Colorado Springs, Kara Nichols 19

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Parents of missing woman plead for help

COLORADO SPRINGS - The parents of a missing Colorado Springs woman are pleading for help in locating their daughter. At a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Paul Nichols asked the community to share any information, no matter how small, about his daughter Kara that could help investigators locate her.

"This is a girl of Colorado Springs, of Rockrimmon, of Briargate, neighborhoods that we know; people know us, they know Kara," Nichols said. "Please think about this and any information you might have, it would be very, very helpful."

The 19-year-old was last seen leaving her apartment in the 6700 block of Mission Rd. on October 9th. Sheriff Terry Maketa says she regularly kept in contact with friends and relatives through calls, emails, text messages and via social media. He says her cell phone hasn't been used since the day she disappeared.

"That in and of itself is very concerning because all of a sudden it stopped," Maketa said.

Kara's roommates said she took cash with her and left for Denver with an unfamiliar brunette woman. The sheriff's office also released a photo of a second woman who they believe met with Kara earlier in the day.

"Neither of them are suspects in anyway," Maketa said. "They're just people we are trying to contact that we know had contact with Kara at least the last date she was seen."

Nichols is described as 5' 8", 120 pounds with blonde hair and green eyes. Flyers posted to a Facebook page created by the Nichols family also show her with dark hair.

Anyone with information is encouraged to cotact the El Paso County Sheriff's Office at 719-390-5555 or by email at [e-mail].

www.koaa.com/mobile/news/parents-of-missing-woman-plead-for-help/

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Authorities trying to find 2 women last seen with Kara Nichols, 19, missing aspiring model

Sheriff: Women considered witnesses, not suspects

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -Law enforcement investigators are trying to identify two brunette women who were the last people seen with 19-year-old Kara Nichols, an aspiring model from Colorado Springs, on the day she vanished last month.

El Paso County sheriff's officials said in a Tuesday statement that the teenager's eagerness to break into the modeling business may have "caused Kara to fall prey to a subculture of modeling business fronts that many times involve illicit drugs and prostitution."

"This subculture could have exploited a teenage girl who may have lacked the life experience to see the inherent risks. Our investigators have uncovered several websites which are not the cause of Kara's disappearance, but sites which relate to this subculture," sheriff's officials said.

At an afternoon news briefing, investigators said that they consider the two brunette women to be witnesses -- not suspects -- in Nichols' disappearance.

Authorities released two photos of one brunette they're seeking, asking the public's help in identifying her. In one photo, the woman has long dark hair and a large tattoo covering her left upper arm.

A sheriff's investigator told 7NEWS reporter Don Champion they believe the woman in the photo lives in the Denver area.

Nichols was last seen on the evening of Oct. 9 as she left her home located in the 6700 block of Mission Road in Colorado Springs, sheriff's officials said. She left behind key personal items -- her purse and driver's license --suggesting she planned to soon return home.

She told a roommate that she was going to Denver to check on a modeling job.

Since that day, the young woman who constantly used her cellphone and social media to stay in touch with family and friends hasn't been heard from, officials said.

"All of a sudden that stopped -- no communication since then, especially from a person who was an extrovert, who was always reaching out to people," said Sheriff Terry Maketa.

The abrupt end of contact with Nichols makes "this disappearance more concerning," Maketa said.

The missing teen's father, Paul Nichols, urged the public to help find his daughter.

"She was a delightful daughter, a delightful kid," the father said, describing a "very bright, very creative" young woman with a passion for art and fashion.

"She had sparkly eyes and she was very interested in art," Paul Nichols said.

"She just could’ve been anything. She could've had the world at her feet," the father said. "To see that she's missing now is just a crushing blow."

Investigators are concerned that Nichols may have fallen victim to criminals using the lure of modeling dreams to exploit women.

"This was a good young kid who wanted something so badly and really believed in the people who told her that they could hand it to her," said sheriff's Detective Cliff Porter.

Investigators don't know if the two brunette women they're looking for are also connected to the modeling business.

