Karen Zhou, a 10-year-old girl, went missing from Grenada, Mississippi, on May 21, 1994. She was last seen playing outside her family’s home at Riverhills Apartments on Monroe Street around 6:30 p.m. that day. When her stepfather, Shindong He, went to check on her at around 11 p.m., she was nowhere to be found. Upon her mother’s return home at midnight, they reported Karen missing to the police. Despite extensive searches, no clues were found regarding her whereabouts.
Witnesses reported seeing Karen enter a van with a tall Asian man on the day she disappeared, raising concerns that she may have been abducted. Karen, who had limited English proficiency as she had only been in the U.S. for a few years, was a good student at Lizzie Horn Elementary School but was often seen with bruises. Her stepfather, who refused to take a polygraph test, became a key suspect in her disappearance. He was later convicted of an unrelated aggravated assault case involving Karen’s mother and was deported to China. During the assault, he allegedly admitted to killing Karen, further fueling suspicions about his involvement in her case.
Despite these developments, Karen’s case remains unsolved and is classified as a non-family abduction, with authorities suspecting foul play. However, no definitive answers have been found, and Karen has not been seen or heard from since that tragic day in 1994.Last Seen: May 21, 1994
