Case Details

Photo URLs:

This person was missing Missing Since 05/14/1997

Missing Since:

Missing Since 05/14/1997

Missing From:

Missing From Midwest City, Oklahoma

Classification:

Classification Non-Family Abduction

Gender:

Female

Race:

Race White

Date of Birth:

Date of Birth 02/12/1989 (35)

Age:

Age 8 years old

Height and Weight:

Height and Weight 4’2, 55 pounds

Clothing/Jewelry Description:

Clothing/Jewelry Description An adult-size white t-shirt with the phrase “Bud Bowl” imprinted on the front.

Distinguishing Characteristics:

Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Kirsten has a mole on the bridge of her nose near her left eye, and a discoloration on her neck. Her two upper front teeth are permanent and her ears are pierced. Kirsten stuttered when she spoke at the time of her 1997 disappearance, and she is left-handed. Her nickname is Kurdle Burdle.

Details of Disappearance:

Kirsten, a young girl, vanished from her bedroom in Midwest City, Oklahoma, on May 14, 1997. Her mother put her to bed around 11:30 pm, but she was gone by 6:30 am. Police found blood on her windowsill and a backyard fence, and her ripped, bloody underwear outside. The window was open.

Because there was no sign of a struggle, police suspected someone Kirsten knew, maybe a family member, was responsible. Several people close to the family failed lie detector tests, but there wasn’t enough evidence to make arrests. Kirsten’s mother used drugs and thought someone connected to that world may have taken Kirsten.

In 2015, Anthony Palma, Kirsten’s neighbor, was arrested. His DNA matched the blood found at the scene. Police believe Palma kidnapped Kirsten, sexually assaulted her, and then killed her. Palma had a history of violence against women and possibly children. He was convicted of Kirsten’s murder in 2017 and sentenced to life in prison. He was later found murdered in prison in 2019. The circumstances of Kirsten’s disappearance strongly suggest foul play.

Agency:

Midwest City Police Department 405-739-1330

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