#30: Justice For Bonnie 17 Years Later

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Before we begin. Do you have a theory about this
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insights might be featured in a future episode. I'm Harper
Finley and this is night Watch Files. Saint Mark's Marina, Florida.

(00:28):
September twenty ninth, nineteen ninety four. Three o'clock in the morning,
the boat lurched. Karen jolted awake in the narrow quarter berth,
her heart already racing footsteps on the deck above. This
was the third time in two days she'd been startled
from sleep by the sound of someone moving around topside.
She climbed out quickly to alert Jim. A knock on

(00:49):
the companionway, the door separating the upper deck from the
cabin below. Who's there, it's Ken. Karen opened the door.
Ken was looking down at them and his rush and
said everything. Before he spoke a word, his eyes were missing.
This wasn't the happy, carefree man they'd spent the day
with just hours earlier. What is it? It's Bonnie's. She

(01:11):
was in a hiking accident. Karen's first reaction was anger.
This was a lie. It had to be but Ken
handed her a yellow post it note with a phone
number written on it. They dressed quickly. Karen's stuffed clothes
into a duffel bag, her hands shaking. Near the dock
master's office, they found a payphone. Jim dialed the number.

(01:31):
A switchboard operator answered. She suggested they call back in
the morning. Karen insisted. The operator connected her to Sergeant
Mike Mars of the Alaska State Troopers. Sergeant Mars confirmed
it Bonnie was dead. She'd fallen off a cliff at
McHugh Creek. Karen's mind shifted immediately into detective mode. Who

(01:52):
was she with she was alone? How did she get there?
She doesn't drive. How was she identified? Her class ring
and a photo? None of it made sense. If it's
really Bonnie, Karen said, it's got to be murder. Sergeant
Mars insisted it was an accident. What happened to eighteen
year old Bonnie Craig? Why was her mother on a

(02:13):
boat in Florida when she died? And why was Karen
so certain from thousands of miles away that her daughter
had been murdered. Karen Foster was born into a Christian

(02:55):
household in Shadowgay, Quebec. She was one of three children,
with two older brother Andrew and Codge. The family attended
Saint George's Anglican Church, where Karen sang in the choir
every Sunday. Her father seemed to encourage this regular attendance,
largely because he enjoyed watching her perform. Her father, Codge Larsen,

(03:16):
grew up on a farm in a small country town
in Canada. Through sheer determination, he obtained an electrical engineering
degree by attending university at night. For nearly four decades
he worked in telecommunications, helping to design the circuit boards
for the new touch tone telephones. He was the quintessential
company man, someone who found genuine pleasure in developing what

(03:39):
he considered miraculous new technology. When Karen was ten years old,
she would sit beside her father as he excitedly explained
the inner workings of these phones. He'd show her the
circuit boards through a magnifying glass, enthusiastically describing features like
the star and pound buttons. Though technically Anglican by birth,
codg Larsson's true devotion lay elsewhere his work was his

(04:03):
real temple, the place where he felt most alive. Family
mattered more to him than religion. He maintained a practical philosophy.
People couldn't control external circumstances. They could only work hard,
try to be a good person, and hope for the best.
Karen's mother, Bernice, came from a different background. She grew

(04:24):
up Catholic outside of Montreal in a large family with
twelve brothers and sisters. She worked part time as a
secretary and had little interest in regular church attendance, only
joining the family for Christmas and Easter services when her
husband urged her to do so. Karen met Gordon Craig
at her high school graduation dance. He was a classmate.

(04:45):
By the following week they were going steady. The relationship
moved quickly. Soon after, at seventeen, Karen became pregnant with Jason.
Karen and Gordon married in July nineteen seventy three. After
the wedding, they moved to CA Calgary. Jason was born
following the marriage. Three years later, in nineteen seventy six,

(05:05):
their second child, Bonnie, was born. On the surface, the
marriage functioned adequately. There were no fights and few disagreements.
Gordon was a great father to Jason and helpful around
the house, But beneath this functional exterior, something essential was missing.
Karen later described those nearly five years as two horses
pulling a cart together and nothing more. There was no

(05:28):
deep emotional connection. This emotional void became impossible to ignore
following a family tragedy. On August nineteen seventy seven, Karen's
brother Kag, who shared their father's name, was involved in
a car accident. He fell into a coma. For two months.
From August through October, Karen's parents maintained a vigil at
Codge's hospital bedside in Montreal. They came every single day.

(05:52):
They read to him, talked to him, hugged and kissed him.
They asked for signals, any indication that he could hear them,
wondering constantly if he was conscious and listening, but unable
to respond. Halloween knight, October thirty first, nineteen seventy seven,
marked a turning point. Codge's sister in law, Marilyn, decided

(06:12):
that Codge would have wanted his two year old son Michael,
to enjoy Halloween. She put off that day's hospital visit.
It was the first day since the accident that Cog
had no visitors. That same night, after holding on for
two months, Codge died. At the funeral, Karen spoke with
the minister, who acknowledged the question that haunted them all.

(06:33):
Had Coage made some decisions somewhere inside to relinquish the fight,
or had the connections in his brain simply stopped working.
They would never know. The minister offered what comfort he could.
God loves all his children, and Cog would be going
to heaven. Hell, he said, is really only here on earth.
Gordon showed as little emotion about Codge's death as he

(06:54):
had about everything else during their marriage. For Karen, this
was the breaking point. Couldn't live with it anymore. The
divorce was friendly and cost three hundred dollars in change. Afterward,
Gordon made a deliberate choice. He would see Jason and
Bonnie only on their birthdays in Christmas. He wanted them
and Karen to start a new life. Just a few

(07:17):
weeks after finalizing her divorce from Gordon Craig, Karen found
herself at a Calgary sherit and conference room. About fifty
people had gathered for an introductory session for Evelyn Wood,
a speed reading program. Karen had no real interest in
signing up. The twelve week course cost was ridiculous, but
she noticed a man lingering in the registration line. His

(07:40):
name was Gary Campbell. Karen used a simple ruse. She
told him she'd like to call after he finished the
course to ask if it was worth the time and money.
She asked for his number. Three months passed. Karen was
waiting for the mandatory three month period following her divorce
to a lapse. She kept Gary's number and eventually made

(08:00):
the call. Gary initially had no idea who she was.
Karen reminded him about their brief interaction at the introductory class.
Rather than seeming put off, Gary offered to share all
of the coarse material with her so she could save
the money. The gesture charmed her. They met at a
restaurant and talked for hours. Afterward, they walked along quiet streets,

(08:21):
continuing their conversation as leaves turned red, yellow, and orange
in the crisp bear. A week later, Gary cooked dinner
for Karen at his place. He told her he was
an engineer for Esso Canada's version of Exxon. The relationship
moved forward in the summer of nineteen eighty, Karen and
Gary Campbell married in their backyard. Karen's parents attended, as

(08:44):
did her surviving brother Andrew, and Gary's brother Alex. Gary's
parents did not attend. Jason, now five years old, carried
the ring. Bonnie, who was three, carried the basket of flowers.
Gary wore a suit, and Karen wore a cream gown
and a lace cowboy hat. Their son, Adam, was born
the following March in nineteen eighty one. Their daughter Samantha

(09:05):
arrived the spring after in nineteen eighty two. By this point,
the family consisted of six people, Karen, Gary, Jason, Bonnie, Adam,
and Samantha. Shortly after Samantha's birth, their lives entered a
period of constant movement. B P recruited Gary Campbell with
an offer he couldn't refuse. For the next decade, the
company moved the family around the continent. Karen later reflected

(09:29):
that she spent those years uprooting her children for a
new city almost every year. The relocations began in Calgary,
where they'd married. The family then moved to Walnut Creek, California.
They spent time in Anchorage, Alaska, they relocated to Midland, Texas,
where the children adopted an American Eskimo dog they named Avalanche.

(09:51):
A family portrait was taken there in May nineteen eighty seven.
From Midland, they moved to Houston. During their time in Texas,
they also spent time in sugar Land, where Karen took
her children to a small church on a plantation like property.
The children took their first communion there. It felt like family.
The constant relocations took their toll, particularly on Jason. When

(10:14):
the family moved to Texas in the late nineteen eighties
for Gary's job, Jason moved from high school to high school,
switching schools every year. He struggled to fit in among
peers with deep Southern drawls and Confederate flags draped over
the fronts of their houses. Despite the upheaval, there were
moments of ordinary family life. In nineteen eighty two, Karen

(10:36):
took Bonnie, then six, and Jason, then eight, to see
the movie e t Bonnie was so engrossed that Rhyese's
pieces spilled out of the orange bag she was holding.
Bonnie had always been nurturing with her younger siblings. At
age five, when Karen was pregnant with Adam. Bonnie was
overjoyed about the bump in her mother's stomach, regardless of

(10:57):
whether it would be a brother or sister. After Adam
was born, Bonnie treated him like her own private cabbage
patch doll. She wanted to feed him and change his diapers,
even though Karen tried to deter her from the messy chore.
When Samantha arrived the following spring, Bonnie's care continued. The
constant movement finally slowed to an end. In late nineteen

(11:20):
eighty nine, the family was preparing to move from Houston
back to Anchorage. Gary left first with all four children
and the dog. Karen remained in Houston for an additional
month to finish the journalism degree she had started at
the University of Houston. She was driven by a simple principle,
finish what you start. After completing her degree, Karen traveled

(11:43):
to Saint Catharine's to meet Gary, the children, and her
parents for the holidays. They shipped the Chevy Van to
Anchorage and flew back together. A new chapter was beginning.

