes for justice and closure.
Anyone with information about Karen Rosalba Grajeda’s disappearance is urged to contact the Tucson Police Department at 520-791-4444 or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678. Even the smallest detail could be the missing piece needed to finally solve this case.
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