Parma Residents Thinking About Missing 17-Year-Old
Source: Benjamin Howell / Getty
PARMA, OHIO – It is getting to be wedding season at Amour Events & Design in Parma.
Yet today, they were not planning for a party. Instead they were putting their talents to a different use.
“To raise awareness about Kat,” owner Cherie Meadows said. “We’re not forgetting about her.”
Saturday marks one week since 17-year-old Katarina or “Kat” Bitterman went missing from her home on Augustine Drive.
She had stayed behind to watch the family’s dogs while her parents took a trip. When they had stopped hearing from her, they reported her missing.
A neighbor claims to have seen her walking down the street around 2:30 p.m. She had left her phone at home.
“She’s a smart girl. And she’s gorgeous,” said Diane Kostal, a concerned parent. “We just want her to come home.”
This week, Parma police, Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Deputies, and even the FBI became involved. They used a special search plane in the air and a K-9 unit on the ground.
They searched the Cleveland Metroparks behind the Bittermans’ home. But so far, nothing has turned up.
Some neighbors say they have grown suspicious of registered sex offenders.
“It’s heartbreaking for the community not to know what happened,” Diane Kostal said. “Are our kids safe playing outside? Was she abducted?”
READ MORE: WKYC.com
Article and Video Courtesy of WKYC Channel 3 Cleveland
Picture Courtesy of Benjamin Howell and Getty Images