(12:05):
Quick break ads keep the show running, but if you
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notes and we're back. Thanks for sticking through that. Let's
get back to it. As the nineties began, Karen and

(12:28):
Gary Campbell started to recognize that things had changed. Karen
felt worn down by following Gary across the continent from
BP's transfers. She was unsure of her own identity outside
of being a doting wife who'd uprooted her children for
a new city almost every year for a decade. The
conversation about the status of their relationship became unavoidable. Karen's

(12:50):
ambitions were leading her in a different direction. She had
previously worked as a news reporter for Chemo thirteen News,
an ABC affiliate, and retained that adrenaline. She sought new
thrills and felt compelled by the police world listening to
the police scanner out of fascination. Karen had already completed
criminal justice in EMT courses. She had a conversation with

(13:13):
Captain Tom Walker of the Anchorage Police Department, who told
her the department needed female officers and that she would
be a great candidate. Karen enrolled in the police academy.
As she neared graduation, Gary realized she would succeed, he
presented an ultimatum. He told Karen he did not want
a gun in the house. He was uncomfortable sharing a

(13:35):
bed with a trained killer. He explicitly stated he would
rather see Karen come home in a body bag than
find out she had killed someone. Karen asked if he
would prefer the mother of his children dead instead of
having killed a scumbag. Gary reiterated that he couldn't live
with the idea of her killing another human being. The marriage,
already shaky, couldn't survive the situation. On the very day

(13:59):
of Karen's police Academy graduation in September nineteen ninety two,
Gary told all four children about the divorce. Jason was eighteen,
Bonnie was sixteen, Adam was eleven, Samantha was ten. Adam,
despite being just eleven, offered mature support to his mother.
He told her, mom, you gotta do what's important to you.

(14:19):
Karen and Gary Campbell officially divorced in the fall of
nineteen ninety two. Karen continued to use Gary's last name
Campbell for two years after the divorce. Having graduated from
the police academy, Karen immediately embarked on her new role.
She worked as an unpaid volunteer undercover reserve officer with
the Anchorage Police Department. She joined the patrol unit for

(14:42):
her first twelve hour shifts. Driven by her desire for
thrills and adrenaline, she regularly chose the most active shifts
Friday and Saturday nights. Her responsibilities were varied and intense.
She worked drug raids and undercover buys as part of
the Metro Unit, special details, and search and rescues. Due

(15:04):
to the low number of women in the department, she
was often called to the hospital to meet with women
who had been assaulted. This work made Karen feel important
and productive, like she was making a difference. Her involvement
included being wired during buys, hiding her forty millimeter glock,
and dealing with unpredictable situations. During one bust, the drug

(15:26):
dealer arrived with children in the car. During this time,
Karen also worked as a realtor. For years, she had
been contained by the roles of wife and follower, moving
where the corporate current took her. When the opportunity arose
to forge her own, heavily armored identity as a police officer,
the confining shell broke apart. The marital life became impossible

(15:47):
to sustain, but her individual mission could finally surface. Shortly
after her divorce, Karen began a new romantic relationship. She
started dating Jim, who worked as a firefighter and Paramius
medic in Anchorage. By late nineteen ninety three, they had
moved in together. They were attempting to merge two families
into one in a modest hillside home and Anchorage. They

(16:10):
had previously traveled together to Mexico, where Jim owned some property.
The four children navigated the divorce through shared custody and
independent living arrangements. Adam and Samantha, the youngest, did week on,
week off between Karen's house where she lived with Jim,
and Gary Campbell's house. Jason, now eighteen to twenty, was independent.

(16:32):
He lived in his own apartment with his girlfriend. Tracy.
Bonnie sixteen to seventeen, lived in the house with Karen
during much of this period. She would later move out
to live with her father for more space, a decision
that occurred shortly after March nineteen ninety four, coinciding with
her eighteenth birthday. When Karen and Jim were away, they

(16:53):
would rely on Gary to watch the children. The family
was defining new boundaries. Karen and garytry had a clear
agreement never to be out of state. At the same time.
This period of transition and new beginnings culminated just before
Bonnie turned eighteen on March thirtieth, nineteen ninety four. Bonnie

(17:14):
Craig was born in nineteen seventy six. Her friends would
later call her Tigger because she was so bouncy and
fun to be around. She would get up in the
morning and decide to have a good day every day.
Her childhood was marked by constant movement due to Gary
Campbell's job with BP. The family relocated almost every year
for a decade, through locations including Calgary, Walnut Creek in California, Anchorage,

(17:38):
Midland in Texas, and Houston. When Bonnie was five, she
and Jason missed the school bus in Calgary and began
walking towards school. A man in a car offered them
a ride, giving Jason his business card. The man complimented
the children, noting that Jason was very protective of his
little sister and that they were walking hand in hand

(17:58):
swinging their lunch pails. In Sugarland, Texas, Bonnie received her
first communion in a small church. She and Jason shared
a moment of contagious laughter when the bishop accidentally put
his miter on backward. The family settled back in Anchorage
in late nineteen eighty nine. Bonnie entered her teenage years

(18:18):
during a period of change. Her parents divorced in the
fall of nineteen ninety two, when Bonnie was sixteen. Bonnie
attended Service High School in Anchorage. She played the violin
in the school orchestra and was a member of a
pure counseling group called Natural Helpers. After a dear friend
named Katy died in a drunk driving accident, Bonnie started

(18:40):
sad students against drunk driving at the high school. She
wanted to be a social worker or a psychologist. Bonnie
was athletic and tough. She became the first girl in
Service High School history to be on the wrestling team.
Her explicit goal was never to get pinned, a goal
she achieved when her match ended in a draw. She
was highly responsible. She refused to try alcohol and never

(19:04):
dabbled in drugs or lived a risky lifestyle. She carried
pepper spray on her keychain for protection. After Karen and
Gary split Bonnie moved with her mother into a new
home on Lone Tree Drive. They enjoyed time together dancing
in the empty living room to conga. Karen felt close
to her daughter in a way she'd never felt before.

(19:24):
During their junior year of high school, Bonnie began a
serious relationship with Cameron Miyasaki. They were very similar and
their connection was easy and natural. They often talked about
everything they had previously met as grade schoolers when their
families briefly lived in California and were reunited later in Anchorage.

(19:45):
As Bonnie approached adulthood, she was enrolled as a freshman
at the University of Alaska, Anchorage, studying psychology. She took
her studies seriously, carrying a full load of core classes.
Her schedule included classes starting as early as seven a m.
Two days a week, Mondays and Wednesdays. She worked at
Sam's Club about thirty hours a week, typically covering four days,

(20:08):
including every Saturday and Sunday, Tuesday, and one other weekday.
Cameron had recently moved to Berkeley, California, to attend college.
Bonnie planned to follow him there, Although Karen had previously
advised against Berkeley due to safety concerns. Bonnie did not
have a driver's license and generally relied on rides from

(20:29):
her father or friends, or public transportation. She often had
to walk about two and a half miles to catch
the bus to school. Despite her busy schedule, she continued
to look after her younger siblings, Adam and Samantha, who
were thirteen and twelve. Bonnie turned eighteen years old on
March thirtieth, nineteen ninety four. This milestone triggered a major

(20:52):
change in her living situation. Shortly after her eighteenth birthday,
Bonnie moved out of the modest hillside home her mother
shared with Jim. Bonnie moved in with Gary Campbell because
she wanted a room of her own. Karen was crushed
by this decision, but she understood that space was in
short supply at her house. Bonnie maintained her busy schedule.

(21:13):
She attended class two days a week from seven a m.
To approximately four p m. She continued working her thirty
hours at Sam's Club. She maintained her serious long distance
relationship with Cameron, who had moved to Berkeley a couple
of months before. Late September. They would set up appointments
to talk or e mail online using the computer lab

(21:35):
at UAA. In the summer of nineteen ninety four, Bonnie
and Cameron visited Portage Glacier. They also stopped at mc
hugh Creek to sit on a rock, watch the sun
and talk. During this period, Karen was navigating her new
merged family structure. She was living in a modest hillside
home and Anchorage with Jim, attempting to blend Jim's three children,

(21:57):
ages eight to thirteen, with her two youngest, Adam and Samantha.
Adam and Samantha operated on a week on, week off
schedule between Karen's house and Gary Campbell's house. Karen remained
active as a realtor and continued her work as an
unpaid volunteer undercover reserve officer with the Anchorage Police Department.

(22:17):
Karen and Jim planned a trip to Florida to attend
Jim's younger brother, Ken's wedding. Karen and Gary Campbell had
a strict arrangement that neither parent should be out of
state at the same time. Before the trip, Karen called
Gary's house and spoke to Bonnie. She became furious upon
learning that Gary had left for a sudden business trip
to New Orleans that would keep him away for a week,

(22:40):
violating their agreement. This left Bonnie, though eighteen, responsible for
looking after Adam and Samantha. Karen found this arrangement inappropriate,
despite Bonnie's assertion that she was capable. On Monday, September
twenty sixth, nineteen ninety four, Bonnie stayed late at Uaa
to study with friends marvat Obaedy, Robbie Martin, and Justin Devlen.

