Katherine Erin Korzilius

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Austin Police Department (TX)

Offense Location:

Austin, Texas

Summary:

Six-year-old Katherine Erin Korzilius was discovered unconscious with a skull fracture on August 7, 1996, only six houses away from her home in Austin, Texas. She never regained consciousness and died later that day. The suspicious death of Katherine Korzilius still remains unsolved.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Offense:

On August 7, 1996, after a day of errands including buying a birthday gift for her husband, Paul, Katherine's mother, Nancy, pulled up to their communal mailboxes with Katherine and her 9-year-old brother Chris. From the communal mailboxes, Katherine asked if she could walk the rest of the way home on an especially quiet day in their calm neighborhood, and Katherine had made the short journey on her own before. Katherine wanted to prove she was growing up, and Nancy saw no reason to say no. Katherine set off to walk home a shorter way in the opposite direction. Chris soon realized he couldn't find Katherine. He returned in tears, unable to find her. Fifteen minutes later, Katherine's mother discovers her body lying in the road about a quarter-mile away from their residence. She was curled in a fetal pose with her legs extended and was unconscious. Nancy scooped her up in her arms and drove 25 minutes to Seton Medical Center. Around six hours later, at 11:30 P.M., Katherine was pronounced brain-dead. An autopsy by Travis County Medical Examiner Robert Bayardo essentially ruled out a hit-and-run, because Katherine did not have other broken bones or internal injuries. Police initially thought the girl was hit by a vehicle, but Travis County Medical Examiner Robert Bayardo later said her fatal skull fracture and brain injury more likely occurred after she fell from a moving vehicle. In addition to the head injury, he found abrasions on her left shoulder, the small of her back, her right hip, and her knees. He believed that she had either jumped, fallen, or was thrown from a moving vehicle.

Additional Details:

She lived with her family in Elder Circle, a small upper middle class neighborhood near Austin, Texas. She was the six-year-old daughter of Paul Korzilius, the tour manager for Jon Bon Jovi. One theory proposed by investigators was that she had tried to hold onto the back of Nancy's car on the ride home but had fallen off. However, a private investigator noted that since it was a hot August day, it would have been difficult for Katherine to hold onto the back of Nancy's car. Katherine had a broken left thumb and a splint on her hand, it would have been difficult for her to hold on to anything. Katherine's family instead believes that she was abducted and murdered. Katherine's family believes that she was abducted in the vacant lot near the mailbox. A search of a vacant, overgrown lot just 30 yards from the mailboxes may have provided a crucial clue. They did pick up her scent over in this vacant lot, which would indicate that she was coming in this direction from the mailboxes, taking the most direct route home. She claims that Katherine's hair was neatly smoothed down, as were her shirt and shorts. It's as if someone left her there to be found. Her family hopes that someone will come forward to give new information; as of yet, no suspects have been found or identified in this case. Katherine's family were unsatisfied with the 'lack of communication' from DPS about the case. A flyer had been laminated by Paul Korzilius and posted at the entrance to Rob Roy on the lake near a memorial tree and plaque. Katherine's family were unsatisfied with the 'lack of communication' from DPS about the case. They eventually turned to a private investigator that was unable to crack the case, either. Neighbors rallied around the Korzilius family, posting flyers with Katherine's information and smiling photo on them, as well as raising a $5,000 reward for information. A year later, Katherine's neighbors in Elder Circle planted a tree and placed a plaque in her name. The incident was immortalized by Jon Bon Jovi in the song 'August 7, 4:15', the date and time of Katherine's death. Katherine's father, Paul, was the manager and close friend of musician Jon Bon Jovi, who later immortalized the tragedy in his song 'August 7 4:15'. This family suffered tragic losses in 1996 and then again in 2020 with loss of their son.

Case Last Updated:

Nov 02, 2026