'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
This week's new episode of Dateline explores the double murders of Karen Harkness and her fiance, Mike Sisco. On July 7, 2002, the couple was found dead in the basement by her parents.
When investigators reached the scene, Karen and Mike had been shot to death, and their bodies were discovered naked. Authorities were initially unable to find enough evidence that could lead them to the murderer, and the case went cold by 2004.
It was only in 2009 when the case was taken back again, after DNA evidence provided crucial details about the murderer. The new Dateline episode, Deadly Obsession, explores the complete investigation behind the murder of Karen Harkness and her fiance, Mike Sisco. The episode is set to be released on April 4, 2025, at 9 pm EST.
Trending
What happened to Dateline subjects Karen Harkness and her fiance Mike Sisco?
As per The Topeka Capital Journal, Dateline subjects Mike and Karen lived together in their duplex, located in Topeka, Kansas. Before Karen, Mike Sisco was married for several years to a woman named Dana Chandler.
The couple shared two children, but their relationship started to strain during the 1990s. The couple eventually separated, and Mike took custody of the children. Soon after, he started dating Karen Harkness, and the couple moved in together with the children.
Before the murder, Mike and Karen went to a casino in Kansas. The surveillance tape records from the casino and the gas station revealed that the couple was not involved in any kind of conflict during their journey.
The couple was supposed to reach their residence by the early hours of the next day. However, on July 7, 2002, when the couple's friends and Karen's parents decided to stop by their residence, they found the back door open.
Karen's father, Harold, went inside the residence searching for the couple and found their bodies in the basement. Both were naked and had been shot multiple times. Forensics revealed that the couple was shot 11 times.
Investigators found a strand of hair and a chewing gum, which had the DNA sample of an unknown person. Officers from the Topeka Police Department began investigating the couple's friend and family circle. This included Karen's previous partner and the couple's children.
However, no suspicion was initially cast on Dana Chandler, and she was dismissed early in the investigation. When investigated by the Topeka Police Department, she revealed her credit card purchases, trying to prove that she was staying in Denver at the time of the murder. Without any more concrete evidence, the case went cold in 2004.
The case of Karen Harkness and Mike Sisco was reinvestigated in 2009
As per CBS News, in 2009, when Chad Taylor was elected as the new district attorney for Shawnee County. Taylor contacted Richard Volle, who was the lead detective behind the Dateline episode murder case.
The preserved pieces of evidence were retrieved and sent for examination using the latest forensic technology. In 2011, authorities from Oklahoma arrested Dana Chad, who was residing there at the time.
As per CBS News, the case went to trial in 2012. Within just 83 minutes, the jury delivered a verdict. Dateline episode culprit Dana Chandler was charged with the first-degree murder of Karen Harkness and Mike Sisco.
On August 29, 2012, Dana Chandler was sentenced to two life imprisonments, receiving a minimum of 50 years for each murder. However, as per KSNT, the court later overturned the verdict after it was discovered that the prosecutor in the case lied to the jury. Chandler would now be sentenced on June 3, 2025.
Check out our other articles to learn more details about more cases on Dateline on NBC.
