Account
Jan 15, 2010
Jun 19, 2023
Karen
Penson
72
31
62 inches
105 lbs
White / Caucasian
Female
In the spring of 1983, a 31-year-old woman named Karen Ann Penson vanished from her home in Tacoma, Washington, leaving behind a life and a family who would search for answers for decades to come. She was last seen on May 21, 1983. At the time of her disappearance, Karen was described as a white female with blonde hair and blue eyes, standing at 5'2" and weighing around 105 pounds. Her husband of twelve years, Michael Penson, told authorities that the two of them had an argument, after which Karen supposedly called a friend to come and pick her up. According to his account, he left their residence before her friend arrived, and when he returned, Karen was gone. She was never heard from again. The initial days of her disappearance offered a grim clue when, on May 26, her purse, containing her belongings, was discovered wet on a beach, suggesting a troubling and mysterious end to her last known movements. The investigation into Karen's disappearance was complicated by a lack of evidence and leads. The primary narrative of her last moments came from her husband, Michael, whose account of a simple argument followed by her departure left many questions unanswered. The couple reportedly had a history of domestic problems, a detail that cast a shadow of suspicion over Michael's version of events. For years, the case grew cold, with no new information surfacing to point investigators in a definitive direction. Karen's parents passed away without ever learning what happened to their daughter, and the passage of time seemed to bury any hope of resolving the case. The official investigation stalled, leaving the question of Karen's whereabouts to linger in the minds of her loved ones and the community. A shocking and violent turn of events years later brought a renewed, albeit somber, focus to Karen Penson's case. In 2001, Michael Penson, who had since remarried and was living in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, shot his second wife. When police responded to the scene, Michael aimed his weapon at the officers, who then fatally shot him. His second wife survived the attack. This violent act shed a new and disturbing light on his potential involvement in Karen's disappearance nearly two decades earlier. While it is unclear if he was responsible for her vanishing, authorities noted that his death left them with no further leads to pursue in her case. The overview of Karen Penson's case is one of enduring mystery and suspected foul play, a story that began with a domestic dispute and ended with a violent act by the last person known to have seen her, leaving her disappearance an unsolved tragedy.
May 26, 1983
Tacoma
Washington
Pierce County
No
8119
Tacoma Police Department
Tacoma
Washington
Pierce County
98409
3701 South Pine Street, Washington
2535915950
Local
Law Enforcement
83-1460259
1983-05-26
Tacoma Police Department
Blond/Strawberry
Blue
Blue
06/14/2026
