GROUP
GROUP FREE CASE REVIEW EIGHT HUNDRED SIX NINE ZERO ONE THOUSAND IN TWO THOUSAND SEVEN
POLICE FOUND THE BODY KAREN
BODINE, MOTHER OF THREE
MURDERED AND DUMPED ON THE SIDE
OF THE ROAD IN TUMWATER 13
YEARS LATER THE CASE REMAINS
UNSOLVED.
BUT THANKS TO THE PERSISTENCE
OF HER KIDS, THERE MAY BE NEW
LEADS.
SCENE OF THE CRIME PODCASTERS
CAROLYN OSSORIO AND KIM
SHEPARD.
TAKE A LOOK AT THE CASE.
KAREN BODINE NEVER DID STRAY
FAR FROM HOME.
EVEN AFTER SHE WAS GROWN AND
HAD THREE CHILDREN OF HER OWN.
KAREN BOGEY'S WAS LOVING MOTHER
OF THREE AND I HAVE TO SAY THAT
BECAUSE THE WAY THAT THE NEWS
REPORTS REPORT ON HER MURDER,
IT REALLY UPSET THE FAMILY.
>> SO SHE WAS A VERY MUCH
CHERISHED AND LOVED MEMBER
OF THE BOW JEAN FAMILY.
SHE WAS IN CRISIS IN JANUARY
2007 AND SHE WAS HAD GOTTEN IN
A FIGHT WITH HER BOYFRIEND WAS
A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE FIGHT AND
SHE GOT KICKED OUT OF HER
APARTMENT AND SO SHE BASICALLY
WENT AND KIND OF HUNG OUT WITH
SOME ROUGH PEOPLE OVER THE
WEEKEND AND THEY ENDED UP
FINDING HER BODY NEAR A GRAVEL
OR A PIT THAT MONDAY IN 2007.
OH, THAT'S SO SAD.
SO WHY THE DECISION TO COVER IT
NOW IN YOUR PODCAST ARLY KERINS
NOW ADULT DAUGHTER REACHED OUT
TO US AND SHE HAS BEEN TRYING
TO FIND OUT WHO DID THIS TO HER
MOTHER.
SHE WAS BASICALLY A SENIOR IN
HIGH SCHOOL WHEN SHE FOUND OUT
WHAT HAPPENED AND SHE HAS NEVER
STOPPED EVEN PUTTING HER OWN
PUBLIC SAFETY AT RISK.
AND SO SHE REACHED OUT TO KIM
AND SAID PLEASE CAN YOU HELP ME
NOT ONLY TELL THE STORY OF WHAT
HAPPENED TO MY MOTHER BUT
RECLAIM HER NAME THAT SHE WAS A
MOTHER.
SHE WAS A DAUGHTER.
SHE WAS A FRIEND.
AND THAT KIND OF HAS GOTTEN
LOST OVER THE YEARS AND
PARTICULARLY AFTER THE MURDER
HAPPENED.
DO YOU THINK THAT IS BECAUSE
OF THE WAY THE STORY WAS TOLD
ORIGINALLY OR WHY WAS THERE NOT
MORE INTEREST?
>> IT WAS A DIFFICULT CASE IN
PART BECAUSE KAREN WAS IN A
ROUGH CROWD THE WEEKEND BEFORE
HER MURDER AND SO A LOT OF THE
WITNESSES DIDN'T HAVE THE
CLEAREST MEMORIES OF WHAT HAD
HAPPENED THAT WEEKEND.
SO IT WAS A TOUGH CASE TO
SOLVE.
THAT DIDN'T HELP.
ALSO THE DETECTIVE WHO IS ON
THE CASE WAS ABOUT TO RETIRE
AND THEN WE HAD THESE NEWS
REPORTS WHO SAID A DRUG ADDICT
AND TRANSIENT HAD BEEN DUMPED.
IT JUST FELL OFF THE RADAR
BECAUSE IT JUST SEEMED LIKE THE
COMMUNITY DIDN'T CARE.
SO AT THIS POINT DO WE KNOW ARE
THERE ANY NEW SUSPECTS?
IS THERE ANY NEW EVIDENCE?
WELL, THERE IS SOME EVIDENCE
THAT WAS COLLECTED IN 2007.
>> THERE WERE SEVERAL SAMPLES
OF DNA THAT WERE TAKEN OFF
OF KAREN'S BODY AND THE MEDICAL
EXAMINER NOW THAT THE STATE
ACTUALLY CRIME LAB IS TRYING TO
PULL THOSE DNA STRANDS APART SO
THEY CAN FIGURE OUT THE
INDIVIDUALS WHO MIGHT HAVE BEEN
BEHIND THEM AND THEN HOPEFULLY
CONNECT THAT DNA WITH WHOEVER
WAS BEHIND THE MURDER.