(23:04):
That morning, she had packed a lunch and written a
note for her younger sister Samantha. That same day, Karen
and Jim boarded a red eye flight from Anchorage to Tampa, Florida.
They chartered a thirty seven foot island packet sailboat out
of Saint Petersburg and began sailing up Florida's western coast.
On Tuesday, September twenty seventh, Bonnie ensured Adam and Samantha

(23:25):
had breakfast before their bus arrived, then headed to work
at Sam's club. She left them a note promising pizza
if they cleaned the house. That evening, she exchanged psychology
notes with a class mate, Elaine Enriquez, in preparation for
a test. The next morning. Gary Campbell returned from his
business trip that night around ten p m. Two days

(23:48):
into the sailing trip, while sleeping on the boat, Karen
was disoriented by a vivid dream. She saw a woman
wearing a shorty wet suit fall over the edge of
the sailboat into the water. Jim reassured her it was
only a dream. Karen, Foster, and Jim were on a

(24:09):
chartered thirty seven foot island packet sailboat docked at the
Saint Mark's Marina in Florida. The day began serenely. On
Wednesday morning, September twenty eighth, Jim's brother Ken and his
bride to be, Valerie, drove twenty miles from Tallahassee to
Saint Mark's to meet them. The four spent the day together,
having lunch, walking and shopping. Jim's father, Jim Senior, and

(24:31):
his stepmother Mary joined them for dinner. This was Karen's
first time meeting Jim's parents. Karen ate Gruper for the
first time. The atmosphere was pleasant, fun and serene. After dinner,
the six people parted ways. Jim and Karen drove six
miles from town to a historic local lighthouse. Said to
be the first in the New World. Located at the

(24:52):
mouth of the Saint Mark's River, they got back to
the boat late after the sun had set. The thick
Florida humidity made them irritable. The small fans provided little relief.
They had a silly argument about nothing, which they realized
was a reaction to the heat and the hour. They apologized, kissed,
and went to sleep. More than three thousand miles away

(25:14):
in Anchorage, Alaska, Bonnie Craig's day had begun much earlier.
Her younger sister, Samantha, heard Bonnie leave early in the
morning for her seven am English class. Bonnie got up
around five am as usual. Samantha heard her running down
the stairs and leaving the house. Bonnie relied on public transportation,
often walking about two and a half miles to catch

(25:35):
the bus to school. Around five twenty am, a fifteen
year old paper girl named Mendisa Bird saw Bonnie walking
down Verne Drive. She was wearing a jean jacket and
a red shirt. Soon after, commuter Eric Bhaer saw someone
he thought was a young girl in a blue jacket
carrying a backpack. Bonnie was a freshman uaa student who

(25:55):
took her studies seriously. She had a psychology test scheduled
for that morning, but never showed up to take it.
At approximately ten a m, retired surgeon doctor Aunt von Hipple,
was jogging at McHugh Creek. He saw Bonnie bounding down
the trail steps. She looked cheerful and was with three
other young people, two young men and another girl. He

(26:17):
noted her athletic fashion and commented to her, you make
it look easy. She responded with a smile. In the
mid afternoon, Jennifer Bronschwag was exploring and photographing the area
at McHugh Creek. She had only lived in Anchorage for
a few months and was exploring the area for the
first time alone. She spotted what looked to be a

(26:38):
body floating in the water, face down. Jennifer considered going
down into the water, but ultimately determined the person looked deceased.
She saw no movement. Because this was before the common
use of cell phones, she had to leave the scene
to call for help. She ran back to her car,
drove to the Potter Way station and called the Alaska

(26:59):
State eight troopers from there. When the troopers arrived, they
asked Jennifer to help put up yellow police tape to
block off the area as no one else had arrived yet.
Around two thirty p m. The body was identified from
her class ring and a state ID picture. She did
not have a wallet or any ID on her. Around

(27:20):
three PM, Trooper Kurt Harris received the call and headed
out to McHugh Creek. Since Sergeant Mike Mars was out
of town, Corporal Robert Body led the investigation and assigned
Harris as the lead investigator. Troopers, including Barry Wilson in
a dive mask, investigated the scene, wading through water and
searching for a weapon or evidence. Around ten PM, Alaska

(27:42):
State troopers knocked on Gary Campbell's door. Seeing their serious faces,
Gary feared the worst. He was called out to the
front porch, where he was told that Bonnie had been
found and was dead. He was devastated. He dropped to
his knees and screamed, no, not Bonnie. Samana then Adam
watched this unfold from the top of the stairs. They

(28:03):
gave the trooper Jim's ex wife's number, who then provided
Ken's number. It was three in the morning when Karen
was jolted out of sleep feeling the boat lurch. She
was startled by footsteps the third time this had happened
in two days, and jumped out of her narrow quarter
berth to alert Jim. There was a knock on the companionway,

(28:24):
the door separating the upper deck from the cabin below.
Karen asked who was there. The person responded, it's Ken.
Ken was looking down at Jim and Karen with an
expression that conveyed I'm sorry for what I'm about to
tell you. His eyes were missing, a stark change from
his normal happy demeanor. Karen asked, what is it. Ken responded,

(28:45):
it's Bonnie. She's she was in a hiking accident. Karen's
initial reaction was anger and refusal to believe what she
called Ken's lye. Ken gave her a yellow post it
note with the trooper's number. Karen and Jim dressed quickly.
Karen stuffed clothes into a Duffel bag. They found a
payphone near the dock master's office. Jim dialed the number

(29:07):
on the post it. Karen spoke to the switchboard operator,
who initially suggested calling back in the morning, but then
connected her to Sergeant Mike Mars. Sergeant Mars confirmed Bonnie's death,
stating she fell off a cliff at mc hugh Creek. Karen,
in detective mode, peppered him with questions, who was she
with no one alone? How did she get there? She

(29:29):
doesn't drive? How was she identified? Class ring state I D.
Karen declared, if it's really Bonnie, it's gotta be murder.
Mars insisted it was an accident. Karen called Gary, they
agreed the story made no sense. She also called her
parents in Canada to vaguely tell them their granddaughter was dead.

(29:52):
After speaking with Sergeant Mike Mars around three a m.
Karen and Jim quickly dressed. Karen, Jim, Ken, and Valerie
piled into Ken's truck to drive to the Tallahassee Airport.
Karen remained irritable, clutching the yellow post it note containing
the trooper's number. At the airport, Karen called her reporter
friend Kara from a payphone, then Michel. As she spoke,

(30:14):
her body began to shake, her legs gave way, and
she collapsed in a heap on the floor, screaming. Jim
witnessed karen collapse. He immediately turned back to the agent
to ask for a second ticket for himself. The journey
consisted of multiple legs, Tallahassee to Chicago, then Chicago to Anchorage.
Karen was seated on a dark airplane during the early

(30:35):
morning hours. The plane was sparsely occupied, holding maybe a
dozen other people, most of whom were asleep. Jim sat
beside her, his head resting against his shoulder. Overcome by fatigue,
Karen sobbed, shook her head, rubbed her hands together, and
rocked slowly in her seat. She felt paralyzed by remoteness

(30:55):
from the truth and wondered when she would wake up
from the nightmare. She maintained a persistent thought that Bonnie
would be at the airport upon arrival, ashamed of the
mix up, and that they would laugh about the inconvenience.
The plane flew across the entire continental United States and
slanted through the Canadian Yukon. As the plane descended, Karen

(31:18):
desperately prayed she would see her beautiful daughter and be
able to hug her. The flight attendants were made aware
of Karen and Jim's situation. They were shepherded off the
plane ahead of the other passengers and walked along the
jetway into the quiet cavern of the terminal Karen's prayers
were unanswered. Bonnie was not there to hug or forgive.

(31:40):
They were greeted by Bert mc queen, the police chaplain,
and Sergeant Mike Mars, who was physically much larger than
Karen had anticipated. Bert, offering condolences, led them to a
terminal's makeshift conference room to talk. Bert referred to Bonnie's
death as a terrible tragedy in a hiking accident. Karen
snapped that it was murder. Mars mentioned the practical matters,

(32:03):
including needing a picture of Bonnie and requiring Karen to
come to the funeral home to identify her. Karen immediately
stood up and walked out of the room. Jim trailed
behind her. Burt and Sergeant Mars caught up to them,
and they were escorted numbly out of the terminal and
into the cruiser. Karen was in a fog during the
drive to Gary's house, where her surviving children were waiting.

(32:27):
They arrived and Karen rushed in. Jason, Adam, and Samantha
erupted into sobs in her arms. Karen and Jim accompanied
Burton Mars to the funeral home. Karen felt sickened, but
believed she had to look at the body. When the
white sheet was pulled down, Karen saw her daughter's face.
Refusal was no longer possible. Karen and Jim were then

(32:49):
escorted to the police station to talk further. Karen insisted
it has to be murder. She asked about Bonnie's missing
pepper spray, book bag and keys. Karen returned home and
was immediately in an dated with phone calls from the media.
To each one, she repeatedly stated its murder. On September thirtieth,
nineteen ninety four, Karen, Jim, Gary, Jason, Adam, and Samantha

(33:12):
went back to the funeral home. The children wanted to
see their sister. Karen approached first and held Bonnie's hand.
She noticed Bonnie's knuckles were bigger than they should be,
her arms were bruised. Karen declared, these are defensive wounds.
She immediately called the troopers, demanding their return to take pictures.

(33:32):
She was baffled they had missed these signs. Karen called
the Anchorage Police Department, her volunteer force, to ask them
to take over the case. She was told they were
restricted by jurisdiction. The family picked out a coffin Karen
refused cremation and insisted on a cement vault for burial,
keeping exhumation possible for future evidence. Gary raised Bonnie's wish

(33:54):
to be buried in Summerside, Prince Edward Island. Outside the
funeral home, Karen was surround by media again. She shouted
about the missing items and stated it was murder. Quick
break ads keep the show running, but if you want

(34:17):
to skip them, the ad free versions on Patreon for
just three bucks a month, links in the show notes
and we're back. Thanks for sticking through that. Let's get
back to it. In early October nineteen ninety four, Sergeant

(34:37):
Mars called Karen and asked her to come to the station.
He requested she back off with the media, arguing that
reporting on the missing keys and backpack hindered their work.
Mars requested hair and print samples from Karen, Gary, Adam,
and Samantha for the elimination process. He admitted the group
request was designed to ensure Gary participated without lawyering up

(34:59):
the family comply. Mars privately informed Karen that Gary was
ruled out. Karen called Gary to state she would not
allow Bonnie's body to go to Prince Edward Island. Gary
accused her of stealing a picture given to the troopers.
He refused to allow her access to Bonnie's possessions and
had put a lock on her bedroom door. Karen drove

(35:21):
to the courthouse and obtained an injunction to retrieve the items.
Sergeant Mars was required to accompany her to Gary's house
to insure a peaceful retrieval, though he specified he could
not assist with carrying boxes. Karen packed Bonnie's items into
boxes and laundry baskets, hoping to find clues like bank
statements or auto classifieds. She found none that provided answers.

