Sign up to get updates from us
15-year-old Karen Stitt was a student at Palo Alto High School. On September 3rd, 1982, she was stabbed to death in Sunnyvale, California. Her murder went unsolved for almost 40 years until forensic genealogy was used to identify her alleged killer, Gary Ramirez.
https://linktr.ee/drinkingthecoolaid
RESOURCES:
For decades, the death of Karen Stitt went unsolved, but that has recently changed after DNA analysis and a tip finally led investigators to the suspect. 15-year-old Karen Stitt was last seen by her boyfriend when he left near Sunnyvale, California at a bus stop on September 2nd, 1982. Karen was walking towards the stop and her boyfriend left at that point because he was worried that he would get in trouble with his parents for being home late as his curfew was midnight.
Just months before her murder, Karen and her siblings moved from Pittsburgh to Palo Alto to live with the father because their mother, Kathryn Marie Lesheski had just ended her own life. Karen was able to transition into her new life on the West coast and she was fitting in really well. Her 18-year-old sister Arlie last saw her when she was leaving to see her boyfriend in Sunnyvale and she promised to be back later that night. Arlie worked very close with police, but DNA just wasn't what it is now and unfortunately, she died when she was 49, so she never knew who killed her sister.
The next morning, Karen's nude body was spotted by a truck driver while he was making deliveries. She was found in the bushes near a cinder block wall about 100 yards from the bus stop and it was determined that she had been sexually assaulted and stabbed 59 times across her neck, chest, abdomen, and back. She was stabbed 18 times in the heart, had 10 stab wounds on her lungs, wounds to her neck punctured her larynx, trachea, and esophagus. Her wrists were bound behind her back with her shirt and jacket tied around her ankle. Sperm samples and a bloodstain were on top of the cinder block wall near Karen's body and there was blood on her leather jacket. Kicked leaves and disturbances in the dirt indicated that Karen was still alive when she was left at the scene.
In 2000, investigators were able to create a DNA profile of an unknown male suspect using DNA from blood and other samples found at the scene. The DNA was entered into the Combined DNA Index System. They were finally able to rule out Karen's boyfriend who had been a long considered suspect, but the profile did not match anything in the DNA databases. With no DNA matches in CODIS, the case just stalled again. In 2021, Sunnyvale Police Detective Matt Hutchinson received a tip that one of four brothers from Fresno was likely the suspect. The four sons of Rose Angulera Ramirez lived about 160 miles from Sunnyvale at the time of the murder. He began working with a genealogist to develop a family tree based on the suspect's DNA.
Genetic genealogy is the use of DNA testing, combined with traditional genealogy, to help identify ancestors and family members. DNA can be used to identify ancestors and family members and the DNA can provide information such as ethnic heritage, genetic markers for disease risk, and you might even find some long-lost relatives. Genealogical DNA tests are used to determine your ancestry and genealogical origins. The tests compare the results of a DNA test with those already tested by others to determine genetic similarities. You would typically get a DNA sample from saliva or a cheek swab.
Investigative Genetic Genealogy is a method specifically used to discover unknown identities. This is what law enforcement might use. It relies on public information from databases and genealogical research. It can be used to solve violent crimes and cold cases. This was famously used in the Golden State Killer case.
There are three main types of genealogical DNA tests: autosomal (ought-a-soh-mal), mitochondrial, and Y-chromosome. Autosomal DNA is used to find relatives within the past five to seven generations and it can help you discover information about your ethnic ancestry. Mitochondrial DNA can be used to trace a person’s direct maternal ancestry and Y-chromosome will trace a male’s direct paternal ancestry.
When the case got reopened, Karen's father Robert said, “The whole thing is so painful for me. I don't know whether I can handle a lot of attention being paid to this. I'm not sure I could handle a trial.” Robert ended up dying just a month after giving his interview with USA TODAY The genealogist was able to identify the perpetrator as one of the four Ramirez brothers, but couldn't narrow it down to which one.
