Unsolved true crime podcast bringing attention to cases that need it.

Researched, written and hosted by crime analyst Leah Owens. Co-hosted by Scott Owens.

UNSOLVED DISAPPEARANCE: KAREN GRAJEDA + UNSOLVED HOMICIDE: ESTHER “LIZETTE” GALAZ

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When a 7-year-old girl vanishes while playing outside in a southside Tucson neighborhood, her disappearance is disturbingly similar to the abduction and murder of another child that occurred a year prior. Investigators are haunted by two unsolved cases they believe were likely committed by the same predator in this episode of Last Seen Alive.

Esther “Lizette” Galaz was 6-years-old when she was abducted and murdered in December of 1994. She loved to sing and dance, and was just learning to read. Image source: family photo.
Karen Grajeda was 7-years-old when she went missing from her South Tucson neighborhood in January of 1996. Investigators believe she was abducted, possibly by a stranger. Image source: family photo.
This age-advancement image shows what Karen Grajeda may look like as an adult, if still alive. Image source: NCMEC.
Karen Grajeda was a friendly, outgoing child. Like Esther “Lizette” Galaz, she was a first grade student living in South Tucson, and beloved by her family. Investigators suspect that both girls may have been abducted by the same offender. Their cases remain unsolved. Image source: family photo.

Sources used to research this episode:

“We’ll Always Be Waiting for You”: 30 Years without Karen (Emma Henderson Vaughn / NCMEC)

Door-to-Door Search Turns Up No Trace of Grajeda (Joseph Barrios and Andrew Bluth / Tucson Citizen)

Search for Missing Girl Changes (Joseph Barrios / Tucson Citizen)

Neighborhood’s Security Tested by Ordeal (Joseph Barrios / Tucson Citizen)

Minutes Were All it Took for Girl to be Slain (Miriam Davidson / Arizona Republic)

Unsolved: Murder of 6-Year-Old Esther ‘Lizette’ Galaz 30 Years Later (Reina Preciado / KGUN9 News)

2 Moms Cling to Hope–and Each Other (Norman Peckham / Tucson Citizen)

13 CRIME FILES: Tucson Police “broadening suspect search” in 1994 murder of Esther Galaz (Mary Coleman / KOLD13 News)

13 CRIME FILES: The Disappearance of Karen Grajeda (KOLD13 News)

FBI Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Teams (FBI)

Killer May Have Been Seen (Gabrielle Fimbres / The Tucson Citizen)

Unsolved: Murder of 6-Year-Old Esther ‘Lizette’ Galaz 30 Years Later (Reyna Preciado / KGUN9 News)

Molest Cases Studied for Link (David L. Teibel and Norman Peckham / The Tucson Citizen)

Superior Courts (The Tucson Citizen)

New Alert Posted for Girl Who Disappeared in ’96 (Arizona Republic)

Charges in Girl’s Killing (Arizona Daily Star)

The Week Ahead: Monday (Tucson Citizen)

Molester Guilty on 13 Counts (Patty Machelor / Tucson Citizen)

Child Molester Gets 248-Year Term (Patty Machelor)

Arizona Department of Corrections

Nonfamily Abducted Children: National Estimates and Characteristics (J. Robert Flores / US Department of Justice)

Non-Family Abductions and Attempts (NCMEC)



If you know anything about the disappearance of Karen Grajeda or the murder of Esther “Lisette” Galas, please contact the Tucson Police Department at 520-882-7463. The department welcomes tips given in Spanish as well as English, and you remain anonymous if you wish.

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