(35:45):
The funeral director refused to release Bonnie's body for the
service until the fifteen thousand dollar bill was paid. Gary
refused to help unless Karen agreed to the Prince Edward
Island burial. Karen paid the full amount using multiple credit
card guards. The service was held at Rabbit Creek Community Church.
The church was overflowing. Mars informed Karen that five undercovered

(36:08):
troopers were searching the crowd for the killer. Jim returned
from Florida just an hour before the service began. During
the service, Karen cried out when the wrong song was played.
One week after the murder, Karen drove to Gary's house
at five a m. She started walking Bonnie's two and
a half mile route to the bus stop along Lake
Otis Parkway. She was furious at Gary for making Bonnie

(36:32):
walk so far. Karen encountered a moose twice, forcing her
to hide behind a lamp post. An Alaska State trooper
stopped and, recognizing her as Bonnie's mother, drove her part
of the way. Karen reached the bus stop after forty
five minutes. She saw help Me spray painted on an
apartment complex. She drove to various locations UAA McHugh Creek

(36:55):
and physically scoured the ditches and trails searching for Bonnie's
missing back. Jim informed Karen he needed to fly to
Mexico in a few weeks to handle paperwork related to
his property there. Karen was initially hesitant, afraid to leave
her children, but by Thursday night, she decided to accompany
him to escape the darkness and anchorage. By mid November,

(37:17):
external support and organized advocacy began. Following Sergeant Mars's suggestion,
Karen reluctantly contacted Janis Leenhardt of Victims for Justice. Janis,
whose family had been victims of murder years earlier, told
Karen that victims have no standing in the criminal justice process.
Karen attended a group support session, which provided a sense

(37:39):
of being not alone. Karen received a call from Sandy Cassidy,
who offered to help keep Bonnie's case in the public eye.
They formed a group called Friends and Family of Bonnie Craig.
Sandy and her husband Maurice provided the first donation to
a reward fund. They arranged for Bonnie's face to be
printed on signs, bumper stickers, and bus ads with the

(38:01):
query who killed Bonnie. The reward fund quickly grew to
five thousand dollars. This campaign successfully revived public conversation about
the case. Despite the renewed public awareness, the investigation remained stalled.
As the year ended, Karen continued to receive and forward
leads to Sergeant Mars, only to be met with a

(38:21):
predictable response, we'll look into it. As people began preparing
for holiday celebrations, the urgency surrounding Bonnie's case faded again.
Karen sat alone at midnight, hearing festive voices in the
neighborhood experiencing no peace, the calendar turned to nineteen ninety five.

(38:41):
On the second day of nineteen ninety five, Karen called
Sergeant Mike Mars of the Alaska State Troopers and asked
directly whether Bonnie had been raped. Mars refused to confirm
or deny this, stating that anything he might reveal would
be mere speculation. Karen was furious and frustrated that over
three months had passed without clarification. During this time, Karen

(39:05):
learned that Janis Leenhardt of Victims for Justice was advocating
on her behalf, specifically pushing for Karen's right to view
the autopsy report. Approximately one week later, Sergeant Mars called
Karen to inform her that she was finally at liberty
to see the report and was authorized to meet with
the medical examiner, doctor Thompson. Karen called Janis Leenhart, who

(39:28):
strongly advised her not to attend the viewing alone, suggesting
she bring Kara Lee, her reporter friend. Though initially reluctant,
Sergeant Mars permitted Kara's presence after Karen insisted she was
accompanying her strictly as a friend for support. The meeting
with doctor Thompson yielded vital previously withheld information. The report

(39:49):
formally listed the manner of death homicide. Bonnie had sustained
multiple blunt trauma injuries to the head, resulting in brain injuries.
There were eleven lacerations distribut uniformly over the back of
her head, which doctor Thompson concluded were sufficiently severe to
explain death. Karen saw evidence of defensive struggle, including bruised

(40:10):
arms and a palpable fracture on the left index finger.
Doctor Thompson disclosed that Bonnie had minor tearing in her
vaginal walls. Crucially, the killer had left behind his DNA.
Karen viewed autopsy photos showing Bonnie's corpse, broken knuckles, scraped hands,
and her bludgeoned head with parts shaved to expose lacerations.

(40:31):
Following the disclosure, Sergeant Mars insisted Karen adhere to a
strict gag order. He demanded she keep all information from
the report, including the DNA match, confidential, even from her family,
to avoid compromising the investigation. In the subsequent weeks, Sergeant
Mars informed Karen that tips pointed to a young man

(40:51):
who worked with Bonnie at Sam's Club, this individual had
allegedly obtained her phone number off the company computer. Mars
confirmed that law enforcement planned to bring the suspect in
and run his DNA against the sample found on Bonnie.
Karen attempted her own private investigation by questioning her daughter
Samantha about the co worker. She asked Samantha if Bonnie

(41:14):
had ever mentioned a guy bothering or calling her. Samantha
replied that she had not and felt Bonnie would never
have done that to her long distance boyfriend Cameron. Karen
concluded that any secrets Bonnie had kept, she had taken
with her. Around one month later, Sergeant Mars informed Karen
that the DNA sample taken from the Sam's Club employee

(41:36):
was not a match. Mars quickly pivoted to a new
potential suspect, describing another young man who had worked with Bonnie.
His name was suspiciously missing from a sign in sheet
for a meeting held the morning of the murder. Mars
told Karen that this omission was enough for them to
bring him in for questioning. In June nineteen ninety five,

(41:57):
Karen and Jim Foster embarked on a sailing trip with
d Jim's brother Ken and Ken's wife Valerie, sailing from
Seward to Whittier. The voyage typically took about a week.
During this trip, they received devastating news Jim and Ken's
father had died of a heart attack. The news was
relayed to the Sea Monkey via the Coast Guard radio

(42:18):
as they were approaching Whittier. The group immediately cut the
trip short and returned to anchorage. Karen noted that she
felt an overwhelming sense of relief that the death was
not one of her children. Almost immediately upon returning to
town from Whittier, Karen received a call from Sergeant Mike Mars.
Mars informed her of a new suspect, a young man

(42:40):
who had been in Bonnie's English class and was later
found to have been present at McHugh Creek when Bonnie's
body was being recovered. Karen knew from her undercover work
that killers sometimes returned to the scenes of their crimes
out of morbid interest. Karen was contacted by a retired
surgeon named doctor Arnt von Hipple, a regular jogger at

(43:01):
mc hugh Creek. He reported that he was jogging on
the morning of September twenty eighth, nineteen ninety four, and
saw Bonnie bounding down the trail steps with two young
men and another girl. He had tried contacting the troopers
multiple times but received no reply, prompting him to call
Karen directly. When Karen relaid this information to Sergeant Mars,

(43:22):
he confirmed they had doctor Vaughan Hipple's information, but offered
the routine response, we'll certainly let you know if anything
comes of it. Bonnie's English teacher provided Karen with a
stack of violent and angry journal entries written by the
young man in question. Karen took the journal to a
forensic psychologist, who confirmed the entries indicated the student should

(43:46):
not have been eliminated as a suspect without further investigation. However,
Sergeant Mars ultimately dismissed the journal entries, reiterating that the
investigation relied solely on the DNA results, which had already
cleared the suspect. Following the clearance of this last suspect,
the case began to go cold. The conversation between Karen

(44:08):
and law enforcement slowed to silence. Karen continued to act
as a thorn in the trooper's sides, constantly pushing them
for results. With the help of Sandy Cassidy, who initiated
the group Friends and Family of Bonnie Craig. They maintained
a public presence for the case. This effort included the
continued distribution of bumper stickers, bus ads, and posters bearing

(44:30):
Bonnie's face. Special announcements were placed in the newspaper every
September twenty eighth, the anniversary of her death. After more
than a year following Bonnie's death, Karen returned to her
position as a volunteer undercover reserve officer with the Anchorage
Police Department. She noted that she felt like a rookie,
finding her instincts rusty and confidence shaken. Her first night

(44:55):
back involved covering a murder, which felt surreal. Over the
following years, Karen received nothing in return from the troopers.
She believed she saw zero evidence of ongoing work. The
leeds had been exhausted. On May fifth, nineteen ninety seven,

(45:22):
Karen's first grandchild, Austin, was born. Shortly after his birth,
Karen took Austin hiking with her to spruce up a
real estate listing located on the hillside. Despite being mentally
defeated and believing she could no longer achieve justice for Bonnie.
She continued her daily routines. During the hike, Karen was
overwhelmed by a primal feeling of fear and danger. She

(45:44):
thought about Austin's vulnerability and the dangers of the wilderness
bears and moose. She quickly returned to her car, realizing
she needed to listen to her instincts and protect her grandson.
This experience triggered a significant change in her outlook. She
began thinking about what Bonnie would have wanted her to do,
which was to go on and be there for her

(46:06):
surviving children and grandson. This period marked a transition. Though
Karen vowed never to give up the quest for justice,
she recognized that her intense, consuming focus on solving the
murder had led her to neglect the emotional needs of
her surviving children, Jason, Adam, and Samantha. In May nineteen

(46:26):
ninety eight, Karen and her friend and colleague Marcy Bouchard
drove to Seward, Alaska, to visit the New Sea Life Center.
On the return trip, Karen was driving Marcy's car at
approximately seventy five miles per hour when two cars came
speeding around a blind curve side by side to avoid
a head on collision. Karen was forced to swerve right