The detective was able to rule out two of the brothers and was unable to conclusively eliminate another and this left them with 75-year-old Gary Ramirez who was in the U.S. Air Force in the 1970's. He would have been 35 when the murder happened. Investigators were able to obtain DNA from Gary's child after tracking them down on Facebook and the lab concluded there is “very strong statistical support” the DNA found at the crime scene belonged to Gary. At this point, the police didn't know Gary's whereabouts. Police Detective, Matt Hutchinson said, “I didn't know his exact location and what his status was. For all I knew he could have been deceased. There's an initial moment of almost tribulation. You're excited, you're happy and then it becomes, I gotta hurry up and get him. I gotta find him. I gotta find a way to safely apprehend him and make sure that he faces this.” Then, they got a search warrant to swab Gary's mouth for a DNA sample and the lab confirmed that it matched the DNA found at the crime scene.
When the DNA results came in, Detective Matt Hutchinson said, “I wanted to scream, but I can't because I didn't want to wake up the hotel. So I just took a moment to reflect. I took a quick glance at her photo and I just told her, we did it.” It took months of planning and coordination between Santa Clara County, Maui law enforcement and federal authorities and the operation was largely funded through a US Justice Department grant awarded to the district attorney's office by the Department of Justice to help investigate and prosecute cold cases.
A tip led investigators to Gary Ramirez and he was arrested at his home in Maui, Hawaii, on August 2nd and he has been charged with murder. He was a retired bug exterminator and Air Force veteran with an injured hip. When he was arrested, he was in total shock and the only words he said were, “oh my gosh.” He appeared in court in Maui and will not fight extradition to send him to California for an arraignment. Gary Ramirez had no criminal record and his older brother, Rudy Ramirez, said it's hard to conceive that his younger brother could carry out such a grisly murder. He said, “I've never seen him violent or get angry ever. He wouldn't hurt a fly.”
Gary was extradited to California. After 40 years with no leads, Santa Clara County District Attorney Barbara Cathcart said, “The probability of selecting an unrelated individual from the population at random that has this DNA profile is one in 24.1 septillion. There, of course, are not that many people on the planet Earth nor multiple planet Earths.” Just for reference, a septillion has 24 zeroes.
75-year-old Gary Gene Ramirez, walked into a Santa Clara County courtroom with his cane, to face charges for kidnap, rape, and murder. Karen's mother died when she was young and her father passed away in 2018, so her parents never saw justice for her. Karen's aunt, Robin Stitt Morris, was able to watch the arraignment online from Florida and she said that she is very confident the case against Gary is “bulletproof.” She said, “I will be disappointed if he doesn't take ownership and plead guilty. Gary Ramirez has lived freely with the knowledge of his unfathomable crimes for nearly 40 years. The time for him to bear the consequences is long overdue.”
Santa Clara District Attorney Jeff Rosen said the following in a statement, “Behind every old murder file in every major police department, there is a person, heartbreak, and a mystery. The mystery of Karen Stitt's death has been solved thanks to advances in forensic science and a detective that would never, ever, give up.”
Michael Calhoun, a former boyfriend said, “Karen was not like any other girl I had met before. When she transferred from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Palo Alto, California, to live with her father during the second half of my sophomore year in high school, the first time I set eyes on her, I knew she was special. Someone I wanted to get to know. Her smile could light up the darkest of rooms; her beautiful feathered blonde hair, and the way she spoke. I won't say it was an accent per se, but it was different than any other girl I knew.” Michael said that one of his best friends was dating Karen, so he initially had to stay away from her. He said, “It was kind of like that Rick Springfield song 'Jessie's girl', except I was singing, 'I want Jimmy's girl.' When they broke up, I did the cardinal sin amongst friends. I started dating her myself, but I did ask my friend first if it was okay. He didn't have a problem with it. I really fell hard for her. I'd say she was my first true love.”
Michael and Karen took a break from their relationship during the summer, but they were planning on getting back together once they returned to school. He said, “As a token of this, she let me keep a ring of hers she gave me when we were together. A copper ring with her name on it, which I still have to this day.” Unfortunately, they never got the chance to get back together, and Michael says, “She was violently stolen from everyone. My first day back to school as a junior was the day of her funeral.”
