Kirsa Jensen case

Kirsa Jensen (born December 15, 1968) was a 14-year-old girl who lived in Napier, New Zealand when she disappeared on September 1, 1983, while riding her horse, Commodore.

Her horse was found wandering near the Tutaekuri River but few traces of Jensen were ever discovered, and the missing persons case remains unsolved.

Disappearance

At around 3:00pm on September 1, 1983, Kirsa collected her horse for an afternoon ride to a local beach. The last confirmed sighting was of Kirsa, with a bloodied face, and her horse near a gun emplacement at the mouth of the Tutaekuri River. She was also seen speaking to a man in a white utility vehicle around the same time.

The search

When Kirsa failed to return home by 5:30pm, her family began to search for her, and alerted the police shortly afterwards. Though her horse was located, continued searches by police and volunteers over the following days, including through the local river and other waterways, failed to turn up any signs of the missing girl.

On September 6, a $5000 reward was offered by a Napier newspaper for any information leading to the recovery of Kirsa.

The man in the white utility vehicle

One of the most important pieces of information received was from a passer-by who noticed a girl fitting Kirsa's description by the gun emplacement, being held length by a European man, who was approximately 1.8 meters tall and 45 - 50 years in age.

The same witness also noted a white utility vehicle with brown sides which was parked close by. Another witness stopped and talked to Kirsa at the gun emplacement, who noticed her bloodied face, which she told him had occurred when she fell from her horse. Kirsa advised the witness that someone had gone to collect her parents and that she expected them to arrive shortly.

Another witness advised police that at approximately 4.30pm he had driven past a white utility vehicle coming off the bridge. The driver was described as a brown-haired white male, approximately 20 - 30 years old. His arm was around the girl passenger's shoulders and was driving using one hand. Kirsa's horse Commodore was seen by several witnesses after this, tied to the gun emplacement.

References

* [http://www.crime.co.nz/c-files.asp?ID=34] Crime.co.nz article on Kirsa Jensen

External links