WHAT'S INTERESTING ABOUT THIS
CASE IS WHEN WE WERE
INTERVIEWING DETECTIVE HAMILTON
WHO IS NOW IN CHARGE.
HE'S ONLY BEEN ASSIGNED TO THE
CASE.
HE STARTED AS A PATROL MAN AND
HE BASICALLY WOULD GO PAST THIS
SITE WHERE THEY HAD DUMPED HER
BODY AND HE JUST NEVER LEFT HIS
MIND LIKE WE NEED TO SOLVE THIS
CASE.
AND SO HE PICKED IT UP AND A
REALLY GREAT TURN OF EVENTS IN
2019.
KAREN'S CASE WAS SUBMITTED AS
PART OF THE CROWD SALT.
SO THAT'S WHERE CITIZEN SLEUTHS
COME TOGETHER WITH SEASONED
DETECTIVES AND THEN ALSO
EXPERTS IN THE FIELD.
AND THEY TOOK A LOOK AT THE
CASE NOW AND UNFORTUNATE PART
ABOUT THAT IS THAT WHEN I WAS
TRYING DETECTIVE HAMILTON OR WE
WERE TALKING TO HIM, I SAID
HEY, I'M SUPRISE PROUD
OF DIDN'T OFFER TO PAY FOR THIS
EXTRA GENETIC TESTING TO
SEPARATE THESE DNA SAMPLES, YOU
KNOW, BECAUSE THIS COULD BE THE
LINCHPIN THAT COULD SOLVE THIS
CASE.
AND IT WAS A QUESTION EQUITY
YOU KNOW, IT BRINGS INTO
QUESTION IS IT FAIR TO HAVE
THIS CASE GET PUT BASICALLY TO
THE FRONT OF THE LINE BECAUSE
SOMEBODY HAS DEEP POCKETS TO
PAY FOR IT.
AND YOU KNOW, KIM AND I HAVE WE
TALKED EXTENSIVELY ABOUT THAT
IN OUR PODCAST ABOUT WE WANT
EQUITY BUT THEN YOU'VE GOT THIS
FAMILY WHO'S JUST PINING TO
FIND THE ANSWER OF WHAT
HAPPENED TO THIS BELOVED MOTHER
AND NOW KAREN'S MOTHER IS NOW
TAKING HER HEALTH IS KIND
TAKING A TURN FOR THE WORSE
WHICH IS REALLY MADE CARLIE
MUCH MORE PASSION TO SOLVE THIS
CASE.
AND IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU GUYS ARE
BOTH VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS
AND I KNOW YOU COVER OTHER
CRIMES A MYSTERY.
>> SO I MEAN WHEN YOU GET SO
PERSONALLY INVOLVED, DO YOU
HAVE YOUR OWN THEORIES?
OH YEAH.
I MEAN THERE ARE SEVERAL
PERSONS OF INTEREST IN THIS
CASE AND I THINK WE HAVE SOME
PRETTY STRONG IDEAS WHO MIGHT
HAVE BEEN BEHIND IT BUT WE JUST
NEED THAT LITTLE BIT MORE
EVIDENCE.
>> AND AS THE DETECTIVE WAS
SAYING, HE THINKS WE'RE REALLY
CLOSE TO SOLVING THIS CASE,
WHICH IS PART OF THE REASON HE
ALSO WANTS TO GET IT BACK OUT
IN THE MEDIA BECAUSE HE SAYS WE
JUST NEED ONE OR TWO TIPS FROM
THE PUBLIC.
AND THIS THING WILL BE SOLVED.
THEY HAVE A LOT OF INFORMATION
.
THEY JUST NEED TO CONNECT A FEW
OF THOSE DOTS.
BUT I THINK FOR US THE REASON
THAT WE'RE FEELING SO
PASSIONATE ABOUT IT IS BECAUSE
IT'S ABOUT A BIGGER MESSAGE
THAT WHEN THERE IS SOMEONE IN
CRISIS THE COMMUNITY NEEDS TO
MAKE SURE TO TAKE CARE OF THAT
PERSON.
AND IN THIS CASE THERE ACTUALLY
WAS A POLICE OFFICER WHO
STOPPED THE DAY BEFORE KAREN
WAS MURDERED AND ASKED HER IF
SHE NEEDED ANY HELP.
