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A Child Is Missing
As I walked into the house, the scene I beheld was like something out of a movie. Every eye turned toward me, but no one spoke a word. 'What's wrong?' As tears ran down my sister's face, she said, with a voice filled with sobs, 'Kathy's dead; she's been murdered.' It was a cold November night in 1971 when thirteen-year-old Kathy Lynn Gloddy went missing, only to have her beaten, bruised body found the next day on the cold ground. Enter into the tragedy as Karen Beaudin vividly recounts the horrifying revelation of her younger sister's death in A Child Is Missing--the shocking true story of a small New Hampshire town stunned by the revelation of such a brutal crime, and a family devastated by the loss of a beloved daughter and sister. As Karen and her family search for justice, their faith will be tested in the battle against the guilt, fear, and devastating grief that comes when they realize every family's worst nightmare: A Child Is Missing.
- GenresTrue CrimeNonfiction
196 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 18, 2010
10 people are currently reading
207 people want to read
About the author
Karen Beaudin
3 books22 followersPublished author of two previous books, Karen Beaudin presents, The Kirby Boys’ Adventure: Searching for the Lost Key. This fun mystery is based on Beaudin’s three grandsons, Wyatt, Logan, and Tucker. Beaudin, a published author and public speaker; looks forward to writing about more adventures!
After writing true crime, it was a relief to write a children’s book. The Kirby Boys’ Adventure: Searching of the Lost key breathes life and is a refreshing change. During a book signing for my previous books, I announced my future project, a children’s book. My husband, Mike, told me my eyes lit up when I talked about it. That’s how I feel inside, all lit up. It brings me great joy to introduce to you, The Kirby Boys’ Adventure: Searching for the Lost Key.
Brothers can have the best adventures and solve any clue when they work together. After a secret is uncovered in their backyard, Wyatt, Logan, and Tucker must find a key to reveal the story behind it. Mrs. Brown has lived next door since the boys were born. Does she know about the lost key?
Beaudin’s previous books:
A Child is Missing: A True Story
A Child is Missing: Searching for Justice
Karen's sister Kathy was brutally murdered in 1971. The case was reactivated in 1983 and again in 2004. In 2006, Kathy's remains were exhumed for DNA.
The first book, A Child Is Missing: A True Story, covers the emotional journey coping with the murder of my sister Kathy. It exposes the reality that murder follows a family throughout their entire life. Future events often loop back to the day when a loved one's life was snuffed out by the hands of a murderer. The book is used in training sessions with law enforcement and victims' advocates. Karen speaks to law enforcement officers, victims' advocates, and criminal justice students at universities about their role in a murder investigation. Some of her speaking engagements include Ohio's Homicide Initiative Training Sessions, 10th Annual Missing Persons Conference in North Carolina and Plymouth State University.
The sequel, A Child Is Missing: Searching for Justice was the result of six years of research and interviews. Retired and current investigators spoke freely about the difficulties they faced while working on her sister Kathy's murder investigation.
"I didn't always get the information I wanted. The unobtainable brought frustration and disappointment, but the knowledge I acquired was valuable. Embracing the journey as a path of change instead of defeat was critical on getting to the finish line."
Karen's media interviews include Elizabeth Vargas from ABC 20/20, Bob Ward, Crime Reporter from Fox News Boston; Sean MacDonald, Andy Hershberger, and Ray Brewer from WMUR TV. In 2009, Karen and her sisters were influential in establishing New Hampshire's first Cold Case Unit.
During Victims' Rights Week, 2010, the Gloddy family received a certificate of appreciation from Governor John Lynch for their outstanding service on behalf of victims' of crime. In 2012, the Ohio Attorney General recognized Karen for her advocacy in promoting Cold Case Units. Also the Fraternal Order Of Police in Ohio for her valuable contribution to Ohio's law enforcement community and the Ohio Unsolved Homicides Initiative.
Through adversity, Karen's desire is to make a difference. Through her faith, she finds strength.
After writing true crime, it was a relief to write a children’s book. The Kirby Boys’ Adventure: Searching of the Lost key breathes life and is a refreshing change. During a book signing for my previous books, I announced my future project, a children’s book. My husband, Mike, told me my eyes lit up when I talked about it. That’s how I feel inside, all lit up. It brings me great joy to introduce to you, The Kirby Boys’ Adventure: Searching for the Lost Key.
Brothers can have the best adventures and solve any clue when they work together. After a secret is uncovered in their backyard, Wyatt, Logan, and Tucker must find a key to reveal the story behind it. Mrs. Brown has lived next door since the boys were born. Does she know about the lost key?
Beaudin’s previous books:
A Child is Missing: A True Story
A Child is Missing: Searching for Justice
Karen's sister Kathy was brutally murdered in 1971. The case was reactivated in 1983 and again in 2004. In 2006, Kathy's remains were exhumed for DNA.
