Missouri City authorities are intensifying their search for 61-year-old Karen Miles, who has been missing since Aug. 21.
Miles, who is diabetic and in need of insulin, was last seen at her apartment in the Missouri City/Harris County area. She is 5′7″, 190 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.
Miles’ is a member of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s Black Heritage committee, a philanthropist, worked in human resources and helped people for years.
“My mom is a pillar in the community is what I will call it. One of the things I noticed throughout this process is the sense of community. She’s always volunteered and did a lot of things, but I never caught a sense of what that actually meant until now,” her daughter Janice Bond said.
Her latest project was starting a nonprofit for veterans who need homes, according to her son John Miles.
“And so she was always trying to strive for a new avenue to help the community,” Miles said.
Her family is deeply concerned for her well-being given her medical condition and say it is unlike her to be gone without telling anyone.
Missouri City Police said Miles never showed up for work on Aug. 22. On Aug. 25, Pearland police tracked stolen Arkansas license plates on Miles’ car using flock cameras. Police pulled over her in the H-E-B parking lot in the Pearland Business Center, where a man named Davante Clark was in the drivers seat and Miles was nowhere to be found. Police arrested Clark on charges unrelated to Miles’ disappearance.
While authorities state that Clark had a gun in his possession, he has not been connected to Miles’ disappearance. At the time, Pearland Police did not know Miles was missing. Her children, who live out of state, reported her missing on August 28th after they could not reach her.
According to police, Clark and Miles do not appear to know each other, and it’s unclear how he gained access to her vehicle.
“We think he has pieces to the puzzle,” said Det. Derrick Spencer, Missouri City Police.
Detectives said they are not ruling out foul play but they are hopeful Miles will be found safe.
At this time, Clark is being considered a person of interest, and police are asking anyone with information about him or the case to come forward.
Friends on Facebook raised the first concerns
Miles was a prolific poster on Facebook, posting nearly every day, friends say. Her last post was the night of August 21. When friends missed her posts, they raised the alarm. Wendy Lewis Armstrong, has known Miles for nearly a decade through their connection on the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s Black Heritage Committee.
“When I say she is dedicated to this committee, she comes to everything,” Armstrong said. “She shows up, she rolls her sleeves up and she gets to work.”
Armstrong saw a couple of Facebook posts from friends trying to get Miles to respond and wondering aloud if anyone had heard from her or seen her recently.
“Hey, I’m starting to get worried. I saw the second [Facebook] message and called her phone and it went straight to voicemail,” Armstrong said. She describes Miles as a social butterfly committed to her causes and community. When Miles didn’t show up to an event with a friend, the level of concern ramped up.
“I never recall a time when she said she was going to show up someplace or for someone and not show up,” Armstrong said.
Friends then went to do a welfare check at Miles’ Missouri City home. When she didn’t answer, they alerted family, most of whom live out of town.
Armstrong said Miles’ disappearance has been difficult for the Black Heritage Committee, which is a close-knit community.
“She’s such a giving person. The woman will do anything for anybody,” Armstrong said. “I just want to make sure people know she cares so much about people and the community.”
Armstrong said she hopes people can put any fear aside, understand that Miles’s disappearance is affecting people who know and love her -- family and so many friends -- and call police if they know anything at all.
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo sent KPRC 2 this statement:
“Karen Miles is a beloved rodeo volunteer who has touched countless lives with her unwavering dedication and infectious spirit. Our entire community is praying for her safe return.”
Anyone with information about Karen Miles or her whereabouts is encouraged to contact the Missouri City Police Department at 281-403-8700.
Her children say they’ve been overwhelmed by the support from the community and are also pleading for help in finding their mom.
“And so many people are pulling for her safe and full return, you know, and that that’s beautiful to know that that’s out there, that’s circulating. It’s not just, you know, questions,” her daughter told KPRC 2′s Corley Peel. “There are people, many, many people, many that will never meet, that are truly hearing that name and saying, I remember her and, hope the best for her and I hope the best for her family. And it is that alongside the sharing, alongside the people supporting in the small ways in any way that they can that is truly, continuing to impact us, you know, especially on a day like today.”