NEW YORK – A spokesman for the New York City Police Department says they are confident a teen found with amnesia is not missing Belton teenager Kara Kopetsky.
Police say the teen showed up in Manhattan two weeks ago with no memory of her family, home or even her name.
The police spokesman would not say how they concluded that the girl is not Kara, but said the girl is instead from somewhere along the West Coast.
Police say a Maryland woman has come forward and said the girl is from Washington State. They are currently on their way to New York to be reunited with the 18-year-old.
After looking at the girl's picture, Kara’a mother, Rhonda Beckford, said she doesn’t think the girl is her daughter either because the eyes of the girl in New York are blue, while Kara’s eyes are hazel.
"It always just kind of stops your heart for a second," Beckford said. "And then after two-and-a-half years, I've kind of guarded myself. I don't jump to conclusions. I don't get all excited."
The girl, who is being referred to as Jane Doe, was found in midtown Manhattan on Oct. 9.
"I just want to know who I am," the teen said in a statement released by the New York City Administration for Children's Services. “I want to know who I am, and what happened to me.”
At one point, she wrote down the name “Amber,” and responded to the name on one occasion, but she says she has no idea whether or not it is her name.
The teen is described by Children's Services as "very soft-spoken," 5 feet 6 inches tall, light-skinned, with short, straight, cropped blond hair and blue eyes. She has no discernable accent.
Children's Services also added that she recently found herself recalling the words to what turns out to be an excerpt from a fantasy novel called “Fool’s Fate” by the author Robin Hobb.
According to the Children's Services statement, the girl is reviewing materials for a high school GED exam, saying she is able to do the math, but has no memory of studying the science or history materials. She, however, can easily retain the information.
The teen is estimated to be between 14 and 17 years old.
Kara would be 19 today. Kara is 5 feet 5 inches tall and 125 pounds. She has light brown hair, hazel eyes, and a scar on her forehead.
Kara was last seen May 4, 2007. A surveillance camera at Belton High School recorded the last moments of her known whereabouts. See Video Below
Kara did not come home from school that day. She did not show up for work, and did not answer her mother’s repeated phone calls. That evening, Kara’s mother and stepfather, Jim and Rhonda Beckford, reported her missing.
On Thursday, May 17, three people reported seeing Kara at a gas station in Louisburg, Kan., with a young man.
Despite extensive media coverage, several searched, and multiple leads, no one has been able to find Kara.
Kara’s stepfather and brother have seen the photos of the two girls, and say they do not believe the teen from New York is Kara. However, they are hoping the comparisons will keep Kara’s story out there, so someone will recognize her.
Cpl. Peek with Belton police says that his department has been in touch with New York police and they are assisting in any way they can. However, he said they do not believe the girl in New York is Kara.
