David Rose: Help Major Crimes Unit with Shoreline cold case

Shoreline resident Carol Edwards
went missing in 1981

MISSING: The King County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit is asking for your help to find 25-year-old Carol Edwards.

By David Rose, Q13 News

"Something happened to her and we want to know what that was," said King County Major Crimes Sgt. Jim Belford.

On January 2, 1981, Edwards disappeared after leaving her job at TV Guide in downtown Seattle near 6th and Stewart.

Detectives think she took a Metro bus to 165th and Aurora Avenue North, then walked to her residence in the 500 block of North 167th Street in Shoreline.

Investigators found her mail and keys inside on the counter. Her coat was found on the ground in the garage but no one has heard from her since that day and they suspect foul play.

She and her boyfriend had only lived there for three months when she disappeared. Her dog was still tied up out back when her boyfriend got home from work. The first thing she usually did when getting home was go and untie him.

Detectives have been working diligently on this case for more than four decades and are seeking new leads or tips.

"I was the last person who talked to her," said Head. "We were best friends."

Sally Head is Carol's older sister. She describes her sister as creative and quiet.

Carol Edwards went missing in 1981

They'd made plans for Sally to bring her daughter to visit Carol the next day. Then, a call changed everything.

"Her boyfriend called and said that he had got home and she wasn't there," Sally said.

He thought Carol was with her mother, but when she wasn't back the next morning, he called Sally.

"That's when Sally became concerned and that's when they called the police and initiated the missing person," Sgt. Belford said.

According to detectives, Carol's boyfriend is not considered a suspect and has been cooperative.

"He's submitted a polygraph, DNA swabs," Sgt. Belford said. "He has provided two statements and met with detectives along the way."

Carol's house on N 167th in Shoreline

In 1981, missing persons cases were handled differently. By the time a report was taken, critical hours had passed.

"So we started doing searches all around. We had a lot of people at the house looking for her,” said Head.

In 1981, Ted Bundy was already locked up in Florida.

When Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer, started killing women in 1982, she wondered if Carol could have been his first victim. She wasn't.

"Gary Ridgway has been contacted and interviewed regarding Carol's disappearance. He is not considered a suspect," Sgt. Belford said.

But was there another serial killer targeting women in the North End?

"We have explored persons of interest and work to eliminate or include them as a pool of suspects involved in Carol's disappearance. At this point in time, there is not enough evidence that will allow us to charge anyone with Carol's disappearance," Sgt. Belford said.

They are hoping someone has info or has heard talk about the case that can point them to a suspect.

They do have some fragile DNA evidence. The science is advancing rapidly so he hopes one day it will be useful.

"I do believe that if we find her that dominoes will begin to fall and we will be able to identify who's responsible for her disappearance," Sgt. Belford said.

He wants to hear from anybody who worked with Carol at TV Guide. "If anybody remembers her and has had conversations with her and talked to her or were friends with her, I would be interested in talking to them," said Sgt. Belford.

For 45 years, holidays have come and gone, birthdays remembered.

"It's been hard just not knowing. And to see my mom, you know, you think of losing a child. That was difficult for her," said Head.

A family still waiting, a life interrupted, a mystery unsolved.

"We've done searches. We've done digs in areas of interest and have come up with nothing. At this point in time, I believe that someone out there has spoken to someone who has knowledge about this case. And we need that knowledge. We need to push this case forward. We need to find Carol and bring her home," Sgt. Belford said.

If you have any information on what happened to Carol Edwards or who may have been involved, you can call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS, text the info through the P3 Tips App that you can download to your cell phone for free or go to P3Tips.com. You can also send an email to Det. Belford at mcutips@kingcounty.gov.

You can reach me at David.Rose@Fox.com.

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