Katherine Sue Barnum was 24 when she was last seen in Aurora, Colorado, in February 1979. She lived in an apartment near the 900 block of South Salem Street and had been sharing the residence for about two months with Randal Francis Arnold. After Katherine vanished, Arnold told others she had left for California with an unknown man and joined the Hare Krishna movement, but Katherine was never seen or heard from again.

Her sister, Bonnie Buckley, reported her missing that year and the case has remained cold with few leads. An unconfirmed tip from a Drug Enforcement Administration informant said Katherine’s body might have been disposed of in a mineshaft near Central City, Colorado; no remains have been found and that claim has not been verified. Arnold, who had a theft conviction, is deceased. Family members including her mother, sister, and brother have submitted DNA that has been checked against national databases with no matches so far.

What information might bring new focus to Katherine’s case or help locate her remains?