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Justice Unresolved: Ohio woman Kara Hyde's mom believes her BF killed her, ‘He told her he would make her disappear’
Kara Hyde was 23 when she went missing from Hamilton, Ohio. Her mother, Lisa Hyde, spoke to HT.com about shocking events before and after her disappearance.
Justice Unresolved is a series of articles examining cold cases, disappearances and unsolved crimes that continue to haunt families and communities in America. The stories revisit the known facts, unanswered questions and latest developments in cases where the search for truth is far from over.
Kara Hyde was a “bubbly” girl of 23 when she went missing from Hamilton, Ohio. She left her mom Lisa Lyde’s Grand Boulevard home on December 5, 2021, at 1.30 pm, and that was the last time anyone ever saw her.
Lisa believes she knows what happened to her daughter: her then-boyfriend, who had been stalking her, hurt her. In a conversation with HindustanTimes.com, Lisa opened up about the case, her daughter’s struggle with mental health issues, and the man she suspects.
‘I raised the most beautiful and perfect daughter’
“I've never publicly said this before because I don't want to offend any other mom, but I feel like I loved Kara more than any mom has ever loved her daughter,” Lisa said. “Kara and I spent almost every day of her life together. Our bond was solid, unbreakable. We were each other's cheerleaders. We were mom and daughter and grew to become like sisters too. We were also best friends.”
“We had so much fun together, especially when we danced. We loved to walk through the woods, wade creeks, and explore. We were mall rats. We didn't always go there to shop. We would sit and eat our soft pretzels and make up funny stories about the passing patrons. Kara was everything to me. She was my whole life and still is. She was my rock and I was hers. I raised the most beautiful and perfect daughter. I was so proud of her. She always brought me a flower she found or some little gift. She was the kindest, sweetest, most beautiful and giving person I have ever known,” she continued.
Lisa added, “Fate took her away from me sadly. Even in the end, she remained sweet, and I found out she also was giving flowers and gifts to others. Our love for each other never changed even though things were difficult in the end.”
Lisa opened up about Kara’s then-boyfriend, who she said “hates women with a passion.” She called him a “monster” who “traps young, vulnerable girls” who are then “drugged, pimped out and kicked to the curb once they are used up.”
“I've been told many stories of his abuse towards women and it's deplorable. I knew he would kill Kara. She was so naive and trusting,” Lisa said.
“I tried banning him from her and my house before they became involved. They just started meeting up elsewhere. He was the father figure Kara was looking for, being older and more savvy. He's a Svengali,” she added.
Lisa alleged Kara became hooked on drugs after a cousin “crushed up meth” and told her “it was aspirin for her migraine.”
“My daughter came home after and stayed in her room for two days, screaming and crying, cursing herself and her cousin. Kara tried so hard to stay away from it. She even went to Florida with a boyfriend to get away from it. Then the monster showed up. She moved in with him and I lost her,” said Lisa.
“The man would never let me talk to Kara alone. He introduced her to fentanyl. He fed her drugs every day. He had all of her social media accounts’ information and knew where she was every second,” she added.
Lisa alleged that the man would share “nasty” posts pretending to be Kara. Kara had to change her passwords multiple times.
“Kara got kicked to the curb when he had to do a court ordered rehab stay. She would stay here or couchsurf. She was broken and I could not get through to her anymore. He left rehab early and made a beeline to Kara,” she said.
Lisa said that Kara too was trying to get help with rehab. She went for help three times, but ended up leaving each time.
Kara’s boyfriend told her mother ‘something had happened’ to her
Lisa recalled that the guy called her on Facebook and told her something had happened to her daughter.
“He was actually the one who let me know something had happened to Kara,” said Lisa. “She had left my house to meet up with him for drugs at the park. He called me on Facebook on December 12, 2021. I knew then that he had killed her. He started our conversation with, "Honey, dear, I think something might have happened to Kara. I wanted to puke.”
“We never spoke to each other before, just stewed in our hatred for each other. I kicked him out of the house, I threatened him with the police when I caught him dealing drugs on my patio! For him to address me this way was just another clue. I ran into him at the store eight months after Kara went missing and confronted him. He denied any involvement,” she added.
Lisa recalled that the man was “extremely nervous and kept messing with something in his pocket” before he handed her Kara’s favorite ring, which Lisa referred to as “more proof.”