They said Nichols spent much of the day she disappeared with one of the brunette women. Porter said the two brunettes -- including the one whose photo they released -- know one another.

Ako Pah is a Denver photographer who met Nichols two years ago at a concert. He photographed her in April.

Like police, Pah has no clue where she could be. He said he does not recognize the woman in the photo provided by the El Paso County Sheriff's Office.

"I think it's the first time I worked with a model that's been missing. Most of my models are my friends. My close friends," he said.

He is now posting her photo on his Facebook page, hoping she returns safely.

A page on ModelMayhem.com lists Nichols as a model looking for work.

"I've done mostly lingerie shoots so far but I'm extremely open minded," her ModelingMayhem.com biography states. Nichols also worked at a Colorado Springs restaurant.

Nichols is described as white, 5 feet 8 inches tall, 120 pounds with blond hair and green eyes.

Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to call the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office at 719-390-5555 or email tips to [e-mail].

www.thedenverchannel.com/news/colorado-springs-area/authorities-trying-to-find-2-women-last-seen-with-kara-nichols-19-missing-springs-lingerie-model

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Missing teen Kara Nichols update: New prostitution ad surfaces

MARCH 26, 2013

Will Kara Nichols ever be found? Are investigators still paying attention to internet activity related to her disappearance? If so, they should be aware of the latest advertisement that's popped up online, but the mainstream media has not produced a lick of information about it. This is a breaking news report that is being shared here on Examiner News first on March 27, 2013.

A new prostitution advertisement surfaced on the escort booking site "My Red Book," a site popular for finding and reviewing independent and trafficked women. This advertisement doesn't share the photos of Kara Nichols, but the name of the account posting the ad is the very same one that posted back in November as Kara herself. The ads are no longer active, but the screenshots of them can be found here at this Examiner post. The name of the account is "702Hotgirl" and the advertisement was posted on March 26, 2013 -- though the girl depicted is not Kara.

As stated in the original Examiner article, this could mean a number of things. This so called "702Hotgirl" could be simply using random photos of "models' in a bait-and-switch escort operation -- and be completely not connected to Kara's disappearance. On the other hand, there are very clear and present fears of human trafficking in this case, which has already been compared against the disappearance of Raven Cassidy Furlong -- another missing Colorado model.

Some research on the handle "702Hotgirl" turned back some very interesting results, and all of them indicate that hooking is what this handle is used for -- but to what degree? Back in November of 2012, the mother of Kara Nichols refused to acknowledge the possibility that her daughter was involved with prostitution -- whether forced or willing -- but later she spoke to the media and admitted that Kara was a prostitute. So where is she now?

There have been no confirmed sightings of Kara since her disappearance, which is immediately concerning. If she's still out there somewhere, she could very well be the victim of human trafficking, and it wouldn't be too far fetched of a theory to assume that this "702Hotgirl" knows a little something about it.

www.examiner.com/article/kara-nichols-breaking-update-new-prostitution-ad-surfaces

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Missing model Kara Nichols turns 20 today

Posted: 05/20/2013

DENVER - A Colorado model who hasn't been seen in seven months is turning 20 today.

Investigators believe Kara Nichols, of Colorado Springs, was headed to Denver for a modeling job on October 9 when she disappeared.

Nichols' mom, Julia, is not giving up on finding her daughter. She hung up new flyers in Colorado Springs on Saturday asking the public to help find her daughter.

"It's a dreadful thought to think about Kara being somewhere where no one can help her," Julia Nichols said.

El Paso County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Joe Roybal said investigators are concerned Nichols disappearance could be suspicious. They issued an alert for Nichols in late October.

A page on ModelMayhem.com listed Nichols as a model looking for work.

"I've done mostly lingerie shoots so far but I'm extremely open minded," her bio states.

Nichols is described as 5 feet 8 inches tall, 120 pounds with blond hair and green eyes.

Learn more: www.facebook.com/HelpUsFindKaraNichols

www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/missing-model-kara-nichols-turns-20-today