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Who Was Karen Stitt & What Happened to Her? 2026 Update & Profile

by · January 8, 2026

Karen Stitt was a 15-year-old high school student attending Palo Alto High School in California. Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Karen was new to the area but had quickly adjusted to her surroundings and made close friendships. She was known as vibrant, spunky, and full of life, with a growing sense of independence that matched her eagerness to explore her new home.

Karen’s social life was active. On the evening of September 2, 1982, she made a routine trip to Sunnyvale to visit her boyfriend. The couple played video games at a local 7-Eleven and walked together to Golfland, a nearby miniature golf course. Late that night, around 12:30 a.m., her boyfriend escorted her to the corner of El Camino Real and South Wolfe Road, where Karen planned to catch a bus back home. That would be the last time she was seen alive.

The Discovery of Her Body

Early the next morning, a delivery driver made a grim discovery behind a low cinder block wall near the Honey Bee Restaurant, about 100 yards from the bus stop. Karen’s nude body was found bound with her own clothing. Her jacket was wrapped around one ankle, and her shirt had been used to tie her wrists. The medical examiner later determined that Karen had been sexually assaulted and stabbed 59 times.

The brutality of the crime shocked the Sunnyvale and Palo Alto communities. Despite an intensive investigation, including efforts to identify a suspicious panel truck seen in the area, no suspect was arrested. Karen’s boyfriend, the last known person to see her alive, was initially treated as a suspect but was eventually cleared through DNA analysis in the early 2000s.

A Cold Case That Haunted Investigators

Karen’s murder haunted detectives for decades. Physical evidence from the crime scene, including blood and bodily fluids left by the attacker, remained preserved. However, technology at the time was insufficient to generate leads. The investigation eventually went cold, but her case was never closed.

Years later, Detective Matt Hutchison of the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety took a fresh look. In 2019, he began working with a specialist in investigative genetic genealogy. By tracing the DNA through public genealogy databases, the team narrowed down the likely suspect to one of four brothers from Fresno, California.

Identification and Arrest of Gary Gene Ramirez

In April 2022, detectives collected DNA from a child of one of the four brothers. The results pointed to Gary Gene Ramirez, a 75-year-old man living in Makawao on the island of Maui, Hawaii. On August 2, 2022, Ramirez was arrested. His DNA matched both the blood and bodily fluids recovered from Karen’s body more than 40 years earlier.

Ramirez was extradited to California and charged with Karen’s murder. On February 24, 2025, he pleaded no contest to first-degree murder. In May 2025, he was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. Given his age and the severity of the crime, it is unlikely he will ever be released.

A Community’s Long-Awaited Justice

The sentencing marked the end of a decades-long journey for Karen’s family and friends. Her loved ones filled the courtroom as Ramirez, using a cane and seated silently, listened to impact statements from those who had lived with the grief for over four decades. Many shared how Karen’s absence continued to shape their lives. The pain of her death had not faded.

District Attorney Jeff Rosen said, “Over 40 years ago, Karen Stitt lost her life, but she was not forgotten.” The successful prosecution underscored how advancements in forensic technology and the persistence of cold case investigators can bring resolution, even after many years.

Karen’s Legacy

Karen Stitt is remembered as more than a murder victim. Her story has become a symbol of the power of persistence and the critical role of modern forensic science. Her name now joins a growing list of victims whose cases were solved through investigative genealogy—a tool that has transformed cold case investigations nationwide.

For Detective Hutchison and the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, the resolution of Karen’s case represents a commitment to every victim, no matter how much time has passed. Karen’s memory lives on in the hearts of those who knew her and in the renewed hope her story brings to other unsolved cases.

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Ryan Gill

Ryan is a passionate follower of true crime television programs, reporting on and providing in-depth investigations on mysteries in the criminal world.

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