Investigators believe she came home from get off work and went about her daily routine before disappearing without a trace.
SHORELINE, Wash. — More than 45 years after Carol Jane Edwards disappeared from her Shoreline home, King County detectives say the mystery surrounding her disappearance could be solved in minutes.
On the afternoon of January 2, 1981, 25-year-old Edwards took a King County Metro bus home from downtown Seattle, where she worked. tv guide. Detectives said she appeared to go about her normal evening routine before disappearing without a trace.
“We believe she actually entered her residence, dropped her keys, grabbed the mail through the front door, dropped it off, went out to let the dog in, and then somewhere during that time period she disappeared,” said King County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. James Belford.
Edwards was last seen leaving get off work around 4 p.m. and is believed to have returned to his home near North 167th Street around 5 p.m., according to a missing persons file bulletin released by investigators in the days after Edwards disappeared.
Her sister, Sally Head, said she spoke to Edwards shortly before leaving get off work on the day of the disappearance.
“I talked to her on the phone before she got off work,” Hyde said. “She was at her desk waiting for the bus and she called and all we knew was that she was actually home.”
The next day, Jan. 3, Edwards planned to meet her family, which Hyde said her sister was looking forward to.
“She asked us to come over the next night or the next day,” Hyde said. “We were celebrating my husband’s birthday and she wanted to see us and those were the last words she said.”
Hyde described her sister as shy, creative and quiet.
“She was very shy as a baby and as an adult she was quiet,” Hyde said. “She lived her life and no one worried about her.”
At the time, Edwards was living with her long-time boyfriend, who detectives say was not home when she disappeared. According to Hyde, when he got home that night, he immediately sensed something was wrong.
“He came home that night and he immediately knew something was wrong because the house was still dark and the dog was outside,” she said.
Investigators said several details inside the home quickly set off alarms.
“Her jacket was found on the floor of the garage. It’s hard to explain. Her purse was missing, which is hard to explain,” Belford said. “Her bank account was never accessed again. She never contacted anyone she knew. This leads us to believe her disappearance was involuntary and the result of foul play.”
Hyde said Edwards also started doing laundry before disappearing.
“Her clothes were already being washed. The house was dark and she was gone,” Hyde said. “She wouldn’t just walk away.”
Despite the suspicious circumstances, Edwards had not been officially reported missing to police for four days — a delay that Belford believes may have delayed the investigation.
“I think time has been lost,” he said.
Family and friends began searching on their own before police became involved, Hyde said.
“We have a search party there and we haven’t even spoken to the police yet,” she said. “So it’s frustrating. We’ve been touring the area and talking to people who live nearby and it’s actually been a nightmare.”
Over the decades, detectives interviewed Edwards’ boyfriends, friends, co-workers, neighbors and others involved in her daily life.
Belford said investigators have no reason to believe Edwards’ boyfriend was involved in her disappearance.
“So he has been interviewed at least three times about this case, taken a polygraph exam, provided a DNA sample to compare with any evidence we have at the scene, and he has been cooperative,” Belford said. “So there is no reason at this time to believe he was involved.”
Since Edwards has never been found, the case remains a missing persons investigation.
Still, Belford said modern forensic testing still plays a role in the case.
“We have DNA,” Belford said. “We have tested the DNA against known samples we have and we have found no link.”
Belford, who took over the case in 2017, said Edwards appeared to be living a normal, stable life.
“She was tv guide“, Belford said. “She was just a regular career girl who had a boyfriend who lived with her and they were planning a life together.
Today, more than four decades later, Hyde said the pain of losing his sister still lingers.
“It’s hard, hard, hard,” she said. “It’s like it just happened.”
Belford believes someone still knows what happened to Edwards and hopes renewed attention on the case will yield new leads.
“Someone spoke,” he said. “Whether it’s in a pub or in casual conversation, someone has spoken about Carol’s disappearance and told others. We need these people to come forward so we can move this case forward and bring Carol home.”