(46:48):
off the road and onto a steep, narrow shoulder composed
of gravel and grass. The car flipped repeatedly, banging through
a second and third flip before landing upright straddling both
lanes of the remote road. Karen instinctively applied her police training,
instructing Marcy to move slowly due to potential spinal and
neck injuries. Karen miraculously managed to retrieve her cell phone

(47:12):
and get a signal unusual for the area to call
nine one one. Marcy required medical attention to remove asphalt
from her elbow, but Karen escaped without a scratch. She
felt as though a guardian angel was protecting her during
the incident. Karen's daughter, Samantha called spontaneously a continuation of
an intuitive sense. Karen noted they had developed. Karen's son, Adam,

(47:36):
struggled with impaired vision during this time, necessitating corneal transplants
in both eyes. In nineteen ninety eight, Adam underwent a
transplant in his left eye. He remained awake for the procedure. Afterward,
his vision was improved, though not perfectly clear. Adam underwent
the second transplant a year later, just before the twentieth

(47:56):
century became the twenty first. He was put on or
anesthesia for this one, but the operation was far less successful.
The donated cornea did not take, resulting in Adam being
considered blind in his right eye. In July two thousand,
Adam became a father. His daughter, jay Lee, was born
in Waco, Texas. Her mother, Jennifer, whom Adam had dated

(48:19):
in high school, had left Anchorage near the end of
their senior year. Jennifer tried to give the baby up
for adoption, but legal protocols required that Family and Youth
Services informed the father. Adam was notified and immediately flew
down to Waco to meet his daughter. He became deeply
committed to her. Karen and Jim Foster continued their relationship,

(48:40):
marked by periods of being on again off again. By
the later part of this period, after being together for
about eight years, Jim proposed Karen accepted, despite their relationship
having persistent issues. She didn't understand why he thought tying
the knot would transform things. In March two thousand and one,
Karen's oldest son, Jason and his wife Tracy welcomed twins,

(49:02):
Tanner and Logan. Following the birth of the twins, Jason
and Tracy's family moved two hours southwest from Anchorage to Soldotna.
In Soldotna, Jason enrolled in a firefighter academy to provide
for his growing family and save money toward his goal
of returning to school full time. Jason sold insurance during
this period. As the year concluded, the investigation into Bonnie's

(49:26):
murder remained cold, contributing to Karen's feelings of defeat. The
end of two thousand and one neared its close in
a nervous hush. It was only two months since the
planes hit and the towers came down. Karen noted that
the entire country was dealing with overwhelming grief, leading her
to feel that her personal pain had had its time
and was now unimportant in the grand scheme. She concluded

(49:50):
that she must figure out a way to keep living,
while accepting that she no longer had a right to
expect the phone call telling her justice would be done.
Forensic path biologist doctor Harry Bonnell retired and started consulting
in two thousand and one. By the end of two
thousand and one, Janice Leenhart had become uncharacteristically absent minded.

(50:11):
She demonstrated disorientation by scheduling meetings for one location and
going to another, or getting appointment times wrong, and generally
acting scattered. A few weeks before Karen spoke with Wain,
he had informed the friends and family of Bonnie Craig
Organization that Janie was unable to handle the responsibilities of
treasurer any longer. Karen received a call from Wayne Leanhart.

(50:35):
He asked her to come by their house. Upon arriving
and entering the room, Karen found Wain and Janis's sister
Sharon present. Janis was lying in bed. Wayne warned Karen
that Janie was not able to respond to much at
the moment and didn't recognize most people. He asked Karen
not to be offended. Karen was stunned by Janis's frail appearance. Janice,

(50:59):
who was known as a vegitarian in a health nut,
always trim and full of energy, now had eyes that
appeared a thousand miles away. Karen took Janis's hand and
talked to her about nothing, believing she might be listening.
Karen then leaned down and gave her a hug. She
nearly recoiled at Janie's thinness. As Karen was preparing to leave,

(51:20):
Sharon asked Karen for her contact information, noting that she
didn't know how or where Janice kept it. Sharon asked
if Karen's information would be under Foster or Campbell. Karen
replied that, knowing Janis, it would probably be under Bonnie.
That's what she used to call her. Accidentally, a small
sound that seemed to be the hint of laughter came

(51:40):
from the bed. Everyone turned in amazement. Karen and Sharon
realized that Janis had heard them. Karen planned to visit
Janis again the following week, but before she could, Sharon
called to inform Karen that Janis had died. Tests later
revealed that Janis's brain was undergoing rapid deterioration as a
result bolt of croatsfelt Jacob disease, a form of mad

(52:02):
cow disease. She was only sixty two years old. Throughout
the period between January two thousand two and March two
thousand five, the investigation into Bonnie's murder remained cold, though
there were ongoing background processes. Trooper Tim Hunyor returned to
duty as an investigator with the Alaska State Troopers in

(52:23):
two thousand two, after having retired as a sergeant in
two thousand. By two thousand three, forensic analysis utilizing improved
technology was conducted. Kristin Denning, a forensic scientist with the
Alaska Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory, re examined Bonnie's jeens and panties,
along with the sperm samples that had been found in her.

(52:46):
In February two thousand five, Karen's oldest surviving brother, Andrew, died.
Andrew's death was discovered after one of his friends, unable
to reach him, asked the landlord to open the door
to his small apartment and found him deceased. Andrew had
battled psychological demons and health issues throughout his life. He
struggled with depression and the resulting dulling effect that had

(53:09):
diminished his ambition. He often borrowed money from his parents
and Karen without paying it back. Andrew had previously attempted
to end his life using pills. He was married to Anna,
and they had two children, a daughter, Alana, born in
nineteen ninety three and a son, Aaron, born approximately three
and a half years later. Despite appearing to be an

(53:32):
engaged and willing father, Andrew struggled to keep a job
and became withdrawn. Prior to his death, his wife Anna
had requested a divorce. Andrew had claimed he was committing
the act because he felt he was doing everyone a favor.
The family was saddened by the loss, but noted that
his death was not entirely unexpected. Quick break ads keep

(53:58):
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Thanks for sticking through that. Let's get back to it.
Karen's mother had been suffering from a condition the doctor

(54:20):
called failure to thrive, which was diagnosed by June two
thousand and six. In lay terms, it was described as
a loss of the will to live. This condition was
exacerbated by the fact that she had outlived two of
her three children and one granddaughter. By June two thousand
and six. The doctor revealed that her condition was also
worsened by cancer, which had not been apparent before. She

(54:43):
had complained of mild discomforts or reduced appetite, but nothing
that had previously warranted testing for the disease. Karen's mother
died after her spirit finally gave out. She was approximately
seventy five years old, though she joked she was perpetually
thirty nine. The autopsy confirmed the cancer was all over
her body. In December two thousand and six, Karen's daughter, Samantha,

(55:07):
now twenty four, married Ryan. The wedding took place on
the frozen ground of Settler's Bay golf Course in Wasilla.
Samantha wore a wedding dress made of polar fleece. Samantha
and Ryan had been dating for eight years, having met
in high school. Ryan was soon to finish his degree
in construction management. The couple exchanged vows and celebrated with

(55:29):
decorations of blue, silver, and white. They danced, hugged, and
ate pizza. The bride and groom made angels in the snow.
A week after Samantha's wedding, on Christmas Day, Karen and
her friend Belinda drove to the airport. Belinda had suggested
the trip in late September two thousand and six, around
the anniversary of Bonnie's death, suggesting they reward themselves for

(55:52):
a successful year in real estate. Their simple criteria were
to go somewhere warmer, and sunnier than Alaska, and prefer
a place neither had been. They initially booked a flight
to Shanghai, but realized it would not be warm enough there.
In December, they decided to keep the flight to Shanghai,
but then continued to the Philippines, where it was always warm.

(56:14):
Their planned three week itinerary included Shanghai, Hong Kong, Macau,
the Philippines, and home. Karen noted that the real estate
market was healthy, people were optimistic, and the year two
thousand and six had been a very good one for
both her and Belinda career wise. Karen and Belinda departed
for their trip at the end of December two thousand

(56:34):
and six. The creation of a national DNA database within
the United States was first proposed by the Technical Working
Group on DNA Analysis Methods in nineteen eighty nine. The
FBI's strategic goal was to maximize the voluntary participation of
states and avoid the fragmentation that had occurred several years

(56:56):
earlier with the fingerprint Identification system, and eight Western states
formed their own competing Western Identification Network. The FBI's strategy
to discourage states from creating systems that competed with CODIS
was to develop DNA databasing software and provide it free
of charge to state and local crime laboratories. This strategic

(57:17):
decision to provide software free of charge for the purpose
of gaining market share was innovative at that time. In
nineteen ninety the FBI began a pilot DNA databasing program
with fourteen state and local laboratories. In nineteen ninety four,
Congress passed the DNA Identification Act, which authorized the FBI

(57:37):
to create a national DNA database of convicted offenders, as
well as separate databases for missing persons and forensic samples
collected from crime scenes. The Act also required that laboratories
participating in the CODIS program maintain accreditation from an independent,
nonprofit organization actively involved in the forensic fields, and that

(57:58):
scientists processing DNA scias samples for submission into CODIS maintain
proficiency and be routinely tested to ensure the quality of
the profiles being uploaded into the database. The national level
of CODIS, known as NDIS, was implemented in October nineteen
ninety eight. Today, all fifty states, the District of Columbia,

(58:18):
Federal Law Enforcement, the Army Laboratory and Puerto Rico participate
in the national sharing of DNA profiles. The CODIS database
contains several different indexes for the storage of DNA profile
information for assistance in criminal investigations. Three indexes exist. The
Offender index, which contains DNA profiles of those convicted of crimes,

