Houston, Texas. 22-year-old Karen Lynn Douglas was a married mom with a newborn who happened to be home all alone on January 6th, 1981.
Karen’s husband was at work, and her mom was going to be stopping by later that day to drive her to an appointment she had with a local doctor.
Karen and her baby were in the house they lived in on Croteau Drive when someone entered Karen’s home and did the unthinkable.
Texas Department Of Public Safety; pictured above is Karen
While Karen was inside her home with her baby, someone stabbed her to death. Her mom sadly found her when she arrived to drive her to the doctor.
Authorities said that Karen put up a fight against her attacker, and there were signs she had really struggled with whoever that was.
They also know that someone saw her two hours before she had died, so they have been able to narrow time the time frame of when her murder took place on that day in January of 1981.
It’s been 40 years, and Karen’s killer is still out there.
The Texas Department Of Public Safety said in a press release that around the time of Karen’s murder, a man had been seen in her neighborhood breaking into nearby homes.
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“In the months before and after Douglas’ death, there were other unsolved home invasions in the area, in which women who were home alone were attacked with a knife,” the Texas Department Of Public Safety explained.
“It’s believed these crimes were committed by a young, slender white male. It remains unclear if Douglas’ death is linked to those other crimes.”
A few days ago, the Texas Department Of Public Safety announced that they are upping the reward in Karen’s cold case in the hopes of catching her killer and bringing Karen the justice she so deserves after a painful four decades for her family.
The reward in Karen’s case was previously set at $3,000 for any information leading to the arrest of her killer, which is the standard reward that the Texas Rangers issue in a given case.
Currently, the reward in Karen’s case has doubled and is now $6,000, but there is a catch to when a tipster can collect the money.
“The Texas Crime Stoppers reward is increased up to $6,000 for the featured case in hopes that the higher reward money will generate additional tips,” the Texas Department Of Public Safety revealed.
“The higher reward amount will only be paid if the tip is submitted before the next case is featured.”
If you have any information related to Karen’s case, you can submit a tip to Crime Stoppers at 1.800.252.TIPS (8477).
Texas Department Of Public Safety; pictured above is a flyer for Karen’s case