Account
Sep 10, 2018
May 21, 2024
Karen
Johnley Wallahee
65
28
60 inches
100 lbs
American Indian / Alaska Native
Female
On a crisp autumn evening, 28-year-old Karen Louise Johnley Wallahee was last seen on November 7, 1987, in the vicinity of the Yakama Indian Reservation in Washington. A member of the Yakama Tribe, Karen was at the now-defunct Lazy R Tavern in Harrah, Washington, on the night she vanished. She was wearing a Levi denim jacket, a pink t-shirt, and white tennis shoes, with pink barrettes in her black, shoulder-length hair. Standing at 5 feet tall and weighing around 100 pounds, Karen was a petite woman with brown eyes. Her cousin, who reported her missing, noted that Karen did not have any means of transportation. Worry was also expressed about the person Karen was last seen with, though few details about this individual are publicly available. The days turned into weeks, and then years, with no word from Karen. Her disappearance became one of the many heartbreaking cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women in the region. During the 1980s and 1990s, the Yakama Reservation was the backdrop for a series of unsolved murders and mysterious deaths of at least 14 Native women. Some of these women were discovered in remote or closed-off areas of the reservation, having died from strangulation or hypothermia. The circumstances surrounding many of these cases remain shrouded in mystery, contributing to an atmosphere of fear and unanswered questions within the community. The investigation into Karen's disappearance has been handled by the Yakama Nation Tribal Police. Despite the passage of time, her case remains open, a painful and unresolved chapter for her loved ones. The lack of available details has made the search for answers incredibly challenging. Karen's case is a stark reminder of the ongoing crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people, highlighting the jurisdictional complexities and lack of resources that often hinder these investigations. The overarching narrative of Karen's case is one of a sudden and unexplained absence, leaving a void in the lives of her family and community that has endured for decades.
Nov 07, 1987
Yakama
Washington
Yakima County
Yes
40913
Yakama Nation Tribal Police
Toppenish
Washington
Yakima County
98948
Anthony Whitefoot
Detective
50 Wishpoosh Road, Washington
5098652933
Tribal
Law Enforcement
87-3486
Yakama Nation Tribal Police
Black
Brown
Brown
06/06/2026