(58:40):
the arrest d index, which contains profiles of those arrested
for crimes pursuant to the laws of the particular state,
and the Forensic Index, which contains profiles collected from a
crime scene. Additional indexes, such as the Unidentified Human Remains Index,
the Missing Persons Index, and the Biological Relatives of Missing

(59:00):
Persons Index are used to assist in identifying missing persons.
Specialty indexes also exist for other specimens that do not
fall into the other categories, including the staff index for
profiles of employees who work with the samples. The bulk
of identifications using CODIS rely on short tantum repeats known
as STRs, that are scattered throughout the human genome, and

(59:22):
on statistics that are used to calculate the rarity of
that specific profile in the population. STRs are a type
of genetic variation and comprise a sequence of nucleotide base
pairs that is repeated over and over again at each
location tested during DNA analysis, also known as a locus.
A person has two sets of repeats, one from the

(59:44):
father and one from the mother. Each set is measured
and the number of repeat copies is recorded. If both
strands inherited from the parents contain the same number of
repeats at that locus, the person is said to be
homozygous at that locus. If the repeat numbers differ, they
are said to be heterozygous. Every possible difference at a
locus is an allele. This repeat determination is performed across

(01:00:08):
a number of losi, and the repeat values form the
DNA profile that is uploaded to COTIS. As of January first,
twenty seventeen, requirements for upload to national level for known
offender profiles is twenty LOSI. Alternatively, COTIS allows for the
upload of mitochondrial DNA information into the missing Persons indexes.

(01:00:29):
Since mitochondrial DNA is passed down from mother to offspring,
it can be used to link remains to still living
relatives who have the same mitochondrial DNA. Karen and Belinda

(01:00:56):
were in Manila, having traveled there from Shanghai, much to
spectacular fireworks display as two thousand six turned into two
thousand seven. On January fifth, two thousand seven, Karen was
at a resort called Club Paradise on Loggin Island. She
checked her laptop and noticed a message with the single
word subject line Bonnie. The sender was Tim Hunyor, an

(01:01:19):
investigator with the Alaska State Trooper's Cold Case Unit. The
e mail informed Karen that they had new developments in
Bonnie's case and requested that Karen call him or send
a telephone number where he could call her. Karen rushed
to the front desk and borrowed an old fashioned, brick
sized cell phone to make an urgent call to Alaska.

(01:01:39):
She made several attempts to call Trooper Honyre, but the
call was spotty, dropping or cutting through static. After they
exchanged only a few words, Karen replied to his e
mail instead, explaining the small island's lack of land lines
and promising to keep trying. After an initial period of
intense anxiety, Karen received a second e mail from Trooper Honyor.

(01:02:03):
He stated that they had information about an individual in
prison in New Hampshire and were starting background checks. He
explained that a match had occurred in codice between the
DNA profile obtained from Bonnie and an individual in the
New Hampshire system. Hunyor apologized for sending the news over
the Internet, but cited the poor phone system. On Monday,

(01:02:24):
January eight, two thousand seven, Karen received a third e
mail from Trooper Honor. This message revealed the key identity details.
The individual was named Kenneth Dion born in nineteen sixty nine.
Dion was in custody for robbery and received a sentence
of six to fifteen Yearshunor confirmed the DNA was a
good match and that Dion was known to have been

(01:02:46):
in Alaska at the time of the murder. Hunor also
revealed he was familiar with Bonnie's case, having met Karen
during the initial investigation in nineteen ninety four, shortly after
transferring to the Criminal in Investigations Bureau in Anchorage in
August nineteen ninety four. He had retired as a sergeant
in two thousand and returned as an investigator in two

(01:03:08):
thousand two, joining the cold case unit. In March two
thousand six, Trooper Junor strongly advised Karen to keep the
information about the DNA match and Kenneth Dion confidential. He
emphasized that exposing such information prior to trial could be
disastrous and endanger their chances at a conviction. Karen and
Belinda cut their trip short, returning home on January eighteenth,

(01:03:32):
two thousand seven. Karen immediately called the trooper's office, but
was told the earliest she could meet with Trooper Honor
was the following Tuesday. Karen met with Trooper Tim Hunor
on that Tuesday morning. In late January two thousand seven,
he stonewalled her on details regarding the progress of getting
Kenneth Dion transferred to Alaska due to security concerns. He

(01:03:55):
reiterated the strict gag order, warning that disclosing the DNA
match posed a serious risk to the case's success. The
waiting period for Kenneth Dion's extradition was marked by frustration.
Karen attempted to expedite the transfer process by calling the
New Hampshire Troopers headquarters. An official told her they were
doing everything possible and hoped it wouldn't take more than

(01:04:17):
a couple of weeks to get Dion to Alaska. Despite
this reassurance, January quickly turned to February and February to March.
Without Dion's extradition, Karen stayed in contact with Trooper Honyre,
who maintained his calm, kind demeanor and was not annoyed
by her persistence. Karen experienced significant difficulty focusing on her

(01:04:41):
real estate work due to the stress of the stalled case.
While she had earned over two hundred thousand dollars in
two thousand and six, she earned only seven hundred and
fifty dollars in the first quarter of two thousand seven.
Karen attended a family round table organized by the Department
of Justice with the Surviving Parents Coalition. Listening to the

(01:05:01):
accounts of siblings and parents, she realized the extent of
her surviving children's suffering due to her own grief and obsession.
She called Jason, Adam, and Samantha to apologize for her neglect,
acknowledging that they had lost her as their mother for years.

(01:05:36):
Quick break ads keep the show running, but if you
want to skip them, the ad free versions on Patreon
for just three bucks a month. Links in the show
notes and we're back. Thanks for sticking through that. Let's
get back to it. Toward the middle of April two

(01:05:58):
thousand and seven, Karen received a call from Trooper Honyor
informing her that the pre trial hearings were going to begin,
even though Dion's extradition would take a little bit longer.
The indictment was set for April twenty seventh, two thousand seven.
Karen was directed to coordinate all inquiries regarding the proceedings
through Katie Paki, who worked with the District Attorney's office,

(01:06:20):
and Pat Golfusen, the state prosecutor who worked out of Juno. Karen,
along with her son Adam, ex husband Gary, and daughter Samantha,
attended the indictment hearing at Anchorage's main court house on
April twenty seventh, two thousand seven. Katie Poky had informed
Karen that the charges laid against Dion were first degree murder,

(01:06:41):
second degree murder with intent to cause serious injury, second
degree murder with extreme indifference, and first degree sexual assault.
The charge of kidnapping was not filed because the ten
year statute of limitations on that crime had passed. The
judge did not read the charges aloud, waiving that step
in the interest of time. A default plea of not

(01:07:03):
guilty was entered as Dion was not yet represented by
an attorney. A pre trial conference was set for October
thirty first, and the trial date was scheduled for December seventeenth.
Following the public release of Kenneth Dion's name, articles in
the media surfaced details about his criminal history, noting eighteen convictions,

(01:07:25):
ten misdemeanors, and eight felonies. With the exception of a
three year period from nineteen ninety nine to two thousand two,
Dion never went more than a year from the age
of eighteen without committing a significant offense. Karen recognized that
if Kenneth Dion's DNA had been collected on his earlier arrests,
Bonnie's murder could have been solved months or years earlier.

(01:07:48):
She channeled her energy from detective work to lobbying. Karen
learned that Alaska did not collect DNA upon felony arrest,
despite there being only sixteen days left in the legislatives session.
She ran with the idea, bringing it to Governor Sarah
Palin and Senator Hollis French. The bill requiring the collection
of DNA on felony arrest was passed within twelve days

(01:08:11):
and signed into law by Governor Palin in June two
thousand seven, Alaska became the seventh state to enact such
a law. In July two thousand seven, Karen received a
call from Trooper Honor informing her that Kenneth Dion had
been extradited from New Hampshire and was now in custody
in Alaska. Karen felt newly desecrated by his presence in

(01:08:33):
her home state. Karen saw Kenneth Dion for the first
time during the first pre trial hearing, which occurred near
the thirteenth anniversary of Bonnie's murder. Dion wore a suit
and had a vaguely agitated look. His red hair was
shaved close to his scalp. Karen felt hatred and revulsion
toward him, and noticed the word lost tattooed across one

(01:08:53):
set of his knuckles and soul across The other lawyers
exchanged information, the judge asked question, and Dion sat staring forward,
revealing nothing. In mid October two thousand seven, Karen received
an unexpected call from the Alaska Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory
asking her to be the keynote speaker at the National

(01:09:14):
CODIS Convention in San Francisco. At the end of the month,
Karen attended the convention accompanied by Jim Foster and spoke
to an audience of about five hundred attendees, including law
enforcement and crime lab specialists. She spoke about Bonnie's case
and the imperative need for collection of DNA upon felony
arrest across all fifty states. Karen emphasized that the conviction

(01:09:37):
rate for felonies with DNA evidence is over ninety percent.
She referred to the attendees as the new heroes of Justice.
Following Dion's indictment and extradition, Karen continued her public advocacy work.
She started pushing for a new crime lab in Alaska.
She met with the mayor of Anchorage to secure a

(01:09:57):
land donation and launched the website allow Usk and Citizens
for Justice dot com to generate support. She contacted state
senators and representatives and organized a joint press conference with
Victims for Justice and star Standing Together against Rape to
highlight that the current crime lab was underfunded and under resourced.
She stressed that the issue was a lack of resources

(01:10:19):
in space as the general fund existed. The initial trial
date set for December seventeenth, two thousand seven was subject
to constant rescheduling and postponement. The trial was first reset
for September two thousand eight. September two thousand eight was
then changed to January two thousand nine, and subsequently January

(01:10:40):
two thousand nine was changed to May two thousand nine.
The reasons for the delays included the defense needing extra
time to review files, a judge's family vacation, and the
need for more information on the DNA evidence. The situation
worsened when the initial judge assigned to the case was
arrested for drunk driving and subsequently withdrawn. Following this, the

(01:11:03):
first defense attorney assigned was taken off the case after
discovering a conflict, and the case was turned over to
the Office of Public Advocacy. Andrew Lambert, the third attorney
assigned to represent Kenneth Dion, stated that the previous two
attorneys had done basically nothing and requested another year to
prepare his case. The night before each scheduled hearing, Karen's

(01:11:26):
body and mind were a mess, experiencing terrible anxiety for
what usually resulted in five or ten minutes of disappointment.
She saw Dion once more in Orange prison garb. His
typical absences made everything seem even less real. In mid
February two thousand nine, Karen attended a meeting of the
Surviving Parent's Coalition in Boca Ratan, Florida. There she met

(01:11:50):
Hank Asher, a wealthy data miner who had donated a
significant amount of money to the SPC to lobby for
child protection laws. Karen volunteered to fly to Tallahassee because
she heard the DNA bill was stalled in the state
Judiciary Committee. She met with key players on the committee
and addressed them about the importance of the DNA bill.

