Ontario Provincial Police released some new details in the 1974 death of Karen Caughlin.
During a news conference in Petrolia Thursday, OPP say that Caughlin may have been killed by a motorist.
Police had previously investigated the death as a deliberate homicide but are now saying that the 14-year-old may have died from injuries after being hit by a vehicle.
The teen was last seen just after midnight March 16, 1974, when friends she had been roller skating with at the former Rose Gardens in Point Edward dropped her off on Brock Street in Sarnia. Caughlin had been planning to spend the night at the address, the home of a friend’s. Police say she never entered the residence.
Her body was discovered hours later near Petrolia along a stretch of 6th Sideroad or Freer Road, now known as Plowing Match Road, between Churchill and Lasalle lines, police said.
Investigators say her body had been moved from the location where she sustained the fatal injuries. Police say the circumstances surrounding her death remain suspicious.
“Police want to hear from or about anyone who may have discussed attending or hosting a social gathering in Petrolia after going to the Rose Gardens roller skating rink, perhaps the day before Karen was last seen alive,” police said in a statement.
“The OPP also wants to hear from anyone with information about a motor vehicle collision in the Petrolia area or damage sustained by a motor vehicle, around that time,” police continued. “Someone may have observed damage to a vehicle, or not noticed damage to their own vehicle at the time.”
Police say it’s possible motorists may not have seen nor expected to find someone walking alongside the road due to the foggy conditions and Caughlin’s dark clothing.
Police had previously said her injuries appeared to have been the result of being struck by a vehicle, but other circumstances led investigators to rule her death as a homicide.
OPP released a video in 2014 detailing the events from the day Caughlin died, hoping that it would lead to tips. Even a $50,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of her killer hasn’t led police to an arrest in the case.
Police do believe the person or persons responsible for the girl’s death are still alive, which is why the case remains open but not yet solved.
– With files from Matthew Trevithick
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