x
Breaking News
More () »

Reward offered for leads in 2006 murder of Karen Chuang

Detectives have no motive for the early morning attack that left 25-year-old Karen Chuang dead from a gunshot wound to the head.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (CBS 8) -- San Diego police are offering a $1,000 reward for leads in the cold-case murder of a young woman in Carmel Valley.

Detectives have no motive for the early-morning attack that left 25-year-old Karen Chuang dead from a gunshot wound to the head.

Chuang had lived in San Diego for just seven months after moving from the San Francisco Bay area to take a job as a computer programmer. She had already made good friends.

"She always had a way of looking at things very positive. She was a very caring person and that's why her friends called her ‘care bear,'" said one close friend who asked not to be identified.

"Crime can take place anywhere and to good people," said the friend. "We need to find out who did this and they need to be punished."

The shooting happened in Carmel Valley around 2 a.m. on Sunday, August 27, 2006 in a quiet condominium complex on Tiverton Drive.

Chuang was returning home from a downtown gathering.

She had parked her car in the complex when neighbors reported hearing a gunshot followed by the sound of footsteps running away.

Chuang died from a single shot to the head.

"It's unusual for someone in her situation to end up a murder victim," said SDPD homicide Lt. Jorge Duran.

Unusual because Chuang was a graduate of UC Berkeley, she had just started a new job, and she was not involved in any high-risk activities, according to Lt. Duran.

"We're not discounting the possibility that someone was maybe prowling vehicles, or someone was looking for a robbery victim," Duran said.

But Chuang was not robbed and her purse was found nearby her body.

Detectives interviewed Chuang's roommate, friends, and past boyfriends but found nothing suspicious.

Police also investigated a threatening voice mail message that Chuang had received from an unidentified female, six months before her murder. That lead never panned out either.

"We're still hoping someone that may have seen or heard anything will come forward and provide information," said Lt. Duran.

Karen's parents and brothers still live in the San Francisco Bay area. She also has a close-knit group of friends who are desperate for answers.

"Right now there is a mother, a father, and two brothers that still wish they can see their sister," said Chuang's friend.

"It's just heartbreaking to see anyone lose their child and to know that they don't have the answers they could possibly have, and maybe a little bit of closure," the friend said.

San Diego Crimestoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest in Chuang's murder. The anonymous tip line is (888) 580-8477.  You do not have to give your name it collect the reward money.

Before You Leave, Check This Out