Denise Wells

* Living photo
* Age progressed

**Karen Denise Wells**, better known as **Denise Wells**, was a young mother who vanished while driving from Oklahoma to New Jersey.

## Background

Denise had lived for a period in South Dakota before moving to Oklahoma to raise her son when she fell pregnant.

At the time of her disappearance, Denise was raising a young son alone and was unemployed. However, according to her parents, she was "handling life well" and loved her son immensely.

## Case

Denise was last seen while travelling from her home in Haskell, Oklahoma to Bergen, New Jersey, where she planned to meet a childhood friend. The road trip began on April 10, 1994 when she dropped her son off at her parents house. While she was there she explained the reasons for her trip and told them that she would be back in four days time. At the time this did not cause concern as Denise was accustomed to driving long distances.

Two days later, on April 12, Denise checked into the Pike Motel in the 1100 block of Harrisburg Pike in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. She called her friend at around 7:00 p.m. to tell her that she would be unable to make it to New Jersey. As a result, they agreed that the friend would drive up to the motel the next day so they could meet there instead. While on the call, Denise also shared plans to go to her room for a nap and buy McDonald's. Denise was last seen at 8:00 P.M. that night when she asked for directions to McDonald's at the front desk of the Pike Motel. She then left alone in her vehicle.

Denise's friend arrived at the Pike Motel just after midnight on April 13. She went up to Denise's room as expected but received no response when she knocked on the door. She then requested assistance from a clerk who unlocked the door with a master key. The friend found that Denise was not inside but she had left all of her belongings including her room key there. Her suitcase was open on the bed and there was a pack of cigarettes on the bedside table but the bed itself did not seem to have been slept in.

There were no signs of a struggle in the motel room but the friend was still alarmed. She subsequently reported Denise missing to the Middlesex Township police.

At approximately 5:30 A.M. that morning Denise's rental car, a white 1993 Plymouth Acclaim with Oklahoma license plates, was found abandoned in a rural area on Route 274. The area, which was in Perry County, Pennsylvania, was not far from the Tuscarora State Forest and contained several hunting cabins.

The vehicle appeared to have been stopped suddenly in the westbound lane. The battery was dead and it had run out of fuel, although passing motorists had attempted to switch the hazard lights on. Because the car was muddy and scratched, authorities believe it may have been driven off road. There were also 600 to 700 miles on the odometer which Denise's travels could not account for. Both the driver's and passenger side doors had been left open.

Inside the car there were empty soda bottles, a small amount of marijuana, maps, a pair of shoes and the remains of a Hardee's fast food meal, including French fries. There were no signs of a struggle in the car but unspecified indicators of criminal activity were discovered.

The area was searched with dogs and helicopters which led to the discovery of Denise's purse which was found in a ditch not far from the car with money still inside. A timeline was also created by police using witness accounts and telephone logs. This suggests that Denise may have travelled to Schaefferstown and Bernville before doubling back to Carlisle.

In later in 1994 there was a possible lead in Denise's case when her boyfriend's wife claimed she received a call from Denise. In this call Denise allegedly said she had got married and didn't plan on coming home. However, this couldn't be confirmed and police don't think Denise actually made this call.

It wasn't normal for Denise to vanish and not explain where she was going. Her family have declared her legally dead and police suspect foul play in her case. Authorities have not publicly named any suspects in Denise's disappearance but they have stated that they believe some of the people they interviewed knew more than they shared.

## Characteristics

* Blonde hair.
* Blue/green eyes.
	+ She wears prescription glasses.
* Pierced ears.
* She has a quarter-inch circular scar on her forearm.

## Sources

* Denise Wells at the *Charley Project*
* Denise Wells at *NamUs*
* Denise Wells at the *Doe Network*