Portsmouth, Va. - Katie Barham went to do laundry at her apartment complex on May 27th, and never came home. Police have not yet released how she died or if she was murdered. Along with wondering about what happened to Barham, neighbors also want to know what happened to the homeless people living in the woods where her body was found.
"I didn't think anything of it at the time because we have seen so many people go in and out of there, but when we found out that the girl went missing, I was like oh my God," said Heather Applegate, a neighbor. " I saw the two people go in the woods with the tent and then I never saw them come back out."
Applegate and other neighbors told NewsChannel 3 that homeless people live back in the wooded area where Barham's body was found. Ever since the discovery, the people living in the woods have disappeared, making neighbors wonder if there could be a connection between the two.
With no information about Barham's death from police, neighbors are re-examining what they say they saw the last time anyone saw Barham.
"I couldn't sleep. It was bothering me because what if I saw something important and I'm the only person who saw it," said Applegate.
The death of the Portsmouth mother of two has not been ruled a homicide, police are considering it a suspicious death. The medical examiner has not released how she died. With so many unanswered questions weeks after her death, neighbors' concerns are growing.
"It worries me that they haven`t found anything about this woman that just magically vanishing she just vanished and that`s it. They found her body and then it seems like they just dropped it."
