HOUSTON — The Missouri City Police Department offered new information Monday morning in the mysterious disappearance of Karen Miles and for the first time, they said they believe she's a victim of foul play.
The 61-year-old woman was last heard from on Aug. 21 and she didn't show up for work the following morning. MCPD and Texas DPS issued a CLEAR Alert on Aug. 28 after Miles' family reported her missing.
At a news conference on Monday, police released more details about the man who was later arrested by Pearland police while driving Miles' car.
“He is a person of interest,” MCPD Detective Derrick Spencer said. “We think he has pieces to the puzzle.”
Spencer said the man was pulled over because the license plate on the car was reported stolen out of Arkansas. Pearland police said the man also gave them a fake name and they charged him with unlawful carrying a weapon because they found a gun in the car. The 26-year-old man had felony warrants out of Harris County but has not been charged in connection with Miles' disappearance.
Spencer said when they questioned the guy, he lied about how he got the vehicle, which they believe was stolen from the Missouri City apartment complex where Miles lives.
“It is our understanding that the two, Mrs. Miles and the subject, do not know one another," Spencer said.
He said nothing abnormal was found inside Miles' apartment and there were no signs of a robbery. The complex doesn't have working surveillance cameras so investigators have little to go on.
Spencer said Equusearch is on standby and ready to help as investigators pinpoint where to begin the search.
“We do not have any idea where she could be,” Spencer admitted.
According to the CLEAR Alert, Miles was last seen around noon on Aug. 22 in the 10000 block of South Sam Houston Parkway West in Missouri City.
Anyone with information is asked to call MCPD at 281-403-8700 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477).
Who is Karen Miles?
Miles' daughter and son also attended the news conference to plead for help finding their mother.
Janice Bond described her mother as a "very wonderful person who’s done a lot of great things for the community."
“At 61 years old, she lives alone but is not lonely. She has a wide circle of friends and community connections and people that she’s loved and nurtured for as long as I’ve been alive, for as long as we’ve been alive, in a number of different ways," Bond said. “Karen, our mother, is a loving person known for her independence and vibrant spirit. She is cherished deeply by her family and friends and it is out of character for her to disappear without a word.”
Bond said they're hopeful their mother will be found safe but time is critical.
“This is an active search effort at this moment in the sense that we consider our mother, our Nana, our Karen to be very much alive and we look for her to be brought home safe so that the healing process for our family can begin," Bond said. "We should continue to look for her deliberately, intentionally and thoroughly until she’s found.”
Adding to the concern, family members say Miles has diabetes and needs insulin.
"If my sister doesn't take her three shots per day, she goes into a diabetic coma," Patricia Evans said.
Miles is 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weighs about 190 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes.