From the Journals of Travis Moore

Regarding the truth about Karlie: she called a suicide hotline a month prior to October 13th, she had a counselor through Inyo Medical, she had a troubled relationship with her boyfriend at the time, and she began some recreational drug use. All things considered, she sounds like a typical American teenager and her parents sound like the typical parents going through temporary rough patches while raising their daughter. Atypical, however, is her boyfriend’s description of Karlie’s behavior the night before she vanished.

To Melissa’s knowledge, Karlie was supposed to be at a football game; however, Karlie called Melissa that night to pick her up and she was not at the game, but instead was with her boyfriend and some other friends.

When Karlie’s boyfriend was asked if he saw Melissa pick Karlie up, his reply is as follows:

“No me and Karlie were walking almost to my house and she got so damn scared it was scaring my so I looked her in the eyes and said “Karlie baby you are safe with me” and then she got this horrified look on her face and started screaming my name so i wrapped my arms around her to hold her and she bit my side and was pushing away so I let go and she told me not to follow her and to go home so I stayed in the middle of the street for like 20 I wanted to chase after my baby but it was pitch black and I didnt want to scare her anymore till this day i wish I had chased after her I wish we made it to my house I wish none of this happened”

Karlie’s boyfriend response to MCPN; a known Facebook Conspiracy Theory Lynch Mob

Continuing from where the boyfriend’s account leaves off, Melissa says she picked Karlie up close to the canal bridge on Dixon Lane.

Karlie is described by Melissa as approaching the car alone, running, and having her cell phone light on. Karlie got into the back seat and Melissa took her home.

Remarkable to note is the canal bridge is approximately a 1/2 mile from the neighborhood where Karlie started running from the boyfriend.

By both accounts, Karlie was running.

The $20,000 Question

Expenses for a family can include glasses, braces and a car for their teens as they become young adults. These are normal expenses to later stage child rearing. The Guses spent $20,000 on a private investigator.

There is no pocket manual to prepare a family for a missing child or the circus that follows.

Uneducated in the ins and outs of having a missing child, the Guses experienced the learning curve of hiring a PI. No one budgets for a PI, nor do they inherently know how to go about finding someone reputable. This is a common mistake in these types of cases and, unfortunately, there are plenty of PI’s, who are under-performing and come from questionable backgrounds, waiting to take advantage. Karlie’s case was not an exception to this situation.

After moving on from previous PI’s, not long into December, the Guses decided to try again – this time doing their due diligence and researching to find someone reputable.

Talented, skillfull PI’s dont have to solicit themselves desperate for work, instead they are sought out. Karlie deserved a real PI on her case and relief came to her parents once a professional was finally on board. Unlike the early case chasers, Michael Boone and Lynda Bergh, this new PI produced some results.

$20k is the cash down on a house, a brand new car that lasts reliably for years, or a couple years of college these days. In a missing persons case, to a hired investigator, it is two fruitions. It was a grainy video that was possibly Karlie but, after cleaning up, was determined not. It was also the discovery of a call log where Karlie contacted a suicide hotline a month before October 13th.

Quality investigators provide facts such as these for their clients. The Guse’s private investigator reached out to Lindsay and she declined to work with them. Mono County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Karlie did call a suicide hotline and, as of July 2019, Lindsay appeared to be still uninformed.

Friends and family of Karlie have made no suggestion that Karlie ever displayed a desire or history towards self harm. They have expressed concern over her with descriptions articulating witnessing instances quite bizarre while she was under the influence of drugs.

The management of sensitive case details, especially of those which can effect the legacy or stigma of the missing, is what often gets misinterpreted under the magnifying glass of public scrutiny.

In this respect, novice engagement with media and perceived inconsistencies that the Guses had early on, can be attributed to Melissa placing high value on Karlie’s interest in the public spotlight. Finding a balance between protecting a child’s image while also signaling a cause for distress, is difficult. In context, media management and limited disclosure of events were rooted in the hopes that Karlie would be home soon.

Looking at activities prior to Karlie’s disappearance with distinct clarity, the Guses were, in fact, taking measures to help Karlie and manage some of her troubles. Most teens go through such phases to some level or another.

There are many complex factors to consider in Karlie’s disappearance. It is a challenging mystery.

-Travis Moore