The body of Karen Jenkins, a Creighton alumna and Metropolitan Community College and Werner Institute professor, was identified Sunday near 40th Street and Ames Avenue in Omaha.
The 48-year-old was last seen at Hank’s Place, a bar Karen co-owned, and she was reported missing by family members on Oct. 18.
Twenty-five to 30 people from the Jenkins family and the Creighton and Omaha communities searched the five-block area from where Jenkins disappeared. The search, which took place Thursday through Saturday, ended when two people who weren’t involved in the investigation discovered her body near an abandoned house on Saturday.
Arthur Pearlstein, the director of the Werner Institute and a law professor, expressed the blow Jenkins’ death dealt to her former colleagues.
“Karen worked for us at the Werner Institute; she taught here for a year,” Pearlstein explained. “She was a gentle, smart and decent person, and her death is a tragic shock to all of us here. We hope that the perpetrator(s) of this cruel and inhuman deed will swiftly be brought to justice. In our grief we offer our deepest condolences to her loving family.”
Ricardo Ariza, the director for the Center of Multicultural Affairs, and Michele Millard, Jenkins’ friend of 15 years, led the search team. Ariza knew Karen through her sister, Cynthia Jenkins, who is on his staff.
Karen Jenkins attended lectures on
campus and social events, and she participated in activities sponsored by the Center of Multicultural Affairs. Ariza praised Millard’s dedication during the difficult search.
“I am most thankful for Michele Millard, who has been incredibly strong and has served as a true leader, giving support and direction,” he said.
“She has been a beacon of light for a lot of people.”
Ariza and Millard indicate that Karen Jenkins’ loved ones will miss her dearly, remembering her as a kind, funny, wise and delightful individual.
“We are all lost in this, certainly family and friends,” Millard said. “The whole community lost someone who was willing and trying to make a difference.”
Authorities are processing the crime scene, considering Karen Jenkins’ death a homicide, and they are checking the area for any possible witnesses and evidence. They ask for the public’s help: Anyone with information about the homicide is urged to contact Omaha Crime Stoppers at 444-STOP.
For those wishing to support Karen Jenkins’ family, Dr. Stephanie Wernig, the director of Institutional Research, started a reward fund through Creighton Federal Credit Union. The fund is currently accepting donations for the Jenkins family.
A prayer service will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 1, in St. John’s Church.