The Tragic Abduction of Katlyn “Katie” Collman

On January 25, 2005, the small town of Crothersville, Indiana, was shaken to its core when 10-year-old Katlyn “Katie” Collman vanished on her short walk to a local Dollar General store. She had left her home on North Preston Street around 3:30 p.m. to buy a roll of toilet paper — an ordinary errand that should have taken only minutes. Katie, a bright, kind fourth-grader loved by everyone who knew her, never came home.

Witnesses last saw her near Preston and Oak Streets, approached by a tall, thin white male in his late teens or early twenties, driving an older white Ford F-150 pickup truck. When Katie didn’t return, her mother, Angela Collman, called 911 at 4:20 p.m., prompting the activation of Indiana’s first-ever Amber Alert.

In the hours that followed, the quiet community mobilized. Police officers, state troopers, firefighters, and volunteers searched through woods, fields, and abandoned buildings, hoping to bring the little girl home safely. Flyers papered every window, and local television stations broadcast her picture across the state. But as the days passed, hope began to fade.

Then, on January 30 — five days after her disappearance — an Indiana State Police trooper made a heartbreaking discovery. Katie’s body was found in a creek bed near Cypress Lake, roughly 20 miles from her home. She was partially clothed, bound with rope, and hidden beneath a pile of brush.

An autopsy later revealed that Katie had suffered blunt force trauma and strangulation, and evidence pointed to sexual assault. The discovery shattered the town of Crothersville, a place where doors were rarely locked and children had always played freely in the streets.

Katie Collman’s murder would go on to spark widespread grief and outrage throughout Indiana and beyond. Her death brought new urgency to the protection of children and the importance of community awareness in missing persons cases.

Though her life was heartbreakingly short, Katie’s memory endures — a reminder of the innocence stolen and the community that came together in sorrow to say her name, to remember her smile, and to promise that she would never be forgotten.