7-Year-old Karla Rodridguez Disappeared From Her Las Vegas Neighborhood

Karla Carolina Rodridguez

She was born on September 29th,1992 to Ramon and Elia Rodridguez. Karla Rodriguez loved riding her bike, exploring and playing with her friends and her three sisters. 

On October 20th, 1999, 7-year-old Karla and her mother set off from their home on 705 E. St Louis Ave., in Las Vegas, Nevada. Two churches were within sight of her home, and Nevada’s oldest women’s club was directly across the street. Elia was taking Karla to an English language class at Park Elementary School, which was only a few blocks away. On the way they ran into a group of Karla’s school friends and mother and daughter parted ways. Karla never actually made it into school that day. She sometimes skipped school so the fact that she was absent did not immediately raise concerns. 

At around 3 p..m that afternoon, Karla’s father returned home from work. He noticed that Karla wasn’t home but her bike was. Her sisters told Ramon that Karla "is around here somewhere.“ After that, Ramon thought nothing of it and left for a meeting. He returned at 5 p.m. Karla was still not home. But now her bike was missing, too. Ramon spoke to a neighbor on Bonita Avenue, just around the corner, who saw Karla on her bike about 7 p.m. Karla wanted to visit the neighbor’s son, but it was too late, and the neighbor told her to go home. The neighbor said that Karla played outside for about 15 minutes before leaving.

When Karla did not return home that night, her parents didn’t think twice, and thought she was sleeping at a friend’s house, or had been picked up by an aunt who sometimes took Karla unannounced. She was only reported missing the next morning, on October 21, 1999, when her mother could not find her at school pick-up time. 

A local task force canvassed the neighborhood around Maryland Parkway and St. Louis Avenue, a mile east of the Stratosphere. Two bloodhounds traced Karla’s scent to an apartment complex about a half-mile from her home, but no “items of evidence or value” were found at the complex.

At the time of her disappearance, Karla had black hair and brown eyes, she was 3'5” and weighed 49 lbs. She had visible cavities in her teeth and a small mole above her right eyebrow.  She had a surgical scar on her abdomen. Karla spoke Spanish and limited English. She was last seen wearing a black jacket, a blue and white striped shirt and red pants. Her nails were painted green.

Since's Karla’s disappearance, her family have since welcomed a new member, a little brother, who has yet to meet one of his sisters.

Karla's family just wants her back home. 

“Your family is waiting for you, Karla,” one of Karla's sisters, Rosy Rodriguez said.

If you have any information, no matter how small, please come forward. 

You can call Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department 702-229-5678