Unsolved Ohio: Where is Carla Losey? Columbus woman vanished 23 years ago

Yahoo

13-03-2025

View NBC4's previous coverage of the Brian Shaffer March for the Missing featuring Mandy Conner above.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – More than two decades after a young woman vanished from a Columbus bar on New Year's Eve, her family continues to fight for closure in a case they feel has been forgotten.
The family of Carla Losey has not seen or heard from her since 2002, when she disappeared at 20 years old. Her brother Justin Conner described her as a 'firecracker,' and her mother Pam Conner said she loved children and always dreamed of becoming a mom.
'We all have kids now that she should be able to meet,' Justin Conner said.
On Dec. 31, 2002, around 5 p.m., Losey left her mother's house to go to the now-closed El Grotto bar where she worked as a dancer, according to a Columbus police report. That evening, the establishment, located at 2324 W. Broad St., closed early around midnight after a fight broke out, previous news reports claim.
Losey then left the bar, and she was not alone — an unidentified man accompanied her. The pair was last seen by Losey's coworkers headed across the street toward Junebug, another bar that has since shuttered. Junebug was directly across the street from El Grotto and was no more than a one-minute walk.
Losey had plans to go to her mother's house on New Year's Day but did not show up, Losey's older sister Mandy Conner said. About five days later, one of Losey's close friends and coworkers called Pam Conner, telling her she had not seen Losey since New Year's Eve.
'There might be a couple days that nobody would hear from her, so it wasn't unusual, but five days was definitely unusual,' Mandy Conner said.
On Jan. 12, 2003, Pam Conner reported her daughter missing, according to a police report. Twenty-three years have passed since, and the case remains cold. However, Losey's family has reason to believe she may be deceased.
Shortly after Losey's disappearance, a friend of Jessica Conner, Losey's younger sister, told her he heard his coworker say someone Losey was romantically involved with shot her in the head and disposed of her remains in a landfill. Columbus police have not confirmed this story or publicly named the individual as a suspect.
'[My friend's coworker] didn't even know at the time he was sharing that information that [my friend] knew who my family was,' Jessica Conner said. 'He was just saying my roommate said he shot his girlfriend and put her in a landfill.'
Additionally, Losey had gotten into an argument with the man she was dating at Forty Motel on West Broad Street — where she frequently stayed — as she got ready for work the day she went missing, according to one of her coworkers. Her family claims the man had previously physically harmed her.
Losey's family said based off physical appearances, they believe her partner at the time and the man she was last seen with are two separate individuals. They feel it is more likely her disappearance is connected to her relationship, rather than the man she was last seen with. A Columbus police report states foul play is suspected.
'It's no closure because you just don't know,' Jessica Conner said. 'It's the worst feeling, I wouldn't wish it on anyone.'
Over the years, Losey's family has passed out flyers, appeared in multiple news interviews and started a Facebook page dedicated to finding her. Pam Conner said she feels like no one cares about her daughter's case, and the family believes her lifestyle may be related to why her disappearance has gone unsolved for so long. Along with her job as an exotic dancer, Losey was known to be involved in prostitution.
'Just because she lived a different life, doesn't mean that it's still okay for her to go missing,' Mandy Conner said. 'People shouldn't judge the lifestyle she was living in order to not look for her, because she's still human. So with her being human, we should all be looking for her, not just sweep it under the rug.'
'She's still somebody's daughter, somebody's sister, somebody's cousin, somebody's niece,' Pam Conner added through tears.
A spokesperson for the Columbus Division of Police said the department does not have any updates about the case to share.
At the time Losey went missing, she was 5 feet 6, 135 pounds, and had brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing all black clothing including a leather jacket. She had a mole above the right side of her lip and below her right eyes, as well as a scar across her forehead, according to the Ohio Attorney General's Office. Today, she would be 42 years old.
Anyone with information on her disappearance may contact the Columbus Division of Police at 614-645-4545 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers' anonymous tip line at 614-461-8477.
If you're a family member of an individual with an unsolved missing persons or homicide case in Ohio, reach out to [e-mail].
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