MURDER
CASE #: 1988-7
Charitie Angelique Careins
Status:
Open
Date of Offense:
Date of Offense:
Jurisdiction:
Offense Location:
San Diego, California
Summary:
Charitie Careins was abducted while she was walking home from a friend’s house in San Diego, California during the summer of 1988. Nearly a year later, her partial skeletal remains were recovered from the San Timeteo Canyon in Riverside County, California. Her remains showed signs of severe trauma and it’s believed she was killed shortly after her abduction. Charitie’s killer has never been identified or arrested.
Vital Statistics
Circumstances of Offense:
Charitie went to a friend’s house in their Pacific Beach neighborhood in San Diego, California on August 5th 1988. The friend lived at the Campland on the Bay recreational vehicle park, nearly a mile from Charitie’s Betty Street home. At 4:00 pm, she left her friend’s house and started walking back towards her home on Betty Street, 10 blocks away. Charitie was accompanied by a female friend who said the two were being followed by someone driving a white van. The friend said she last saw Charitie turn a street corner and the van followed behind her. She was never seen or heard from again. Careins failed to return home, however. Charitie’s mother was recovering from jaw cancer at the time and said her daughter was very independent for her age. She believed Charitie was staying the night at a friend’s house but calls to all of her known acquaintances led nowhere. Her mother reported her daughter’s disappearance the following evening. A helicopter and door-to-door search of the area revealed no trace of her whereabouts. Police believe she was abducted by a stranger.
Additional Details:
On June 25th 1989, hikers in the San Timeteo Canyon in Riverside County, California discovered scattered bones that appeared to be human. They contacted authorities about the find and a search turned up more bones as well as jewelry. The remains had been in the area for an extended period of time. The coroner determined the remains belonged to a young child who was about seven years old. Further searches of the canyon in August 1989 turned up more bones including a jaw bone with nine teeth still intact. Various young girls missing from the state were compared to the bones but no match was found. In November 1989, the bones were identified as belonging to Charitie after the coroner requested her dental records from Corpus Christi, Texas. The jewelry found at the scene was consistent with the type that the child wore when she vanished in 1988. Seven of Charitie’s rib bones were found and all showed signs of trauma, having been broken. Charitie was found in an area that was over 120 miles away from where she was presumably abducted. No suspects have been identified. Charitie’s mother and stepfather both took polygraphs in the case. They both passed the tests and cooperated with the investigation. Some neighbors believed her parents were responsible but most youths in the area believe Charitie was abducted by the man in the white van. Her murder remains unsolved.
Case Last Updated:
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