The first book, A Child Is Missing: A True Story, covers the emotional journey coping with the murder of my sister Kathy. It exposes the reality that murder follows a family throughout their entire life. Future events often loop back to the day when a loved one's life was snuffed out by the hands of a murderer. The book is used in training sessions with law enforcement and victims' advocates. Karen speaks to law enforcement officers, victims' advocates, and criminal justice students at universities about their role in a murder investigation. Some of her speaking engagements include Ohio's Homicide Initiative Training Sessions, 10th Annual Missing Persons Conference in North Carolina and Plymouth State University.
The sequel, A Child Is Missing: Searching for Justice was the result of six years of research and interviews. Retired and current investigators spoke freely about the difficulties they faced while working on her sister Kathy's murder investigation.
"I didn't always get the information I wanted. The unobtainable brought frustration and disappointment, but the knowledge I acquired was valuable. Embracing the journey as a path of change instead of defeat was critical on getting to the finish line."
Karen's media interviews include Elizabeth Vargas from ABC 20/20, Bob Ward, Crime Reporter from Fox News Boston; Sean MacDonald, Andy Hershberger, and Ray Brewer from WMUR TV. In 2009, Karen and her sisters were influential in establishing New Hampshire's first Cold Case Unit.
During Victims' Rights Week, 2010, the Gloddy family received a certificate of appreciation from Governor John Lynch for their outstanding service on behalf of victims' of crime. In 2012, the Ohio Attorney General recognized Karen for her advocacy in promoting Cold Case Units. Also the Fraternal Order Of Police in Ohio for her valuable contribution to Ohio's law enforcement community and the Ohio Unsolved Homicides Initiative.
Through adversity, Karen's desire is to make a difference. Through her faith, she finds strength.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 13, 2017
The heartbreaking true story of the tragic and terrible horror story of a sister lost by murder from a monster. The book opens in a gripping manner and you read how the author and her family dealt with the loss. They were really never the same nor happy like they had been before her death. Her sister wrote this book which being "true crime" comes off also as a memoir somewhat which taught me how my complaints in life are nothing compared seemingly unfair chance situations others find themselves in. We read about the police and how a family was then their child is probably a runaway. (They help only after it is too late.) You feel the blaming of family members, a lot towards their own selves. So many moments I entertained how the family is "murdered" more than the victim in the aftermath. Depression and solitary (hide from everyone because of not knowing what to say and feeling awkward when meeting a person they went to school with or knew.) The 2nd half of the book she writes how this has affected her life and the fight to find the guilty person who killed her sister in 1971. This story covers from that year up until 2003. I follow her blog and know she is still trying to get answers and her faith in God. Her sister needs justice.
July 6, 2011
I went to college with the author's oldest daughter. We had many of the same friends even before I met her. I met Joscelyn when we sang in the same traveling choir after she transfer in from another school. After I graduated I didn't hear from her until Facebook, but I have lots of fond memories of my friend Joscelyn from our choir tour adventures and also a trip to Chicago with 3 other friends to watch Phantom of the Opera. While this book was not written about Josc, it is a record of a piece of her family history that directly impacted her mom in a severe way.
A Child Is Missing tells a first-hand account of a family who were the victims of a horrible crime: a daughter, a sister, murdered. It's hard for me to imagine losing one of my siblings, let alone losing one because of a murder. Even typing the word murder in the same sentence as siblings is hard. As I read Karen's account of losing her sister to murder, a brother to a heart condition, her father to cancer, and her mother who took her own life, I tried putting myself in her shoes and I don't know that I would come out the other side as strong she did. However, Karen's life is a testimony of God's faithfulness in her daily life and I believe that God can and will show himself to be just as faithful to me and you.
Through Karen you get a very real idea of what people go through when crime cases go unsolved. The hopes are very high and the and disappointments are very low. There is often a struggle to move on with your life and lay to rest your loved one. You relive the sadness not only out of guilt and trying not forget your loved one, but also from trying to remember any detail that might help the case.
Karen's writing a sequel to this book to recount what happened when the case was reopened in 2004. She hopes to find new leads to solving her sister's murder.
Recommendation: Excellent Read
A Child Is Missing tells a first-hand account of a family who were the victims of a horrible crime: a daughter, a sister, murdered. It's hard for me to imagine losing one of my siblings, let alone losing one because of a murder. Even typing the word murder in the same sentence as siblings is hard. As I read Karen's account of losing her sister to murder, a brother to a heart condition, her father to cancer, and her mother who took her own life, I tried putting myself in her shoes and I don't know that I would come out the other side as strong she did. However, Karen's life is a testimony of God's faithfulness in her daily life and I believe that God can and will show himself to be just as faithful to me and you.
