Persistence Writes Tragic Ending to Search for Girl

Months of detailed work by a Riverside County deputy coroner resulted in a sort of tragic success Tuesday, when scattered bones found in a remote canyon were identified as those of a 7-year-old San Diego girl missing for 15 months.

It was Alan Kunzman’s insistence on literally sifting the dirt that finally led to the discovery of teeth that were key to identifying the victim. And it was Kunzman’s persistence in tracing hundreds of missing-persons reports that ended in the match-up with Charitie Careins, who was last seen 15 months ago near a Pacific Beach camping area.

“I have children, and I couldn’t stand here and leave things undone,” the deputy coroner said. “This little girl was a human being, and there is no reason to allow a heavy schedule to allow her to be put in a block and forgot about.”

Dental records matched against nine teeth found in San Timoteo Canyon, off California 60 about 120 miles northeast of San Diego, led to the identification, Kunzman said.

The cause of death is unknown, but Kunzman said the discovery of seven fractured ribs indicates that the girl suffered severe trauma. Although an exact time of death has not been determined, Kunzman said the condition of the bones--no traces of tissue were discovered--indicates the girl most likely died soon after she was reported missing Aug. 6, 1988.

Events leading to the identification began June 25, when two hikers in the area discovered a human skull, Kunzman said. Follow-up searches turned up more bones; however, it was not until a fourth search of the canyon, conducted by Kunzman in late July, that investigators found the teeth and lower jaw. Kunzman said animals had contributed to the scattering of the remains.

Since then, Kunzman said, he has made more than 300 telephone inquiries about missing persons who fit the age and anatomical profile that a forensic anthropologist was able to piece together based on the remains. After contacts with many agencies narrowed the search, a San Diego police detective put Kunzman in touch with a dentist in Corpus Cristi, Tex., Charitie’s place of birth, who supplied the dental charts that linked the remains to the girl.

The coroner’s office completed the identification last week and notified San Diego police detectives Monday.

The girl’s disappearence triggered a citywide search and investigation that included a door-to-door search of the Pacific Beach area and the administration of a lie detector test to Charitie’s parents, Jane and Greg Lewis. They passed.

Police believe the child was abducted Aug. 5, 1988, sometime in the afternoon after visiting a friend at the Campland on the Bay recreational vehicle park, nearly a mile from her Betty Street home.

Described by neighbors as “highly independent” for her 7 years, Charitie often traveled throughout the Pacific Beach area unaccompanied. Elizabeth Widtfeldt, a neighbor of the Lewises, said Tuesday that Charitie, unlike Widtfeldt’s 7-year-old son, had few travel restrictions and a liberal curfew.

“Charitie had come to the house several times to play, but I denied permission because I had thought it was too late,” Widtfeldt said, adding that the girl sometimes stopped by in the summer after 8 p.m.

Another Pacific Beach resident, who asked not to be identified, said the girl often traveled beyond boundaries established for her own daughter, who is 4 years older than Charitie.

“You hear about this all the time, but it’s especially tragic when it hits so close to home,” said the Oliver Avenue resident, who lives just a few blocks from the area where police believe Charitie was abducted.

The child’s disappearance might have remained a mystery if not for Kunzman’s persistence. Investigators had all but closed the case after initial searches yielded inconclusive findings. Kunzman, suspecting that a thorough examination of the site would uncover the missing pieces, led a team of searchers who literally sifted through the dirt and brush where hikers found the skull.

Jewelry and hair found with the remains helped confirm the identification, he said.

Kunzman said the results of an autopsy scheduled for later this week may provide more clues to the cause of death.

Riverside County sheriff’s detectives from the Banning station will be investigating, a spokesman said.

Charitie’s mother now lives in Marion, Ind., and was unavailable for comment. Her husband is attending a mechanics’ training school in Florida, San Diego police spokesman Bill Robinson said.