| Graduation Year | Class of 1984 |
| Date of Passing | Dec 27, 1986 |
| About | Cara Evelyn Knott, a 20-year-old college student, was found dead on Sunday, December 27, 1986, in a creek bed off Interstate 15 was strangled, the San Diego County coroner's office said Monday. Detectives had theorized that Cara Evelyn Knott died from a beating or from being thrown off a bridge over Mercy Road on Old Highway 15, which runs parallel to Interstate 15 south of Poway Road. But Deputy Coroner Jerry Hillbrand said Monday that an autopsy revealed that it was "strangulation by another person" that caused Knott's death. The coroner's report did not say whether Knott had been sexually molested. Knott's clothed body was found about 8:30 a.m. Sunday after she failed to arrive at her El Cajon home the night before. Knott had telephoned her parents at about 9 p.m. and told them she was leaving her boyfriend's house in Escondido, about 45 minutes away. A credit card sales slip found in her car indicated that Knott had stopped for gasoline at the Chevron station near the North County Fair shopping center in Escondido. A graduate of Valhalla High School, Knott was a junior at San Diego State University, where she was studying to become an elementary school teacher. Her father, Sam Knott, said he contacted police at 11 p.m. Saturday but they couldn't respond because of the department's policy requiring a 24-hour wait before beginning a missing person investigation. It wasn't until a search party organized by Knott found his daughter's abandoned car at 6:30 a.m. that police officers began searching and discovered her body about two hours later. Knott at first expressed anger over the Police Department's lack of response but Monday said that he was in "contact with the homicide group. They're extremely professional and I have all the admiration for the team members." He also said that he was hoping to establish a volunteer search group that would begin looking for missing persons before the 24-hour waiting period for police--an idea he proposed to both Mayor Maureen O'Connor and City Manager John Lockwood on Monday. "I spoke with them for a lengthy time. They were extremely helpful . . . extremely interested about what happened," Knott said, adding that he is scheduled to meet today with Police Chief Bill Kolender. Knott also said Monday that he was surprised to learn that Mercy Road dead ends under the Old Highway 15 bridge, and the area is commonly referred to as a "drug stop." "It takes something like this to put the spotlight on it," Knott said, his voice rising in anger. "I'm going to be moving forward to shut down the access to that cul-de-sac. Thousands of cars drive by there." Knott described his daughter as "an accomplished artist. One of her favorites was an ink drawing of an otter." He said she was an environmentalist who cared about endangered animals. "It has been a very difficult time," Knott said. "I just appreciate the warm support of the community. It has been very heart-rending." He said the $10,000 reward initially offered by the family for information leading to the arrest of Cara's killer has probably been doubled by additional donations from friends and neighbors. Anyone who wants to contribute to the reward can call Crime Stoppers at 531-2683, said Sam Knott. Memorial services for Cara are scheduled for Wednesday noon at Glen Abbey Memorial Park in Chula Vista. |
