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Katherine Barnum Missing Person Case

Last seen in Aurora, Colorado on Feb 19, 1979

Victim Details

Created

Jun 18, 2012

Case Added

Jul 19, 2023

First Name

Katherine

Last Name

Barnum

Current Age

Age At Disappearance

Height

64 inches

Weight

210 lbs

Ethnicity

White / Caucasian

Gender

Female

Last Seen

Feb 19, 1979

City

Aurora

State

Colorado

County

Adams County

Agency ID

11875

Agency Name

Aurora Police Department

Agency City

Aurora

Agency State

Colorado

Agency County

Arapahoe County

Agency Zip Code

80012

Agency Contact

Stephen Conner

Contact Job Title

Detective

Agency Address

15001 East Alameda Parkway, Colorado

Agency Phone

3036273100

Agency Jurisdiction

Local

Agency Type

Law Enforcement

Agency Website

https://www.auroragov.org/residents/public_safety/police

Primary Agency

Aurora Police Department

Hair Color

Red/Auburn

Left Eye Color

Hazel

Right Eye Color

Hazel

Last Updated

Oct 6, 2026

Area Last Seen:

Case Description

Any updates on this case? Let us know!

Summary based on the NamUs case record (MP15042) and 5 other sources

In February of 1979, the life of 24-year-old Katherine Sue Barnum took a mysterious and unsettling turn, leaving her family with decades of unanswered questions. She was last seen in Aurora, Colorado, where she resided in an apartment located near the 900 block of South Salem Street. At the time of her disappearance, a man named Randal Francis Arnold had been living with her for approximately two months. After she vanished, Arnold suggested that Katherine had left for California with an unknown man and had joined the Hare Krishna movement. However, Katherine was never seen or heard from again. Her sister, Bonnie Buckley, officially reported her as a missing person that same year, initiating a case that would remain cold for many years to come.

The investigation into Katherine's disappearance yielded few leads over the years, deepening the mystery surrounding her fate. A significant, though unconfirmed, piece of information emerged when a Drug Enforcement Administration informant came forward with a grim tip. This informant claimed that Katherine's body had been disposed of in a mineshaft somewhere in the vicinity of Central City, Colorado. Despite this lead, her remains have never been located, and the information has not been officially verified. The man she was living with at the time, Randal Francis Arnold, who had a criminal record for theft, is now deceased, taking with him any potential information he may have had about her last days.

The passage of time has not brought any definitive answers in the case of Katherine Barnum. The lack of concrete evidence and the death of a key individual have left her family and investigators with a puzzle that has endured for over four decades. While DNA samples from several of Katherine's family members, including her mother, sister, and brother, have been submitted and are being searched against national databases, there have been no matches to date. The official circumstances of her disappearance remain unknown, and her case is still considered an active and unsolved endangered missing person investigation. The theory put forth by her former roommate and the tip about the mineshaft represent the two main, yet unproven, scenarios in this long and sorrowful mystery.
Last Seen: Feb 19, 1979

Links to Additional Sources (5)

See any mistakes? Let us know!

Missing Person / NamUs

Katherine Barnum - Colorado Cold Case Files - Case Detail

Katherine Sue Barnum - The Charley Project

Missing Katherine Sue Barnum age 24 Aurora, Colorado ... - YouTube

Katherine Sue Barnum Missing Since 02/19/1979 Aurora ...

Possible Unidentified Matches (1)

Unidentified remains cases whose details are consistent with this person, ranked by how closely they compare. Fields that are unknown in either case are left out of the score.

76%Possible

Jane Doe — Brighton, Colorado

UP16011 • Found Jan 8, 1994

View case

Sex ✓Female

Age 85%Est. 18–35 vs 24 when missing

Race 100%White

Location 98%18 mi away, same county

TimingFound 15 years after last seen

Height 100%5'3" vs 5'4"

Hair 50%Brown vs Red

These comparisons are generated automatically from public NamUs case data and are not confirmed identifications. Only DNA, dental or fingerprint comparison by investigators can confirm an identity. If you believe two cases are connected, contact the agency handling the unidentified case.

Unidentified photos are blurred because many are post-mortem. Tap a photo to reveal it.

Katherine Barnum Missing Person Case

Last seen in Aurora, Colorado on Feb 19, 1979

Victim Details

Case Description

Links to Additional Sources (5)

Possible Unidentified Matches (1)

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