Katarina “Kat” Bitterman, 17, has been missing from her home in Parma, Ohio, since March 4. (Facebook)
An Ohio girl who vanished a day after her 17th birthday has been found safe at a home in Salem, Massachusetts, WJW-TV reports.
Local police and the FBI had been searching for Katarina “Kat” Bitterman since March 4, when she was last seen walking near her family’s house in Parma. She was found unharmed six days later.
A 19-year-old man, who has not yet been identified, was arrested at the house in Massachusetts where Bitterman was found, police said. He will be extradited to Ohio to face unspecified charges.
Authorities had previously called Bitterman an “endangered missing person.”
FBI agents in Cleveland contacted the bureau’s office in Boston, and agents there found her at the house. No other details have been released.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Police Found Her Cell Phone in the House, the TV On & Her Family’s Dogs Outside
(Parma Police)
Katarina Bitterman was at home alone about 1:30 p.m. on Saturday after her parents left for the night, WKYC-TV reports. They were not planning on returning until Sunday.
A neighbor told police she saw Kat walking down the street on Augustine Drive near her house about 2 p.m.
Her parents said she didn’t answer her phone when they called to check on her about 4 p.m. They then sent friends to check on her, but she wasn’t home. They later reported her missing to police.
Her cell phone was left inside the house, but she took her ID and house keys with her. Her family’s dogs were outside.
“Maybe she was going to the store to get a snack? She took her key. She left the dogs out in the yard with the TV on, with her parents not coming back till the next day,” her friend, Serena Vale, told WKYC. “She wouldn’t leave those dogs out there that long and with her taking the key, it sounds like she was trying to come back.”
Parma Police Captain Kevin Riley told WOIO-TV on Monday, “She hasn’t reached out to anybody so, because of that fact, because nobody’s heard from her she certainly could be in danger and we’re treating it as an endangered missing person case until we find her.”
Riley said she didn’t pack anything and the neighbor who saw her didn’t think she was walking in a hurry.
“The fact that she left her cell phone behind, didn’t pack any clothing and what not obviously makes us very concerned for her safety especially because she’s had no contact with her family and friends,” Riley told WOIO earlier this week.
2. Teams of FBI Agents & Police Went Door-to-Door in Hopes of Finding Leads in the Case
Breaking:Teams of police & FBI agents going door to door in Parma, looking for info about missing 17 yr old Katarina Bitterman.@WEWS
Teams of FBI agents and police officers went door-to-door- in Parma on Wednesday in hopes of finding new information about Bitterman’s disappearance, WJW-TV reports.
17 yr old last seen leaving on Augustine Dr., Sat. She hasn’t been seen since. Police consider her to be endangered missing person. @WEWS
They searched the neighborhood around Bitterman’s home and a police dog picked up her sent at an intersection down the street, WKYC-TV reports.
“Then nothing,” Parma Detective Kevin Riley said.
Wooded areas around the house were also searched.
The search was focused on the Cleveland Metroparks’ West Creek Reservation on Thursday, WKYC-TV reports.
The FBI planned to conduct an aerial surveillance search and is considering bringing in a civilian search team. Park rangers and K9 teams were combing the area.
No new evidence led them to the park, police said, it was chosen as a search location because it is close to her home.
Neighbors also handed out missing posters around her neighborhood. A vigil had been scheduled for outside her home at 7 p.m. on Friday, but has since been cancelled.
3. Her Parents Say She Was Happy When They Last Saw Her & She Is ‘Very Responsible’
(Parma Police)
Bitterman’s parents told WKYC-TV their daughter was in a good mode when she left and her disappearance is not in her character.
“She was happy. She was dancing around showing me her new pajamas before we left. She was going to take a nap and work on her school project. She was excited about her school project,” her mother, Kristina Bitterman, told the news station on Tuesday. “She was going to be doing the modeling for the class so she was excited about that.”
Her mother said, “It was so out of character for her. She always replies to my texts and always calls me back. She’s very responsible. The 2 hour ride home was rough, the not knowing.”
Her father, Lou Bitterman, told the news station, “It’s a pain I thought I’d never know.”
“It’s like your heart stops beating, waiting to hear some news,” Kristina said. She said her daughter’s disappearance makes no sense.
“Just poof! Gone,” Lou told the news station. “You go from a moment of shock, to a moment of thinking she’s going to walk through that door any minute. It’s extreme sadness to anger.”
“We just want her home. We love her. No questions asked. We just want her home. Katarina, please come home because your family loves you and misses you very much.”
4. She Is a Junior at Normandy High School With an Interest in Cosmetology
(Facebook)
Kat Bitterman is a junior at Normandy High School, WKYC-TV reports.
Bitterman has an interest in cosmetology, her parents told the news station.
She is a member of the cosmetology club at the school and was looking forward to an upcoming competition, a friend said on the website WebSleuths. The friend said Bitterman often wore earrings shaped like hair-cutting scissors.
Her parents said she was staying home to work on a school project related to the cosmetology competition.
5. Bitterman’s Boyfriend Said He’s ‘Worried Sick’ & It’s ‘Not in Her Character at All’ to ‘Act Up or Anything’
Katarina Bitterman with Nathan Ziegler. (Facebook)
Bitterman’s boyfriend, Nathan Ziegler, told WKYC-TV he is “worried sick” about her.
“This is not in her character at all. She goes by the rules all the time. She’s never one to act up or anything. I just hope she’s OK. I love her,” Ziegler told the news station.
Bitterman’s friend, Serena Vale, told WKYC, “She’s not the type to run away from things. She wouldn’t run away from her problems like this.”
