Karen Mason

Karen Ann Rew Mason was a beloved schoolteacher, a daughter, and a friend, known for her inquisitive nature and her deep bond with her mother. Born on March 30, 1956, the 32-year-old woman from Glens Falls, New York, was remembered as an ultra-organized and dedicated health teacher at Hadley-Luzerne High School. She had graduated second in her class from Schuylerville High School in 1974 and went on to earn a nursing degree from Russell Sage College and a master's in nursing from Arizona State University. After her marriage to Kearney Mason ended, Karen moved into an apartment in Queensbury, near Glens Falls, in late 1987 and was navigating a new chapter in her life. Her friends and family, particularly her mother, Lorena "Lucky" Rew, were central to her world. Her childhood best friend, Pam Driscoll, recalled how important her mother was to her, saying, "Her mother was everything to her. Her mother was the one constant in her life that supported her with everything."

The days leading up to Karen's death were chaotic. On Thursday, May 5, 1988, she was involved in a hit-and-run car accident while with her new boyfriend, Keith Gaulin. Worried about the impact on her teaching career, they allegedly concocted a plan to ditch her 1977 Buick Regal and report it stolen. The following day, Karen called in sick to work, something investigators noted was out of character for her. She had just purchased a brand-new gray 1988 Oldsmobile Delta 88. Sometime between the late evening of May 6 and the early morning of May 7, she left a note for Gaulin at her apartment, saying she was going to her father's seasonal home in Hope, a tiny Adirondack town in Hamilton County. That was the last anyone heard from her. When she failed to call her mother on Mother's Day, May 8, those close to her knew something was terribly wrong.

Just before midnight on Monday, May 9, 1988, Karen's estranged husband, Kearney Mason, discovered a horrific scene at her father's secluded home on Maple Grove Road. Karen's burned body was found sprawled on the two concrete steps leading to the house. She was facing away from the home, her face toward the sky, with the white storm door propped against her shoulder. She had suffered second-degree burns on her arms, forehead, and nose, and her skull was broken, an injury police initially believed was from collapsing into the door. Dark soot coated parts of her body and filled her trachea, indicating she had inhaled smoke. Nearby in the gravel driveway sat her new Oldsmobile, its hubcaps still shining but its windows blackened with soot and its interior seats charred.

Initially, in June 1988, investigators concluded that Karen's death was a tragic accident. The theory was that she had locked herself out of the house and, while trying to light an oil lamp in the back seat of her car for light, accidentally tilted it, spilling fuel and causing a "flash ignition." However, nagging questions and inconsistencies remained. The case lay dormant for years until the New York State Police began a review, prompted by a trooper's concerns. They enlisted the state's Office of Fire Prevention and Control to re-examine the evidence.

The resulting 12-page arson report became the pivotal document that led to the case being officially reopened. Arson investigator William McGovern found that the original theory of an accidental flash ignition was not plausible. The type of combustible lamp oil found at the scene had a high flash point, making it highly unlikely to ignite in a sudden burst of flames in the cold temperatures of that May night, which had dipped into the 30s. The report concluded that the fire was more likely the result of a "deliberate act." McGovern's analysis suggested the slow-burning combustible liquid would have acted like a wick on Karen's clothing, producing the significant smoke and soot found in the car and in her airways.

More than three decades later, Karen Mason's death is actively investigated by the New York State Police Troop G Major Crimes Unit as a suspicious cold case. Investigators Samuel Lizzio and Michael Cote have acknowledged that while they cannot definitively say it was a homicide, they are confident it did not happen the way it was first explained. "These inconsistencies, and a comprehensive review of the materials presented to this agency, would indicate more of a deliberate act in the ignition of the fire," the arson report stated.

As of August 2025, no arrests have been made, and the case remains unsolved. Investigators continue to seek answers and hope that someone with information will finally come forward. They have urged anyone who knew Karen or had contact with her in the days preceding her death to share what they know. The New York State Police are asking anyone with information to call them at 1-800-488-3487. For Karen's loved ones, the question that defined her in her high school yearbook—"Karen Rew leaves with one more question"—has become a painful, unanswered echo.