138: Lois and Karen Williams: A Mother, Daughter, and the Shadow of Melvin Chelcie Carr

About this episode

This episode examines the mysterious disappearance of Lois and Karen Williams and the violent history of Melvin Chelcie Carr.

In January 1967, Lois Williams and her 17-year-old daughter Karen disappeared from their apartment on East 21st Street in Indianapolis, Indiana. Inside, everything appeared untouched: coats hanging in the closet, a lamp left burning, and Karen’s schoolbook still open where she had been studying the night before. Neither woman was ever seen again. Years later, investigators would begin to suspect local service station owner Melvin Chelcie Carr — a man accused of violence against women and girls spanning decades, including rape, coercion, kidnapping, and sexual assault. After Carr’s shocking death in 1977 alongside the bodies of three murder victims, authorities reopened older disappearances connected to him, including the case of Lois and Karen Williams. Police excavated Carr’s garage and backyard searching for evidence. They never found Lois or Karen. In this episode, we examine the disappearance of Lois and Karen Williams alongside the disturbing pattern of violence surrounding Melvin Chelcie Carr, a man some investigators feared may have been responsible for far more crimes than were ever proven. More importantly, we remember Lois and Karen themselves: a mother and daughter…

People in this episode

Host: Jane

Topics covered

• disappearance
• true crime
• violence against women
• investigation
• mother-daughter relationship
• serial violence

Keywords

• Lois Williams
• Karen Williams
• Melvin Chelcie Carr
• disappearance
• true crime
• Indianapolis
• violence against women
• 1967

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Indianapolis, Indiana

More episodes of She Goes by Jane: A True Crime Podcast

• 137: Clackamas County Jane Doe: The Victim Richard Marquette Said No One Would Remember · June 2, 2026 · 1h 1m
• 136: Patricia Weeks & Cynthia Jabour: The Unsolved Mysteries Case of Robert Weeks · May 30, 2026 · 48 min
• 135: The Evidence Left Behind: The Disappearance of Toni Bachman (Part 2) · May 30, 2026 · 42 min
• 134: Missing After Logging Off: The Disappearance of Toni Bachman (Part 1) · May 12, 2026 · 34 min
• 133: Honolulu Jane Doe: The Unidentified Woman Found Alive in Hawaii | Unsolved Case with guest reader Louise Penny · May 5, 2026 · 34 min
• 132: Tammy Lynn Leppert: The Actress Who Vanished | An Unsolved Florida Disappearance with guest reader Kathy Garver · April 21, 2026 · 54 min