Brenda Joan Szabo was 33 years old when she was last seen in San Diego County, California, on October 1, 1983. At the time of her disappearance, she was described as a white female, 5'4" tall, weighing 120 pounds, with light brown hair and blue eyes. She had a tattoo of a "Harley" motorcycle without wheels on her left wrist and various other tattoos. Szabo had previously fractured her arm, leg, finger, and back and was known to use aliases, including Karen Blaha and Brenda Miller.
Szabo had a difficult past, having run away from her home in Dallas, Texas, in 1966. Her life was described as troubled, and she gave birth to four children who were all placed for adoption. She was involved in drug use, sex work, and other criminal activities, which led to several arrests and jail time throughout the 1970s. She was known to travel between New York and California and used numerous aliases and Social Security numbers.
In the early 1980s, Szabo appeared to be turning her life around by enrolling in a community college in the Antelope Valley to study wildlife and forestry. She had reportedly stopped using drugs and was working as a dog groomer. However, she was arrested for a probation violation and served a sentence at the Frontera State Prison. After her release, Szabo informed her family that she was going to Dallas, Texas, to visit them and would be in touch in a couple of weeks. She never arrived and has not been seen or heard from since.
One of Szabo's daughters, who was searching for her birth mother, officially reported her missing in 2005 after seeing an article about unsolved murders in San Diego County. Some investigators believe that Szabo may have started a new life under a new identity. Her case remains an active missing person investigation by the San Diego and San Bernardino County police departments.
Last Seen: Oct 01, 1983
