On August 9, 2013, Karen Lange left her Pendleton, Oregon, home for a late-night stroll without knowing what disaster awaited her. Surprisingly, Karen didn’t come home that night, and the next day, police discovered her lying on the side of the road, brutally battered and on the verge of death. The terrible assault is detailed in “Dateline: Someone Was Out There,” along with Karen’s eventual rehabilitation. Let’s look into the facts and discover Karen’s current whereabouts, shall we?
Who Is Karen Lange?
Karen Lange, a native of Pendleton, Oregon, was adored and respected by all of her loved ones. Although reports indicated that Karen taught Bible School in her spare time, she was also intimately connected to the nearby church and regarded as an important part of the neighbourhood. Additionally, many who knew her described her as a nice and kind person who treated everyone with care and kept friendly contacts with most individuals in her vicinity. In fact, Karen was singled out for praise for her friendly demeanour, which made the attack on her all the more surprising.
On August 9, 2013, everything went as usual, and Karen went for her evening walk as usual. When she didn’t show up within the allotted time, though, her husband became very worried. Soon after, a team of volunteers started looking for the missing woman. The police were notified of the event in the interim, and even though they conducted a thorough investigation, there was no word on Karen for several hours. The next day, 911 dispatchers eventually received a call from a local who claimed to have spotted Karen by a nearby walking route. Additionally, when first responders arrived on the scene, they saw that the victim had been brutally beaten with a heavy item and was in danger of passing out. Karen was consequently transported right away to a nearby hospital, where she spent a few days in a coma.
In the interim, the police were successful in identifying the offender on CCTV, and they even located the weapon, a metal pipe, concealed among a few baseball batting cages not far from where Karen was found. Furthermore, the culprit was identified as Lukah Chang, also known as Danny Woo, once officials created a sketch based on their information. Contrary to appearances, Lukah was quickly apprehended and charged with crimes after the police got useful information from concerned residents.
When Lukah was apprehended, the authorities were able to connect him to Karen’s attempted murder using DNA evidence. Additionally, Amyjane Brandhagen’s murder on August 14, 2012, when she was discovered dead in a Pendleton Motel restroom, was linked to Lukah by DNA. Instead of claiming innocence, Lukah boldly admitted to his misdeeds and even said he killed Amyjane in order to experience what it’s like to take another person’s life. Thus, when confronted in court, the defendant admitted guilt to one count of murder and one count of attempted murder, earning him a 35–life sentence in 2014.
Where Is Karen Lange Now?
Karen Lange spoke about the attack in a 2013 interview with KEPR, saying, “At first I didn’t want to, but sitting here and looking around-it feels more like a win since I wasn’t beaten by the whole incident. I was happy to hear that Lukah was found guilty. That caught me completely off guard and is still kind of haunting me because I was so close to not making it. Karen had to endure extensive rehabilitation in addition to numerous surgeries and medical procedures at the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, despite the fact that she continues to have severe memory loss and tracheal damage.
However, Karen was adamant about recovering fully, and with the support of her loved ones, she was able to. She continues to reside in Pendleton, Oregon, and according to a 2013 story, the survivor worked part-time as a secretary in a Pendleton law office. In addition, Karen has since her ordeal featured on a number of TV shows and documentaries, and we wish her the best in the years to come.
