On the evening of September 15, 1979, 12-year-old Kimberly Alice King was at a sleepover at a friend's house across the street from her grandparents' home in Warren, Michigan. At around 11:00 p.m., Kimberly snuck out of her friend's house and called her older sister, Konnie, from a payphone. During the call, she told her sister she had left the sleepover. Konnie, concerned for her younger sister's safety, urged her to return to the friend's house. Kimberly agreed to go back, but she was never seen or heard from again. The exact location of the payphone she used remains uncertain; while Kimberly told her sister it was a short walk away, a witness later reported seeing someone matching her description at a payphone several miles from her grandparents' home.
Initially, law enforcement treated Kimberly's disappearance as a potential runaway case, partly because one of her older sisters had a history of running away. However, Kimberly herself did not have such a history, and as time passed without any contact, the investigation shifted to suspecting foul play. The case eventually grew cold, leaving her family with unanswered questions and lingering hope. Over the years, investigators have explored various leads, including the possibility that Kimberly may have traveled to Grand Rapids, but these avenues did not yield any concrete information. Her case is now classified as a non-family abduction.
The investigation into Kimberly's disappearance has seen renewed interest at various points, connecting her case to convicted criminals. Authorities considered David Norberg a suspect for many years, as he lived near Kimberly's home at the time and was found with jewelry belonging to other child victims after his death in 1981. More recently, investigators focused on Arthur Ream, a convicted murderer, as a person of interest in Kimberly's case and the disappearances of several other young girls. In 2018, authorities excavated a property where Ream had previously buried another victim, hoping to find the remains of Kimberly and other missing girls. Despite these efforts, no human remains were discovered during the search. Ream died in prison in 2024, taking any potential information with him. The case remains a painful mystery for her surviving sisters, who continue to hope for answers and a sense of closure.
Last Seen: Sep 15, 1979
