THE MURDER OF CARINA BRIANNE SAUNDERS: PART ONE

BETHANY — Carina Brianne Saunders is more than an unsolved case or a headline. She was a daughter, granddaughter, sister, niece, and a friend. Sadly, her life was cut too short. She was only 19 years old when she was murdered in 2011.

But this story isn't just about what tragically happened to Carina. More importantly, it's about remembering who she was as a person and honoring her life. So, as always, we're going to start with a little background so you can get to know who Carina was.

In the coming weeks, Carina should have been celebrating her 34th birthday. Instead, her family will spend that day without their precious daughter and sister, still waiting for the justice she deserves so many years later.

Carina, meaning "dear little one," was a name that, in our opinion, described her perfectly. She was given that name by her parents, Margie Queen and Richard Saunders, when she was born on July 17th, 1992. Those who knew and loved Carina described her as incredibly intelligent, gifted with a beautiful singing voice, and someone who brought light into the lives of the people around her. And despite the tragedy that followed, one thing will always remain true: she will always be their dear little one.

Carina grew up in Mustang alongside her eight siblings and graduated from Mustang High School in 2010, a full year ahead of the rest of her graduating class. After graduation, she dreamed of becoming either an opera singer or an accountant. She was so full of ambition, full of life, and had an incredibly bright future ahead of her.

Sadly, as life sometimes goes, shortly after moving out of her parents' home, Carina began experimenting with drugs. According to her parents, before her addiction, she was free-spirited, outgoing, and made friends with ease. People naturally gravitated toward her. Over time, however, she became more withdrawn and isolated herself from those who cared about her.

Even so, Carina never stopped trying to turn her life around. She tried to break that habit on several occasions, even going as far as attending rehab. According to her parents, just weeks before she disappeared, she had completed a rehabilitation program. They said they could finally see her light beginning to return. She seemed happier, healthier, and they truly believed she was starting to find herself again.

According to Carina's mother, the last time she saw her daughter was during a surprise visit on September 18th. Margie said the two attended church together that morning and spent the rest of the day simply enjoying each other's company. Looking back, those few hours together would become memories she would cherish forever.

At that time, Carina had reportedly been living with her cousin, Kathryn, who loved her dearly. The two were said to be more like sisters than cousins. The last time Kathryn saw Carina was on September 28th. According to Kathryn's account, the pair went to Taco Bell together that day, but Kathryn left without Carina after it appeared Carina was meeting up with a friend. It has been reported that Carina was later seen leaving that same Taco Bell with a man named Kenneth Richards, often referred to as Kenny. Kenny was reportedly driving a blue or gray Chevy Blazer with 22-inch rims.

That was the last confirmed sighting of Carina by her family.

Oddly, on October 9th, Carina's beloved cousin, Kathryn, received a very strange text message from an unknown number. The message read, "I'm going to bury you next to Carina." Frightened and disturbed, Kathryn took the message to the Oklahoma City Police Department. She also informed Margie about the text, and it immediately raised alarm for Carina's family.

With a mother's intuition telling her something wasn't right, Carina's mother filed a missing persons report with the Bethany Police Department on October 10th. Like any parent, she was determined to find her daughter. She immediately began making missing person flyers and posting them around town. Taking her youngest child with her, Margie searched all over the area, doing everything she could to spread the word about Carina's disappearance. While searching for Carina, Margie noticed that her daughter had suddenly stopped posting on social media with her last post being on Sept. 28th. To her, it was another sign that something wasn't right.

As for that disturbing text message sent to Kathryn, investigators were able to identify the sender as a man named Kyle Savage. According to reports, Savage had been friends with Carina for more than two years. With Carina missing, the timing of the message immediately raised suspicion. However, Savage maintained his innocence. He claimed the text message was nothing more than a poorly timed joke and denied having anything to do with Carina's disappearance or, as we'll sadly learn, her murder.

Just three days after the missing persons report was filed, on October 13th, Carina's dismembered remains were found in a field behind what was then a Homeland grocery store near Northwest 23rd St. and Rockwell Ave. in Bethany. What happened to Carina was, in our opinion, pure evil. That's the only way we can describe it.

And before we move forward, reader discretion is strongly advised. The following section contains graphic details that some readers may find disturbing. What investigators discovered that day was truly horrific.

According to court documents, there were feral cats living in the field behind the Homeland grocery store in Bethany. On October 13th, animal welfare officials went to the area in an attempt to trap the cats and relocate them. While doing so, they noticed a black duffle bag in the field and a smaller laundry-type bag nearby that was emitting a foul odor. Very concerned by what they found, they contacted the Bethany Police Department immediately. When officers arrived on scene, they immediately noticed the odor and began investigating the contents of the two bags. Upon opening the black duffle bag, they discovered decomposed human remains, including legs, portions of a torso, and arms. The smaller laundry-type bag contained what appeared to be a human head and part of a neck.

The Bethany Police Department then requested assistance from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. Following the discovery, Carina's remains were transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for further examination. Keep in mind, at that point, investigators didn't yet have confirmation that the remains belonged to Carina, although officers reportedly suspected they were hers.

Carina's remains were officially identified through dental records. Investigators then contacted Carina's parents and asked them to stay home from work because they needed to meet with them immediately. A short time later, they arrived at the family's home to deliver the heartbreaking news. And this is the part that hurts our hearts the most. According to various reports, when Margie learned what had happened to her daughter, she let out a gut-wrenching scream. It was, in our opinion, the kind of grief and pain that no parent should ever have to experience.

The authorities were able to quickly determine that the location where Carina's remains were found was actually a secondary crime scene, meaning she had been killed and dismembered somewhere else before being left in the field. They also estimated that Carina had been deceased for approximately three to four days before her remains were discovered that day.

According to the Bethany Police Department, investigators learned that Carina had connections to local drug dealers and drug users. Police said this was an underground world that many people are afraid to talk about, and that fear has greatly affected the investigation and the pursuit of justice. It's also been reported that detectives interviewed more than 80 witnesses. Many of those individuals were allegedly struggling with addiction or were associated with Carina's circle.

Once news of Carina's murder made headlines, investigators learned of another potential witness who came forward. According to reports, a man named Keegan said he saw Carina sometime after September 28th at an apartment complex, Studio 41 Apartments, where he claimed she had been staying for more than a week after her cousin last saw her at Taco Bell on Sept. 28th. Keegan said the two had gone to school together and recognized each other almost immediately. He said Carina told him she was staying with the property's handyman and his son. According to Keegan, the two crossed paths several times while she was there. One day, he learned that Carina hadn't eaten in a few days, so he bought her something to eat. He also noticed that she carried everything she owned in a sack, so he gave her a green duffel bag. According to reports, that small act of kindness meant the world to Carina. Keegan said he saw Carina again a short time later, but after that, he never heard from her again.

And we're going to stop there for Part One.

In Part Two, we'll walk through the investigation, the evidence, the people connected to the case, and where the investigation stands today. As always, our goal is to remember Carina, present the facts, and continue keeping her story alive.

Part Two coming soon.

Source: Official court documents, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner's autopsy report, forensic reports, newspaper archives, and publicly available news reports. We strive for accuracy in every story we publish. While we’ve done our best to verify the information presented here, we recognize that investigations and available information can change over time. If new verified facts become available, we will update our reporting.