Kara Lynn Clark was a shy, quiet young woman with a strong affinity for children and animals. A member of the Mishkeegogamang Ojibway First Nation, the 28-year-old female was originally from Timmins, Ontario, but had recently relocated to Brampton for a job at a recycling facility. Her family remembers her as a person who loved to sing and play video games. Her older sister, Eva, recalled a lighthearted phone conversation just two months before Kara's death, where Kara, having just celebrated her 28th birthday, lamented finding her first grey hair. It was one of the last times they ever spoke.
In the early morning hours of July 18, 2017, Kara was seen leaving a residence in Brampton around 1 a.m. Later that day, her employer grew concerned when the responsible and hard-working young woman uncharacteristically failed to show up for her shift. Her boss reported her missing, stressing to police that this was completely out of character for Kara.
For three days, her whereabouts remained unknown. Then, on the afternoon of July 21, a passerby made a tragic discovery in a greenbelt area near a creek on Castlemore Road, not far from where she was last seen. It was the body of Kara Lynn Clark.
The Peel Regional Police immediately treated the death as a homicide. An autopsy confirmed that Kara had suffered obvious signs of trauma, though the specific cause of death has never been publicly released by investigators. Police stated that withholding this detail could be a key piece of evidence to "entrap whoever caused it." Kara's family, who traveled eight hours from Timmins upon learning she was found, faced further distress when they learned her remains had been sent back north before they arrived. They also held a painful belief that she may have been scalped, as she was found with little to no hair, a theory investigators later debunked without further explanation.
The investigation into Kara's murder was extensive at the outset, with eight detectives assigned to the case. They looked into her life in Brampton, where she was living with a boyfriend she had met at work. Her sister Eva mentioned that Kara had a fight with her boyfriend shortly before her disappearance, an incident that resulted in police being called and charges being laid. Peel police confirmed that there were separate reports of domestic incidents involving both Kara and her boyfriend, but would not say if these occurred in the days leading up to her murder or if the boyfriend was ever a suspect. Investigators noted Kara had many admirers and they worked to narrow down a list of potential persons of interest.
Despite the initial efforts, the case grew cold. Almost a year after her death, police informed Kara's mother that they had no leads or suspects. The family believes that the three days her body was left exposed to the elements may have destroyed crucial forensic evidence. By December 2020, Peel Regional Police stated that all investigative leads had been exhausted. The case was officially classified as "pending further information," meaning investigators would only act on new information as it was received. As of March 2021, no arrests have been made and no charges have been laid in connection with her murder.
Kara's sister has expressed concerns about the initial police response to the missing person report, wondering if it was taken seriously enough, a sentiment often shared by communities when Indigenous women go missing. She questions whether Kara's prior interactions with law enforcement might have led them to assume she had just left and wasn't truly in danger. Still, she acknowledges that a real effort was made once Kara's body was discovered. Now, years later, the family hopes that renewed attention to her story might bring forward the missing pieces of the puzzle that investigators need.
The investigation into the murder of Kara Lynn Clark remains open. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Peel Regional Police Homicide and Missing Persons Bureau at 905-453-2121, ext. 3205. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Peel Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
