People Magazine Investigates Recap for The Strange Disappearance of Karlie Gusé
-This week’s People Magazine Investigates is called The Strange Disappearance of Karlie Gusé and follows the case of missing sixteen-year-old Karlie Guse.
-Karlie’s father Zac and stepmom Melissa are interviewed for this special. They talk about how they lived in a small, quiet area in the middle of nowhere. Karlie and her brother Cain moved in with them when Zac and Melissa got married.
-The family loved being together and enjoying life. Everyone was pretty close, especially Karlie and Melissa.
-Karlie’s best friend Taylor McCormick remembers meeting her for the first time and how she took her under her wing. Taylor’s mom Kimberly also remembers the girls being close….until Karlie began dating a guy named Donald.
-Melissa remembers the relationship beginning and how they got close quickly.
-On October 12, 2018, Karlie had gone to a football game with Donald, who was going to give her a ride home. However, Karlie called Melissa for a ride home later that night….only to discover she was not at the game but running down the street. She had instead gone to a friend’s house to smoke weed. The entire time, she was acting weird and paranoid.
-Once she got home, she was still acting weird, so Melissa put her to bed. At around 5:30am, she was up, but calming down, so Melissa went to sleep. About an hour later, she woke up to find Karlie gone.
-Zac and Melissa began to look for her, panicked that something could have happened. Karlie left her cell phone behind, but a neighbor claimed to have seen her wandering around earlier that morning.
-The police are called and asked if it is a runaway case. However, Melissa said that she contacted her friends and boyfriend and no one knew where she was.
-Melissa apparently made a recording of Karlie the night before to show why drugs are bad.
-A neighbor claimed to have seen Karlie, but his description was different than the one Melissa gave.
-A search party began. As people began looking for her, more details emerged about the party and drugs Karlie took. Partygoers claimed that they all smoked the same joint and Karlie was the only one who experienced side effects.
-A deeper investigation goes into the party, complete with video evidence showing Karlie acting normally. However, nothing incriminating was found and it only proved that Donald and his friend James, who hosted the party was telling the truth.
-Melissa posts a video on social media begging Karlie to come home.
-Word soon got out that Karlie was smoking a lot of pot and was getting into trouble for being high in class.
-The pot at the party was tested and was proven to not be laced.
-Another neighbor claimed to see Karlie walking on Highway 6, as did another person in the area.
-Theories developed that Karlie could have been kidnapped and trafficked.
-Dateline wanted to cover the case, so Zac and Melissa agreed, despite the fact that authorities warned them against it.
-The interview took place and inconsistencies were found in Melissa’s story. She claimed she lied due to it being an open investigation, but this only led to more trouble for her….to the point where she was being threatened.
-Karlie’s mom Lindsay was also suspicious of Melissa and wondered if she had done something to her and was trying to cover it up.
-Melissa and Zac are investigated, but nothing was found. They went on Dr. Phil with Lindsay, but only to make sure Lindsay wouldn’t spread any lies.
-Lindsay thinks there is a possibility Karlie died from the drugs and Melissa and Zac covered it up.
-The audio Melissa had of Karlie (the drugs are bad one) was released to the public and caused her and Zac to get attacked.
-After a press conference on the one year anniversary of Karlie’s disappearance, the trail went cold.
-In March 2021, authorities got a call that Karlie was picked up on Highway 6, taken to Tonopah, Nevada and something happened to her after at a party. They were also able to provide the make and model of the car in question.
-The car was found and evidence was processed. There is also a person of interest, but as of now, nothing can be released to the public.
-Karlie was honored at her high school graduation and gave her family her diploma.
-This is still an active investigation.
