Tuesday marks 30 years since Karol Marlene Sullens was last seen alive when she disappeared from a Galena nightclub.
“Over the past three decades, numerous tips and information have been received and followed up on, leading investigators and other organizations to search multiple areas, fields and mine shafts in Southeast Kansas and northeast Oklahoma. Unfortunately, none of those searches have allowed us to recover Karol’s body,” said Cherokee County Sheriff David Groves.
Sullens was last seen at the Valley Of The Dolls nightclub on Seventh Street in Galena on Aug. 31, 1991. She walked outside to speak to two men in a dark-colored pickup truck with a camper shell. She was working as an exotic dancer in 1991. Sullens has neither been seen nor heard from again.
Donald D. Kidwell was charged with second-degree murder in Sullens’ death in June 2001. The warrant used to arrest Kidwell alleged that he was responsible for Sullens’ death “unintentionally but recklessly under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life.” Kidwell pleaded guilty in spring 2002 to battery and obstruction of official duty and received 18 months and a $1,500 fine for his involvement in her disappearance, although he stated he did not sexually assault Sullens and did not intend to cause her death. The other person charged in Sullens’ death was Don Davis.
In exchange for his testimony, Davis told the court in the fall of 2001 that he drove Sullens and Kidwell from the nightclub to a remote area. According to Davis, Kidwell later returned to the truck without Sullens.
Davis has since passed away. The plea agreement stipulated Kidwell would give a “truthful statement of the events causing the death of Karol Sullens and as to where the remains of Karol Sullens may be located.”
“The family of Karol Sullens has suffered far too long with grief and agony over not being able to properly lay their loved one to rest. Because we believe there may still be someone with information as to where Karol’s body is located, a $30,000 reward is being offered for direct information leading to the discovery of her remains,” Groves said in a prepared statement.
The funding for the reward is being made available by a private source.
If someone has specific information related to Karol’s whereabouts, they can contact the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office at 620-429-3992, 620-848-3000, visit the agency website at www.cherokeecountykssheriff.com or by text 888777. Just type “tip cherokee” followed by the specific information they wish to provide.