Katelin Akens, 19, was visiting her home state of Virginia between December 1 and December 5, 2015. Her sister had recently delivered a baby.
Katelin resided in Arizona with her fiancée, Amber Rios. On December 5, she had a 5:40 p.m. flight from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Arizona.
Katelin’s mother, Lisa Sullivan, received a text at 1:52 p.m. from Katelin’s former stepfather. It read that he and Katelin were on their way to the airport. Katelin asked him to drop her off at Springfield Town Center. Katelin then planned to take the metro train from the Franconia-Springfield stop near the mall to the airport. She had never taken the train on her own before.
Eight minutes later, Lisa received a text from Katelin’s cellphone.
“I’m at the airport. Battery dying so won’t be able to text for a bit.”
However, Katelin was not on the flight to Arizona. Amber received a text from Katelin’s phone at 11:56 a.m.
“Something came up, and I’m not coming back today. I’ll let you know when I get a new flight.”
At 7:15 p.m., Lisa received a final text from Katelin.
“I’m staying with a friend. I need some time alone.”
The night before she disappeared, Katelin had attended a party with a longtime friend and the friend’s boyfriend. After a night of heavy drinking, the three had sex together. Katelin texted one of her close friends about it. The friend said it sounded like the couple forced it upon Katelin. She was wracked with guilt, feeling like she cheated on Amber.
So, is it possible she ran away or was suicidal? Maybe.
Two days later, Katelin’s luggage was found in a drainage ditch on River Road near the Fredericksburg city limit. The bags contained:
- An identification card.
- Katelin’s wallet.
- Phone charger.
- Katelin’s old glasses.
- Her plane ticket from Arizona to Virginia.
Amber’s credit card was also there, but Katelin’s clothing and cell phone were missing. The mall or metro surveillance cameras did not capture Katelin and her stepfather, only the stepfather’s car.
Police looked at Katelin and her stepfather’s cell phone records. They contradicted what the stepfather told Lisa. When Lisa received the 2 p.m. text from Katelin’s phone, it pinged off a tower over 30 miles from the Springfield Metro stop.
When Lisa’s ex-husband messaged Lisa at 1:52 p.m., police discovered his phone pinged close to his home in Partlow. It is far from the airport and the mall. When Katelin sent Lisa the final text message, Katelin’s cell phone pinged off a tower in Stafford. The location is less than 15 miles from where the police recovered Katelin’s luggage.
The stepfather has never cooperated with the police. He refused to take a polygraph test and to give the password code to his phone. He declines interviews with journalists.
There is no evidence to suggest Katelin ever left Spotsylvania County, Virginia. Her family does not believe she left voluntarily. Before her trip, Katelin had enrolled in cosmetology school and was excited about starting her career. Besides, she was close to her sister and constantly communicated with her.
Katelin has blonde hair and blue eyes. She weighs about 120 pounds and is 5’4″ tall. Investigators are urging anyone with information about her whereabouts to call police at 1-800-928-5822 or 540-582-5822.
Sources: Crime Watch Daily; NBC Washington; The Huffington Post; Facebook
True Crime Diva’s Thoughts
I think this case is a no-brainer. Who was the last person to see her and refuses to cooperate with the police? Who refuses to talk with reporters? The stepfather. If you have nothing to hide, you will cooperate and, at the very least, take a polygraph.
I also read where he told Lisa that he had to leave early on the day Kateline vanished. He had to be at work at 3:00 p.m. Lisa checked with his employer, and he never made it to work that day.
Katelin’s cellphone pinged off towers nowhere near the Springfield Metro stop. That tells me she never made it anywhere close to there.
I think her stepfather probably killed her. From what I understand, Katelin told friends he was a bit abusive, and she was not comfortable around him. Maybe he was a creepy perv. OR they got into an argument, and he accidentally killed her.
What he did with her body is anybody’s guess. If I were a betting woman, I’d wager her body lies buried in the woods within miles of his home.
I realize there is a slight chance she ran away out of guilt from the party the night before. But I think she would have contacted her family or Amber by now, and she has not. Some think the stepfather knew about her running away but not that she was going to dump the luggage. However, I think by now, he would have cooperated with the police if no crime had been committed. Therefore, I do not think she ran away.
What do you think happened to Katelin Akens?