(01:12:11):
Hank Asher offered Karen a position to move to Boca
Ratan and work for his organization, TLO the Last One.
The goal was to help fight the battle at the
grassroots level, specifically pushing for legislation requiring DNA collection on
all felony arrests across all fifty states to help other
families avoid the nightmare her family had endured. Karen realized

(01:12:35):
the move would give her a chance to fight the
legislative battle with greater strength than support. Karen informed her children, Jason, Adam,
and Samantha that she was moving across the continent to
continue fighting on Bonnie's behalf. She emphasized the importance of
getting the DNA bill passed in Florida to facilitate similar
changes in other Eastern states. She pointed out that TLO

(01:12:58):
would fly her back for the trial and pre trial hearings.
Her children were supportive, understanding that she was doing the
right thing and recognizing that they had Skype and Facebook
to stay connected. By March two thousand and nine, Karen
had accepted the new position and moved to Florida. Shortly

(01:13:23):
following Karen's move to Boca Ratun, Florida, in March two
thousand and nine, her son Adam suffered extensive neck injuries
after being rear ended in a car accident. The impact
was large, causing the car to be accordioned. Adam was
admitted to the hospital where he was stabilized and given medication.
His injuries included two torn disks and a torn ligament

(01:13:44):
in his neck. Adam's wife, Trina, informed Karen that Adam
was badly injured, but insisted that rushing back would not help. Adam,
speaking to Karen while in a drug haze, insisted she
should focus on her job in Florida, and that he
had sufficient support. He warned her that if she worried
about him instead of focusing on her work, he wouldn't

(01:14:05):
forgive her. His prognosis required hours of hard rehab if
he wanted to be able to lift his daughters normally.
Concurrently with Adam's accident, Karen's oldest son, Jason, achieved a
long standing goal. Jason called Karen to share that he
had finished his paramedic degree. He had just completed the
last exam for the degree. Jason had been striving for

(01:14:28):
this goal since he was a teenager, having participated in
the Medical Explorers program and volunteering in an emergency room.
Jason intended to start an internship at Cypress Creek, just
north of Houston the following month. Upon completing the internship,
he would officially become a paramedic. He stated that after
that they would return to Anchorage. By the late fall

(01:14:51):
of twenty ten, approximately eighteen months after Karen moved to Florida,
she received a call from a hospital in London, Ontario,
informing her that her father had been admitted with a
kidney issue. The doctor also noted that her father seemed
progressively disoriented, Karen immediately flew to Canada to see him.
Upon arrival, Karen realized he could no longer take care

(01:15:14):
of himself. She noted that he had visibly aged overnight.
Her father, however, remained lucid enough to reject the idea
of moving into a retirement community or assisted living facility. Consequently,
in November twenty ten, Karen packed up her condo in
Hillsborough Beach, Florida, put most of her belongings into storage,

(01:15:35):
and drove north to arrive at her father's doorstep in
Canada to care for him. Karen described this decision as
the child taking care of the parent, representing part of
life's cycles. The trial for Kenneth Dion began on May tenth,
twenty eleven, in Anchorage Superior Court. The prosecution team included
assistant district attorneys Polmovus and Jenna Grunstein. The defense team

(01:15:59):
consisted of Andrew U. Lambert and Lee Ann Bauer. The
process of vor Dyer began to select a final jury
of fifteen from an initial pool of approximately one hundred
and twenty prospective jurors. Karen, her father, and her children
attended the process with Paul miovas including the family's input
on potential jurors. On May eleventh, Miovas presented Bonnie's character

(01:16:23):
to the jury, emphasizing her dedication as an eighteen year
old freshman at the University of Alaska Anchorage. He detailed
her full class load and her job at Sam's Club,
which involved approximately thirty hours of work per week. He
described her routine, including her two and a half mile
walk to the bus stop, and her responsibilities caring for

(01:16:43):
her younger siblings. Miovas showed a picture of the smiling
Bonnie Craig. He mentioned that Bonnie's body was found floating
in the water at McHugh Creek by a young woman
named Jennifer Braunschweig now Larsen. He disclosed key evidence Bonnie
had sustained eleven lacerations distributed uniformly over the back of
her head. A leaf with a drop of Bonnie's blood

(01:17:06):
on it was found at the top of the cliff,
suggesting she was injured before going over. On May twelfth,
defense attorney Andrew Lambert stated that Bonnie was not murdered
or sexually assaulted. He argued that Bonnie tumbled down a
thirty five foot rocky cliff at mcew Creek, and that
she and Kenneth Dion had consensual sex. He stressed that

(01:17:28):
there were no witnesses placing Dion's car a nineteen ninety
one black Ford Tempo or Dion himself near Bonnie's route
or McHugh Creek. He cited the testimony of retired surgeon
doctor Arnt von Hipple, who saw Bonnie happy, joyful, having
a good time with two guys and a girl around
ten a m. On the day of her death. Samantha
testified about Bonnie's routine and dedication. Under cross examination, Lambert

(01:17:53):
tried to paint a picture of family disarray and chaos.
Bonnie's long distance boyfriend, Cameron Miyasaki, testified about their loving relationship.
Lambert cross examined him extensively, suggesting Bonnie had flirted with
other men, aiming to undermine her character. Bonnie's best friend,
Lynn witt now catch Poll testified to Bonnie's loyalty to Cameron,

(01:18:15):
disputing the defense's portrayal of a promiscuous girl. Lambert concluded
his cross examination by pointing out that Lynn couldn't testify
that Dion murdered, raped, or kidnapped Bonnie. Gary Campbell testified
about Bonnie's routine, her missing items, backpack keys, and the
trooper's arrival at his home. Lambert introduced the name Joe Barr,

(01:18:37):
suggesting Bonnie had been pursuing this other man, which Gary
was unaware of. Jennifer Larson formerly Braunschweig, the young woman
who found Bonnie's body, testified about discovering the body floating
face down in the water in the mid afternoon. She
confirmed that the trail she hiked was pretty flat and
not particularly treacherous. Lambert used her testimony to highlight the

(01:19:00):
lack of blood trails or signs of struggle at the scene.
On May thirty, first, medical examiner doctor Norman Thompson testified
that the manner of death was homicide. He stated the
cause of death was multiple blunt impact injuries to the
head severe enough to explain death. He confirmed that Bonnie's
broken knuckles and bruised arms were consistent with defensive wounds.

(01:19:24):
He revealed that the laceration in Bonnie's vagina suggested minor
tearing and had some darker discoloration, suggesting it occurred while
she was still alive. He testified that the eleven head
lacerations were inconsistent with an accidental fall and were consistent
with focused blunt force trauma using an instrument. On June,

(01:19:44):
second Captain Robert Batty testified about the initial investigation. A
video of the crime scene, previously thought lost, was shown
in court. Karen watched the video, observing the trooper's careful
and methodical investigation, which relieved her prior anger about their
initial handling of the scene. Betty admitted under cross examination

(01:20:05):
that he found no evidence witnesses blood car connecting Kenneth
Dion to the scene. Forensic scientists Kristen Denning and Jessica
Hogan testified about the DNA evidence, confirming that Kenneth Dion's
DNA was found on Bonnie's clothing and inside her body.
Hogan confirmed that Dion cannot be excluded as the source
of the DNA. Trooper Barry Wilson testified about the investigation,

(01:20:30):
including performing a float test to determine the path of
the body. Doctor Arnt von Hipple, who previously identified Dion
from a newspaper photo, testified again, saying that he had
seen Bonnie with two men and another girl at mc
hugh Creek when asked to confirm that Dion was the
man in the court room, he stated he could not
be sure. On June thirteenth, the defense called forensic pathologist

(01:20:54):
doctor Harry Bennell, who argued that Bonnie's death was greater
than fifty percent accidental. He asserted that her injuries were
consistent with impacting different shaped surfaces such as rocks during
a fall. Under cross examination, Paul Miova successfully decimated doctor
Bonnell's credibility by showing he hadn't read recent relevant literature

(01:21:15):
and may have been sleeping during the lunch break. On
June fourteenth, closing arguments took place. Miova strongly emphasized that
Dion was lying about not knowing Bonnie, pointing to his
alibi and the forensic evidence. He countered the defense's blood
argument by presenting a final strategic point, Dion killed Bonnie
in the water, which is why there was no blood

(01:21:37):
at the scene. Lambert focused on reasonable doubt, criticizing the
investigation and casting doubt on Bonnie's character by citing reality
TV and infidelity examples. The jury deliberated quickly and returned
a verdict the next morning. On June fifteenth, Kenneth Dion
was found guilty on all four counts, first degree murder,

(01:21:58):
two counts of secondary murder, and first degree sexual assault.
Karen collapsed against her son Adam, upon hearing the verdict.
The juror, later interviewed on television, stated that the deciding
factor was Trooper Junyor's interrogation video, as Dion's denial of
knowing Bonnie contradicted the high media coverage and the fact
he had sex with her. Quick break ads keep the

(01:22:34):
show running, but if you want to skip them, the
ad free versions on Patreon for just three bucks a month,
links in the show notes and we're back. Thanks for
sticking through that. Let's get back to it. The sentencing
hearing was scheduled for October thirty, first Halloween. In the

(01:22:58):
immediate aftermath of the verte Karen experienced conflicting emotions. There
was relief, even elation, knowing the killer could no longer
harm anyone else, but beneath that was an unshakable sadness.
Nothing would bring Bonnie back. Karen's family spoke with Channel eleven,
the local television station. She praised prosecutor Paul Miovas and

(01:23:20):
admitted she'd hoped for this outcome, but feared the alternative.
Her son Jason told reporters he'd doubted anyone would ever
be caught, but was grateful DNA had been collected at
the scene. Adams said he'd been praying for a victory
and couldn't bring himself to think badly of Dion. A
juror also spoke to Channel eleven. They revealed the decision

(01:23:41):
hadn't been easy, the defense had created real doubt, but
the turning point came when they watched the interrogation video
recorded by trooper Tim Hunyor. On that tape, Dion denied
knowing Bonnie, despite the extensive media coverage surrounding her death.
To the juror, this raised immediate red flo As the
sentencing date approached, Karen asked her three surviving children if

(01:24:04):
they wanted to address Kenneth Dion in court. She made
it clear there was no pressure, no expectation. Jason and
Adam said yes immediately. Samantha told her mother she'd wanted
to speak ever since hearing the verdict. October thirty one,
twenty eleven, the court room filled for the sentencing hearing.

(01:24:25):
Trial jurors weren't required to attend, but the victim impact
statements would be heard. Samantha spoke first. Her statement was
a combination of rage and catharsis. She read directly to Dion,
telling him he would never begin to understand the totality
of his actions. She hoped her words would haunt him
for the rest of his life. Dion had taken her childhood,

(01:24:47):
her sense of self and esteem, her ability to trust.
She'd even lost her mother for years. Consumed by grief
and obsession, she called him a heartless, soulless coward, a
lying coward who'd tried to taint her sisters reputation. Then
she thanked him, thanked him for being careless, for getting caught,
for showing her what evil looked like so she could

(01:25:09):
better cherish the good. When Samantha finished, Jason and Adam
motioned for their mother to speak. Karen stood. She detailed
seventeen years of suffering. The pain of loss, she said,
was like having your guts ripped out. She apologized again
to her surviving children for neglecting them while she'd been
consumed with catching the killer. She spoke about Bonnie Bubbly kind,

(01:25:32):
a natural helper who'd started the local chapter of students
against drunk drivers. She called Diana disgrace, a coward, a weasel.
She pointed out his knuckle tattoo, lost soul, an accurate
description as a Christian. Karen said she knew she had
to forgive him, but she made two promises. I will
never forget, she said, And I will make sure you

(01:25:54):
never walk out of those prison doors. Jason and Adam
never found the strength to stand. Karen held them close
and told them it was okay. Prosecutor Paul Miovas rose
to deliver his sentencing recommendation. He asked for the maximum
ninety nine years for first degree murder and twenty five
years for first degree sexual assault, one hundred and twenty

(01:26:15):
four years total. More importantly, Miovas argued Kenneth Dion's ability
to receive parole needed to be severely restricted. Miovas laid
out his reasoning. Dion had eighteen prior convictions, including eight felonies.
Two states had tried and failed to rehabilitate him. His
criminal history included armed robberies and violent assaults. In January

(01:26:38):
nineteen ninety four, he'd beaten his pregnant wife, Tammy Gregory,
after she refused to have sex with him. Throughout Miovas's statement,
Dion interrupted repeatedly, that's a lie, man, he shouted. I
don't like listening to these lies and bullshit your honor.
When Miova said rehabilitation was impossible without accepting responsibility, Dion yelled,

(01:26:59):
and I never will. Judge Smith considered the arguments he
agreed a ninety nine year sentence was warranted. He sentenced
Dion to ninety nine years flat for count one first
degree murder and twenty five years flat for count four
first degree sexual assault. There would be no suspended time,
but Judge Smith did grant Dion the chance for discretionary parole.

(01:27:22):
By his calculation, Dion would be eligible for a parole
hearing after serving thirty nine and a quarter years thirty
three years on the murder conviction and six and a
quarter years on the sexual assault conviction. With maximum good time,
Dion could potentially be released after eighty two years. Karen
made a note of the date. If she was still alive,

(01:27:44):
she would be there before the sentence was formally imposed.
Dion's anger seemed to drain away. I have nothing to
say your honor at all, he said, quietly, collapsing in
his seat, he appeared to accept his fate. Outside the
court house, the family gave a final group interview. They
expressed relief, looking up. They spoke directly to Bonnie, we

(01:28:05):
love you. After the sentencing in October twenty eleven, Karen
remained in Florida, continuing the work she'd begun. Her focus

(01:28:26):
had shifted from detective to advocate. The years of waiting,
the constant postponements, the seventeen years of uncertainty, all of
it had shown her where the system failed families like hers.
In twenty twelve, Alaska passed legislation addressing the delays that
had plagued Bonnie's case. The new law attempted to take
into account a victim's right to timely disposition of their case.

(01:28:51):
It was, as Karen described it, a small step, but
an important one. The following year, Karen appeared on Investigation
Discovery's Deadline Crime with Tamn Hall. The episode, titled a
Mother's Mission, detailed Bonnie's case and Karen's efforts to push
for DNA collection on all felony arrests across the country.

(01:29:11):
She continued meeting with state legislators, crime lab officials, and
law enforcement communities. Working to improve the justice system and
prevent other families from enduring what hers had. Through it all,
Karen maintained her connection to her surviving children and grandchildren.
Every year, on March thirtieth, Bonnie's birthday, the family gathered

(01:29:31):
for dinner. Karen's granddaughters, Jaye, Zoe, and m would visit
Bonnie's grave, bringing flowers and wishing her happy birthday. In
October twenty thirteen, Karen attended Jason's wedding. He'd previously split
from Tracy, and his three children, Austin now nine, and
the twins Tanner and Logan, now twelve, were splitting time

(01:29:52):
between their parents. The wedding brought the family together. In
the photographs from that day, Karen stands with Jason, Amantha, Adam,
and Jim's son Jesse. Karen's relationship with Jim remained complicated,
on again off again as it had been for years,
but he was still part of her life, someone who
understood the weight she carried. Karen had spent years following

(01:30:16):
her children across the continent, uprooting them for corporate transfers,
losing herself in the role of dutiful wife. After her
divorce from Gary, she'd found purpose in police work, chasing
adrenaline and justice. Then Bonnie's murder consumed her entirely, pulling
her away from Jason, Adam, and Samantha when they needed
her most. Now working in Florida, she'd found a way

(01:30:39):
to channel that obsession into something constructive. She couldn't bring
Bonnie back, She couldn't undo the seventeen years her family
spent waiting for answers, but she could fight to ensure
other families had a better chance at justice. The work
Karen began in Alaska. The DNA on arrest legislation she'd
pushed through in just twelve days, became her mission. Beyond

(01:31:01):
state lines. Alaska had been the seventh state to pass
such a law. Karen was determined it wouldn't be the last.
She worked with legislators across the country, traveling for conferences,
testifying before committees, meeting with any one who would listen.
Her message was simple. Kenneth Dion's DNA should have been
in the system years before Bonnie died. If it had been,

(01:31:25):
she might still be alive. The statistics backed her up.
The conviction rate for felonies with DNA evidence exceeded ninety
percent DNA databases worked. They solved cold cases, they prevented
future crimes, but only if states actually collected the samples.
Karen had learned over nearly two decades that the justice

(01:31:46):
system moved slowly, that families of victims have almost no
standing in the criminal process, that waiting for answers can
destroy you if you let it. She'd also learned that
giving up was never an option. Bonnie had wanted to
be a social worker or a psychologist. She'd started students
against drunk driving at her high school after her friend

(01:32:07):
Katy died. She'd been the first girl on Service High's
wrestling team. Determined never to be pinned, she'd cared for
her younger siblings, walked two and a half miles to
catch the bus, carried pepper spray on her keychain, and
refused to try alcohol or drugs. She'd been responsible, dedicated,
and careful, and none of it had saved her. But

(01:32:29):
her death and the years Karen spent fighting for justice
had changed, laws had solved other cold cases, had given
other families answers years sooner than they might have received
them otherwise. Karen continued her work in Florida, staying connected
to her children through Skype and Facebook, flying back to
Alaska when needed. She remained in contact with the Alaska

(01:32:51):
State Troopers, the crime lab advocacy organizations like Victims for
Justice and Star Standing Together against Rape. The work was
never finished. There were more states to lobby, more legislators
to convince, more families who needed support. Karen had found
her purpose in the wreckage of her daughter's death. She
would never forget, she would never stop fighting, and somewhere

(01:33:15):
in that mission, she'd found a way to honor Bonnie's memory,
not by remaining frozen in grief, but by moving forward
and making sure her daughter's death meant something. Every March thirtieth,
the family gathered. They remembered Bonnie, bouncy and fun, the
girl every one called Tigger. They remembered her smile, her dedication,
her kindness. They brought flowers to her grave and wished

(01:33:38):
her happy birthday. And Karen kept working b

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