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FREE STORY: Just in time for Christmas, missing girl calls home
A local family’s prayers were answered Friday afternoon.
Jennifer Saums received a phone call from an undisclosed person and was connected to a three-way call that included her daughter Karrigian.
“It was an overwhelming moment. I think I was awestruck,” Saums said about hearing her teenage daughter’s voice for the first time since Oct. 29. “It was hard to believe what was happening.”
Jennifer and her husband, William, filed a missing person’s report when they realized 16-year-old Karrigian had never gone to work that day at the Brazil Walmart. It was Karrigian who had asked Jennifer to pick her up at the Walmart parking lot at 9 p.m.
“I waited and waited,” said Jennifer, who called her daughter’s cell phone repeatedly. “Karrigian never came out. She didn’t answer her phone. I never even knew she was missing.”
The family soon discovered their teenage daughter called off work, saying she was sick. Karrigian apparently left the area with a new boyfriend known only as “Alex” or “Alejandro” after last being seen at the Brazil Walmart, and they left for Indianapolis.
Soon, Karrigian’s Facebook account was closed, and activity on her social media accounts ceased. The only way the family or her friends could find out anything about Karrigian was gone.
As the Brazil Police and Indianapolis Metro Police departments began to investigate the case as a runaway incident, the Saums family felt the situation was very out of character for their daughter.
William said Karrigian loved her large family, being one of seven children. The former military family has lived in various places over the years. When the decision to leave their Indianapolis home and move to a smaller town came about, Karrigian was instrumental in that decision.
“We gave her several options to live in small towns in the area, and she picked Brazil,” said Jennifer. “We wanted to give our children the opportunity of living in a small town and the stability that provides. She was happy here in Brazil. She loved this house.”
“Karrigian wanted to plant a rose bush under her bedroom window so it would grow all around it,” said William.
Karrigian was doing well in school. The Northview High School junior was looking forward to graduation and going on to college with aspirations of a career in healthcare. There were other plans too; like attending a concert in May with her mother and a few family friends, plans with friends from school and for the upcoming holidays.
December 3 was supposed to be Karrigian’s 17th birthday party, and she especially looked forward to decorating for Christmas.
“None of this makes any sense,” said William. “I just want my daughter to come home.”
Karrigian’s absence caused anxiety at home. While Jennifer and William struggled to keep it together for their family. At times, they found it challenging to hide overwhelming fears and the tears that inevitably come when left alone too long to think about their missing child.
Karrigian’s brothers and sisters, especially the younger ones, had difficulty sleeping. They were afraid of the dark and the possibility that maybe they would go missing too.
Thanksgiving passed by, and, although Karrigian was still missing, the family decided to make plans to gather on Saturday, Dec. 22.
“It’s been hard, but we did decorate for our other children. Our family will gather for Christmas, but it’s not really Christmas for any of us without our daughter,” Jennifer told The Brazil Times on Wednesday as part of an update on the story. “I just wish she would come home or call us, that something would happen before Christmas Day. We need to know she is OK. We all need to hear her voice and know she’s alright.”
On Thursday, the Saums family was “lifted up in prayer” by a local church group.
“I believe in the power of prayer,” said the worried mother.
On Friday, Jennifer said all her fears quickly faded away at the sound of Karrigian’s voice on the phone.
“I was so elated to hear from her finally,” Jennifer said. “A weight was lifted off my shoulders, off all of our shoulders at that moment.”
On Saturday, Karrigian traveled with family members from Indianapolis to Logan Street for a private Christmas celebration.
As the entire family begins to deal with Karrigian’s choices to leave home, they are very grateful to the community who offered support and to all the law enforcement officers who worked the case.
“We would like to extend our gratitude to everyone for their help in bringing Karrigian home,” said Jennifer. “We wanted to know she was alright before Christmas. That was all we wanted. This is our Christmas miracle.”