This obviously changed Michael's life, but he channeled his energy into something good. He said, “It was because of losing her that I became interested in becoming a police officer. Not that I thought I could actually help in her case, but to be able to help someone else. I even stayed in contact with the cold case detective in Sunnyvale after I moved to Las Vegas. He told me he was fairly new on the force when this happened. He even told me he was on the scene that fateful night, so he was very familiar with the case.”
Since Michael was in law enforcement, the detective was more open to discussing the case with him, but when he retired, the new investigator shut down the lines of communication. Michael learned that Gary Ramirez had been arrested and he said, “Scrolling through Facebook, seeing her picture next to some guy and reading the headline that an arrest had been made, the wave of emotions that ran through me was overwhelming. Chills, tears, joy to know they have a named suspect, anger at the perpetrator. Just about any emotion you can think of, I felt it. I couldn't believe what I was seeing....39 years and 11 months later, FINALLY, a named suspect.”
The journey to a conviction and sentence if Gary Ramirez is found guilty could be long. Michael Callhoun says, “The finish line is in sight, but we're still in the final turn from the backstretch. I just hope there's no plea deal and he is sentenced with the maximum penalty allowed by California law. Though nothing will bring Karen back to us, he doesn't deserve to have the sun shine on his face, hear birds sing, or the fresh air in his lungs. I've carried Karen in my heart and soul for over 40 years. I will continue to carry Karen in my heart and soul until my last breath on this earth. I'm just glad we can now breathe a sigh of relief that her killer has been named and caught. I hope Karen is resting in peace now.”
One of Karen's friends, Maureen Larsson said, “As I read the story it was hard to believe an arrest had been made, and then a wave of relief washed over me, and memories of her, her school friends, her funeral, all came rushing back. Karen was a friendly, upbeat girl with a big smile who quickly got to know her new schoolmates and was quite social. I was impressed with how this East Coast transplant was adjusting to her new life here.”
If Gary Ramirez is convicted, he could face the possibility of life behind bars without the possibility of parole. He appeared with white hair and glasses, leaning on his cane beside his Public Defender Lara Wallman. He will not face the death penalty because District Attorney Jeff Rosen announced in 2020 that he will no longer seek that in any prosecutions. Judge Adrianne Heely asked if Gary’s mind was clear and he said, “If you want to call it that.” Investigators are trying to confirm Gary’s whereabouts in 1982 and they have collected things from his home, as well as a guest house behind another home in Maui. His brother, Rudy Ramirez told the Bay Area News Group that he was incredulous that his soft-spoken brother could be a killer. He said they grew up in a very “dysfunctional family.” Gary had spent several years in the Air Force before moving back to Fresno with his mother. They lost touch in the early 1980’s, but in the late 80’s, Rudy invited Gary to move to Maui so they could be closer.
Gary Ramirez worked several odd jobs, including work as an exterminator, and he eventually retired with a bad hip. He was married twice and raised two daughters. Police had obtained DNA from one of his daughters which helped them zero in on Gary. He was scheduled to appear in Santa Clara County Superior Court, but at the last minute, the hearing was cancelled. Barbara Cathcart, Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney said, “We were on for arraignment today. The arraignment did not go forward because of medical reasons.”
The exact medical issues have not been disclosed, but this happened in August of 2022 and nothing has really happened since then, so I’m not sure if this case will even move forward. Barbara Cathcart said there can be challenges when you prosecute crimes that are so old, but they are feeling confident with this one. She said, “A cold case is always challenging to prosecute because, as you say, many of the witnesses have become older and something they have passed away. However, in this particular case our main evidence is scientific. So, it is DNA evidence.”
Karen's aunt, Robin Stitt Morris said she was absolutely floored when she learned the killer had been found. She said, “Forty years melted away, and the emotions that had been buried all came back. A wound was reopened, but somehow I felt relief and peace. Soon, we will be able to write the end to this painful chapter of our lives. He stole so much from my family. Karen's death left an indelible scar on our hearts.”
RESOURCES
