THE MISSING FILES: Mom of Kara Hyde who vanished a year ago fears her stalker ex may have 'burned her up'
The Missing Files is a weekly special feature that looks into cases of missing people across America that have shattered communities and families. It delves into the known facts and the latest updates on these mysterious disappearances.
HAMILTON, OHIO: It has been more than a year since Kara Hyde, then 23, went missing from Hamilton, Ohio. Kara reportedly left her mother's Grand Boulevard home on December 5, 2021, at 1.30 pm. No one has heard from her since.
A year after her disappearance, Kara's mother, Lisa Hyde, is fighting to bring her home. "Kara was a beautiful young lady. She struggled with personal issues and mental health, but she soldiered on. She was smart, creative, funny, and caring, but she was also naive, trusting, and childlike in nature," Lisa, 61, told MEAWW.
READ MORE
'Not a good sign': Internet fears missing 11-year-old Madalina Cojocari may not be alive
'We are desperate to find her': Missing Madalina Cojocari's 'devastated' family's heartbreaking note
"Kara and I were two peas in a pod as she was growing up," she recalled. "She was a shy and fearful child. She slept in my bed until she was 14 years old. We were very close as mother and daughter, but we were also buddies. We had so much fun and giggles."
Kara's struggle with mental heath issues
Kara, however, began struggling with mental health issues very early on in life. "When Kara turned 15, she started showing symptoms of being bipolar. She became plagued with anxiety and depression. She developed severe abandonment issues. She was a sad and angry young lady. At this time she was also being bullied and jumped by several mean girls. She became suicidal and went to the hospital for three different attempts," Lisa said.
"This is a sore spot for me," Lisa continued. "I feel the medical profession failed Kara repeatedly. The hospital did not take her attempts seriously, and she was never held for evaluation. I did get Kara to go to a counselor once. This counselor told Kara she could leave if she didn't want to be there, and Kara left, of course. As she approached her 20's, she started showing signs of histrionic disorder and borderline personality disorder. Her moods and behavior became very uncontrollable. She was now full of rage and sadness."
Kara's struggle with drugs
"At 21, Kara was tricked into ingesting meth. Everything changed, she changed. The self-loathing of her situation/herself sent her on a path of self-destruction," Lisa said. At this time, she was in love with a guy, but she couldn't maintain the relationship. It broke her heart and left her vulnerable. However, she kept her routine, worked every day. She was very proud of the fact she had not had a teen pregnancy, and that she didn't do drugs. Then it happened, she was tricked into taking the drug." Lisa did not specifically mention who tricked her into doing drugs.
Kara soon had a new boyfriend, and Lisa said she believes he turned her daughter against her, to the extent that Kara claimed Lisa abused her. "I have read some of Kara's messages to friends where she tells them I was abusive toward her. I have never abused or mistreated Kara a day of her life. She would tell these stories for sympathy to get what she wanted. It hurt reading those messages, but I understand why she did it. Kara and I did argue a lot over her drug use. I got her to rehab three times, and she left every time. Our relationship was strained and very stressful, but we still had our good days and our laughs," Kara recalled.
Kara's disappearance
"I first realized Kara was missing within the first few days of her not answering my calls. I started calling Kara 20 minutes after she left my house," Lisa said. "I wanted to make sure she came back, because I had important issues to discuss with her. I contacted her best friend, she always finds Kara for me if I can't. I had just found out I had to have life-saving surgery, and I had to go through invasive testing all week. On top of that, my mother was admitted to the hospital, so I was at the hospital for six days dealing with doctors. I ended up having to put my mom in hospice care and get her settled."
"Soon after, an ex of Kara's called and told me he thought Kara might be dead at Crawford Woods. Kara's father said he was going to file a missing persons report, but he did not. I should mention that Kara had been reported missing twice before. The first time we couldn't find her for a week, and her father filed a report. The second time, I was the victim of a horrible scam. A man called me and said he was going to stick Kara and make her scream if I didn't send him money. I was able to pass a note to a cashier and the police showed up and took care of it," she added.
Did Kara have a stalker?
"I believe my daughter fell victim to her stalker ex-boyfriend, the same ex who called me and told me he thought she was dead. I have very many reasons to believe this, but cannot talk about it. I believe he overdosed her. Where he hid her is the question. My worst plausible scenario is that he burned her up, and I will never find her," Lisa said.
"Yes, she had a stalker. The ex stalked him, the same ex that turned her against me. He had control over all of her media platforms and could trace her every move," she added. "I told the cops about my suspiscions over him and they questioned him, to my knowledge." Lisa did not share anything more about the status of the investigation.
The role of law enforcement in Kara's case
Lisa said she has had her "ups and downs with the detective". They are now on good terms. "This is a case that was never going to be solved in a day. Because she wasn't reported missing right away, it really put the detective at a disadvantage. This case has also been plagued with smoke screens and lies. There are a lot of different players and scenarios," she said.
She added, "Due to the drug aspect, it's hard to get facts. As the detective said, "We're dealing with people who if you knock on the front door they're running out the back door." It's a very complicated mess. I do admire that he will bring people in on their warrants if they won't talk to him. I also admire that he has not given up and let the case go cold."
Several searches for Kara
Lisa said there have been multiple searches for Kara, by common people, law enforcement and other organizations. In fact, Kara has a search group called Kara Hyde Search Team.
"I call on them often to go out and search with me. Some of Kara's supporters go out and search on their own at various places, so there is always someone looking for her somewhere," she said. At present, the reward stands at $4,000 for info on Kara's whereabouts.
"This should have never happened to my baby," Lisa said. "She was a good girl and would have been 24 now. She was raised right in a good home, no drugs, no alcohol. She was raised in a God loving home. It just goes to show this could happen to anyone."
"I think the case will get solved if the detective just keeps at it. I am fighting too and I will never stop looking for Kara. She is counting on me to find her," Lisa concluded.