SHE SAID NO.
AND SHE TOLD THE POLICE
OFFICER, YOU KNOW, YOU GO
AHEAD.
I'M OK.
BUT I WONDER IF YOU KNOW, THERE
COULD HAVE BEEN MORE DONE.
>> A LOT OF PEOPLE CRISES DON'T
WANT TO ADMIT THAT THEY'RE IN
CRISIS.
THEY DON'T WANT TO ASK FOR
HELP.
MAYBE IF THE OFFICER HAD BEEN A
LITTLE MORE PERSISTENT, MAYBE
IF HE'D OFFERED HER INFORMATION
OR THE ADDRESS OF A WOMEN'S
SHELTER NOT JUST ASK HER TO GET
IN HIS CAR, MAYBE THERE COULD
HAVE BEEN A DIFFERENT OUTCOME.
YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY HARD TO
DOUBT ANYBODY'S ACTIONS ON THAT
WEEKEND.
I THINK THE OFFICER DID
EVERYTHING HE THOUGHT HE COULD
DO IN THIS SITUATION.
BUT I THINK IT'S A IT'S A
CONVERSATION THAT WE NEED TO
HAVE AS A COMMUNITY ABOUT WHAT
CAN WE DO TO BETTER SUPPORT
FOLKS WHO ARE IN CRISIS.
>> THAT'S A GREAT POINT.
WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH
AGAIN?
I MEAN OBVIOUSLY TO SOLVE THE
CASE WHAT SPECIFICALLY FROM
HAVING IT ON YOUR PODCAST WHEN
WE WORKED IN THE NEWSROOM.
SO AS REPORTERS SO OFTENTIMES
BREAKING NEWS HAPPENS YOU HEAR
ABOUT A STORY OR A CASE AND
THEN IT JUST FALLS CLIFF
BECAUSE ESPECIALLY NOWADAYS
THERE'S SO MANY BREAKING
STORIES AND IT'S LIKE WHAT
HAPPENED TO THOSE PEOPLE?
WHAT HAPPENED TO THOSE
FAMILIES?
WHY TRY TO UNDERSTAND THAT?
SO PART OF THE PODCAST WAS TO
GO DEEPER INTO THOSE STORIES
THAT YOU DON'T GET THE TIME TO
FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED.
WE WILL ALWAYS HOPED THAT WE
WOULD BE ABLE TO HELP SOLVE A
COLD CASE, AT LEAST PLAY SOME
PART IN IT IF WE COULD.
BUT IT'S A REALLY DELICATE,
RESPECTFUL SITUATION WHERE SOME
VICTIMS FAMILIES THEY WANT
THEIR PRIVACY.
THEY DON'T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT
IT.
WE TOTALLY RESPECT THAT IN THIS
CASE.
CARLY CAME TO US AND I HAVE
BEEN TALKING EVERY DAY AND
SHE'S SO GRATEFUL.
NOW THIS IS 13 YEARS AFTER HER
MOTHER WAS MURDERED.
SHE IS TRYING TO BILLBOARD THE
SPOT WHERE THAT POLICE OFFICER
LAST SAW HER AND ASKED FOR HELP
TO GET BRING ATTENTION TO THIS
STORY REALLY WITH THIS
PARTICULAR CASE.
IT'S CARLIE'S PASSION AND IF WE
CAN IN ANY WAY BRING ATTENTION
TO IT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT WE
WANT TO DO AND TELL HER STORY.
IF SHE WASN'T AWARE THAT THE
NEWS REPORTS SAID IN THE
BEGINNING SHE WAS A VERY
BELOVED FAMILY MEMBER.
>> AND AGAIN, I THINK THAT GOES
TO A BROADER TOPIC OF HOW DO WE
TREAT PEOPLE WITH ADDICTION
ISSUES IN OUR SOCIETY?
YES, SHE HAD ADDICTION ISSUES
AND SHE WAS A TEENAGER.
SHE FOUGHT THAT ADDICTION ON
AND OFF THROUGHOUT HER LIFE.
BUT THAT DIDN'T MEAN SHE WASN'T
A LOVING MOM.
AND THAT SHE DIDN'T DO HER BEST
AND TRY.
SO SHOULD WE JUST FORGET ABOUT
HER BECAUSE SHE HAD AN
ADDICTION ISSUE?
OBVIOUSLY NOT ANYONE WITH
INFORMATION ON THIS CASE IS
ASKED TO CALL THE THIRSTED
COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT THE
NUMBER YOU SEE THERE.