Through Karen you get a very real idea of what people go through when crime cases go unsolved. The hopes are very high and the and disappointments are very low. There is often a struggle to move on with your life and lay to rest your loved one. You relive the sadness not only out of guilt and trying not forget your loved one, but also from trying to remember any detail that might help the case.
Karen's writing a sequel to this book to recount what happened when the case was reopened in 2004. She hopes to find new leads to solving her sister's murder.
Recommendation: Excellent Read
March 14, 2021
This is one of the most beautiful books I've ever read. Despite the tragedy, the author describes her love for her sister in a way that is tear-jerking. Her description of her love for the Lord is just as emotional.
January 21, 2017
Although this is such a tragedy. The book is well written and I read it in one day. They are as of this date re-opening her case and hope they finally get closure and arrest who commited this crime.
December 22, 2019
Just a quick read...nothing insightful about the case, more the story of what the sister/family went thru.
February 2, 2023
Heart wrenching, it is vulnerable and real!
September 10, 2010
The night Kathy was murdered, we not only lost Kathy; we lost our security. We lost our innocence. Kathy's life had great value, and it was cruelly and unjustly taken. Would we ever see justice?
Upon getting this book I was very interested to read about life after such a terrible death and how someone could possibly go on and continue living. Everyone deals with death/grief differently and this is just one story about how Karen Beaudin dealt with hers. The writing definitely drew me into the story and allowed me to feel certain emotions through text and get just a glimpse of the grief and sadness the family and friends of Kathy Gloddy felt after her murder. One of the most heartbreaking things to me from this book was how Karen Beaudin expressed how Kathy's dog showed the emotions of sadness and definitely knew something was wrong before everyone else did.
One thing I must note is that I was ultimately prepared for something else when I was reading this book, I was prepared for a book more focused on the murder and investigation not so much on the life after although I knew that was also what the book was about, I just didn't realize that would be the main focus.
It is obvious Karen Beaudin is a great Author and that this is her sense of healing and a gift she has given to her sister by getting her story out there. I wish her luck on what's coming in the case and I hope justice is served for Kathy.
Upon getting this book I was very interested to read about life after such a terrible death and how someone could possibly go on and continue living. Everyone deals with death/grief differently and this is just one story about how Karen Beaudin dealt with hers. The writing definitely drew me into the story and allowed me to feel certain emotions through text and get just a glimpse of the grief and sadness the family and friends of Kathy Gloddy felt after her murder. One of the most heartbreaking things to me from this book was how Karen Beaudin expressed how Kathy's dog showed the emotions of sadness and definitely knew something was wrong before everyone else did.
One thing I must note is that I was ultimately prepared for something else when I was reading this book, I was prepared for a book more focused on the murder and investigation not so much on the life after although I knew that was also what the book was about, I just didn't realize that would be the main focus.
It is obvious Karen Beaudin is a great Author and that this is her sense of healing and a gift she has given to her sister by getting her story out there. I wish her luck on what's coming in the case and I hope justice is served for Kathy.
September 12, 2010
Powerfully moving novel. The storyline really moves you, to tears at some points. You really do get a feeling for not just the author's grief but the grief of the entire family along with seeing how the tragic loss of her younger sister molded and shape the her life. One one hand it was difficult for me to read having just lost my son to suicide in January while on the other reading it gave me the feeling of not being so alone in grief, if that makes any sense at all.
I recommend this book to everyone.
I recommend this book to everyone.
October 2, 2010
Based on the title I was expecting more of a different book. I thought it would be more about the case and less about the author's life after. The writing style is a little bit disjointed for my tastes. The story itself I can't really critique, it's a shame a person has to experience such things but at the same time it's good to see the author has persevered. I hope an arrest is made and the case can be solved for the family's sake.
January 24, 2011
I would deffinitely not recommend this it was OK. thats all. it was interesting to start with but I lost interest very quickly the ending went down hill after her sister was found murdered. It was more a book of feeling then a story of what had happened her sister expressed how she feels over the issue and thats all I really got from reading it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 30, 2012
Very sad tell of one families Demise after one of them is kidnapped and murdered...it's brutally honest and heartbreaking...I've emailed the author back and forth and I hope in the sisters life time they see justice for Kathy...
September 1, 2012
Sad, true story, a murder still unsolved, and its impact on family members. This was written from the perspective of a family member, so there is not much to read about the investigation. I hope for those surviving family members, closure can be reached someday.
August 29, 2016
Justice for kathy and her family
I just read this book for the first time ..8-28-16.. my heart breaks for this family and for the tragedies they have endured ...May you find some peace in knowing that you are all loved and I pray for you and for justice ...
I just read this book for the first time ..8-28-16.. my heart breaks for this family and for the tragedies they have endured ...May you find some peace in knowing that you are all loved and I pray for you and for justice ...
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews