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Case Description

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Karen Cecilia Tucker, a 40-year-old woman, was last seen on January 3, 1991, near the Elwha River in Clallam County, Washington. At the time of her disappearance, Karen was living with a boyfriend at the Elwha River Resort after separating from her husband. On the night she vanished, Karen was reportedly intoxicated and despondent after attending a gathering. She was last seen walking on a bridge over the Elwha River.

Karen had a history of suicidal tendencies and struggled with agoraph ...Read More
Last Seen: Jan 03, 1991

Victim Details

Jun 27, 2012

May 31, 2023

Karen

Tucker

73

40

66 inches

125 lbs

White / Caucasian

Female

In the quiet of a winter's night in Port Angeles, Washington, 40-year-old Karen Cecilia Tucker vanished, leaving behind a life and a family still searching for answers. On January 3, 1991, Karen was last seen on a bridge spanning the Elwha River. At the time, she was separated from her husband and residing with her boyfriend at the Elwha River Resort. Reports from that evening suggest she was at a party at her home, and appeared to be intoxicated and in a despondent state before she was last seen. The weather was harsh, with temperatures dropping below freezing, and snow was expected the following day. All of her personal belongings were left behind at her residence. Karen was a woman who faced personal challenges, including a history of being suicidal and suffering from agoraphobia, a fear of situations that might cause panic. She was classified as disabled and relied on medication. Her daughter has expressed the belief that a combination of alcohol and her medication could have led to an accident, causing her to become disoriented. The night she disappeared, Karen did not have access to a vehicle. Her boyfriend, with whom she was living, was never considered a suspect in her disappearance. Several days after she was last seen, her boyfriend officially reported her missing to the Clallam County Sheriff's Department. Years later, a glimmer of hope for resolution emerged. In May of 2012, as part of a large-scale river restoration project, Lake Aldwell, a reservoir behind the Elwha Dam, was drained. A couple walking their dog in the newly exposed lakebed discovered a human tibia. This discovery prompted the Clallam County Sheriff's Department to reopen Karen's cold case, as she was the most prominent missing person in that remote area. Despite this development and subsequent searches in the area, no definitive link to Karen's case has been publicly announced. The original case file from 1991 had been lost, adding to the difficulties of the investigation. The case of Karen Cecilia Tucker remains an unsolved and painful mystery, a story of a woman who walked out into the cold and was never seen again, leaving her loved ones in a prolonged state of grief and uncertainty.

Jan 03, 1991

Port Angeles

Washington

Clallam County

98363

No

11919

Clallam County Sheriff's Department

Port Angeles

Washington

Clallam County

98362

James McLaughlin

Detective

223 East 4th Street, Washington

3604172459

County

Law Enforcement

1991-0139

1991-01-03

Clallam County Sheriff's Department

Brown

Hazel

Hazel

06/11/2026


Area Last Seen: