Friday, October 8th 2021, 6:46 pm
Sara Saunders is the older sister of Carina Saunders, a young woman who was killed nearly 10 years ago. Her murder remains unsolved.
Saunders hopes becoming a homicide detective will help others feeling the same pain she does get answers.
Saunders shared her sister Carina's story to a class of cadets.
“I'm here because of my little sister. She was probably one of my best friends. She was a sweetheart,” she said.
Saunders remembers how Carina lit up every room she walked in and how all of that was taken away from her.
Carina was killed and her remains were found in a duffle bag in a field behind a grocery store in Bethany.
Related: Part 3: Who Killed Carina Saunders?
Sara believes human trafficking played a part; an issue one local nonprofit has been battling for years.
“It definitely is a need and an area that all of us as Oklahomans need to be aware of. Whether it be homelessness, or prostitution, or human trafficking the numbers are still high,” Dr. Lori Basey, No Boundaries International co-founder said.
“I was very angry with Bethany PD for a long time and angry with OSBI. I didn't understand why it had been years upon years with no answers,” Saunders said.
Her anger turned into wanting to take action.
“I want to be a homicide detective because I don't want any other families to suffer what my family has suffered,” she said.
Saunders is in the Metro Tech Basic Peace Officers Certification program. A program that helps individuals get their CLEET certification. Her goal is to let families of victims know she's on their side.
“I want to be that person that can sit down and look at them and be like, ‘Breathe, take your time. I've been there I know how this feels. Talk to me,’” Saunders said.
Saunders is set to graduate from the program at the end of this month.
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