Locked in the Flood: The Glasses That Didn't Belong to Water

Locked in the Flood: The Glasses That Didn't Belong to Water A pair of dry burgundy cat-eye reading glasses hung eighteen inches above the Catawba River on February 9, 2014 - coiled around a trotline where no current could have carried them. Karen Padgett left a birthday dinner at 8:15 PM to fetch a card from her car and vanished in less than two minutes; what the glasses and river reveal about where she actually went - and who met her there - is the question that will keep you listening. In this episode, we follow the timeline from a family gathering on Draper Mill Road to a low-resolution surveillance image that contradicts everything searchers initially believed, and we ask how eight days of assumptions cost precious time in finding Karen. Where did a careful, reliable woman go between 8:17 and 8:29 PM, and who was waiting for her? Person: Karen Padgett Age: 52 Date: February 7, 2014 (disappearance) and February 9, 2014 (glasses found) Location: Draper Mill Road / Crossing Mart / Catawba River Status: Missing - Karen left a birthday dinner at approximately 8:15 PM to retrieve a greeting card and never returned. - Her phone last contacted a cell tower at 8:17 PM, consistent with Lynette Marsh’s driveway. - Surveillance at the Crossing Mart recorded Karen at 8:29 PM arriving from the south, wearing a dark green fleece and seen with an unknown man. - A pair of dry burgundy cat-eye reading glasses was found suspended 18 inches above the Catawba River on February 9, 2014, coiled at the left hinge. - Karen had worked every Wednesday at a Gaston County food pantry for six years and had missed only two Wednesdays in that period. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].