“He claimed Kara sold it to his sister-in-law and he bought it back from her to give to me. Kara was wearing that ring when she left my house on December 5 to meet him. They met up a half hour after she left. She doesn't drive. When did she have time to sell her ring to his relative? If he meant to give it to me, he knows where I live and has my phone number. Why wait eight months? I did my own investigation, of course. His reputation is far worse than I imagined,” she added.
Lisa added that she tried to reach out to the sister-in-law who supposedly bought Kara's ring, but she did not respond.
Lisa said that she has a list of at least 30 people who told her he is responsible for whatever happened to Kara, and that many people believe he “burnt her up.”
“He told her he would make her disappear,” Lisa alleged. “He didn't say he was going to kill her. Big difference. One of his friends told me he searches websites about how to make a body disappear. This friend had no idea why he was searching for this.”
Lisa said that there are rumors of murders and suspicion surrounding the death of his wife in 2018 and his fiancé in 2019.
Kara's friend died in October 2021, Lisa said, and rumors swirl that Kara was present with the suspect that night and witnessed him getting beaten with some type of club. The friend had bruises all over him when he died, according to his sister.
“The friend overdosed that night from the suspects’ drugs, or so I've been told by a lot of people. This may be the reason Kara had to go; she knew too much,” said Lisa.
Lisa revealed that the person she believes killed Kara is in prison now on other charges. She described the current situation as “a make or break moment in this case,” adding, “I believe we may have answers soon.”
How mental health professionals ‘failed’ Kara before her death
Lisa said that Kara battled various mental health issues, and that professionals “failed” her during her journey to healing.
“I took Kara to a counselor because she was depressed after being bullied by many girls. Kara wanted help, she wanted to be her bubbly self again, but her bullies were relentless. The counselor asked Kara if she wanted to be there. Kara shrugged and told her it was more my idea, and the counselor told her she could leave if she wanted. Kara ran out the door crying. She was 18. Later, Kara became suicidal,” Lisa said.
“The first trip to the hospital was cause Kara said she was thinking about suicide,” Lisa recalled. “They said they would hold her for 72 hours and she would see a doctor for help. They left us in the ER room for eight hours. Kara was hungry and tired of waiting. So we left.”
Lisa said that they went to the hospital again when Kara attempted suicide by swallowing pills.
“The doctor's advice was for me to lock up my medicine, even though the pills she swallowed were not mine. They were Kara’s friend’s. We argued in the hallway. I demanded a 72-hour stay. The doctor walked away while I was still talking,” said Lisa.
Kara attempted suicide again. She was admitted to the hospital but did not get the help she needed, Lisa said.
“The hospital staff said that during her stay, Kara did not show any signs of being suicidal. They said that when asked how she was feeling, Kara would always reply that she was better. I'm sure she said that because she thought she was finally going to get the help she so desperately needed. I asked them if they could refer her to a doctor who could help. They asked me to contact our family doctor but she needed a mental health doctor. Kara and I sat in the car in the parking lot afterwards and cried our hearts out. Kara said the doctors didn't care about her,” said Lisa.
“I feel like if they had helped her and treated her and got her proper care, Kara would still be here. With treatment and medicines, she could have lived a normal life again. Untreated, her life spun out of control,” she added.
Has law enforcement been helpful?
Lisa said that she has “nothing but praise” for how law enforcement worked on Kara’s case.
“This case never sat on a shelf, never got cold, because authorities have always been working on it. I believe they will solve this case through his sheer determination,” Lisa said, expressing her gratitude towards the detective working on the case.
There is a $4,000 reward for information leading to Kara’s discovery, Lisa said. She runs a Facebook page – Find Kara Hyde – to keep her daughter’s case in focus.
“If Kara was still here, I would want her to know how proud I am of her,” said Lisa. “The first thought I had when I learned Kara was missing was that my daughter was going to take him down so he could hurt no one else. And she did, I believe.”
“I would just hug her and never let her go if I could. Kara and I didn’t need words to communicate. She knew what I felt and I knew how she felt. We were like one. She told me she loved me the day she walked out my door and vanished, but I never got a hug and it eats me up inside,” she concluded.
A GoFundMe was recently started to help Lisa honor Kara’s memory “with a special place to mourn and remember her.”
Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
