On Thursday, October 28th 1954 Karen asked her mom to go out trick or treating with her cousin Paul. Her neighborhood had decided to hold their trick or treating on that night because Halloween fell on a Sunday that year. Karen was wearing a Kewpie doll mask, which is a mask modeled after a popular baby doll at the time. Kewpie dolls were a symbol of love and innocence and modeled after Cupid, which makes what happened that night that much more tragic.
Karen Diane Mauk
Birth: 10/25/1948 - Death: 10/28/1954
Ethnicity: Caucasian - Sex: Female
Hometown: Conemaugh Township, PA - Cambria County
Crime Scene: Her body was found in the East Taylor Township Cemetery, which is where Harry Gossard claimed that he "blacked out" and killed her
Last Known Location Alive: Trick-or-treating in her neighborhood
Injury Description: Extensive bruising, blood running from mouth, died of suffocation
Additional Information: On March 5th Harry Gossard took the stand in his own defense where he told the court he was guilty of murder and explained how he lured 6-year-old Karen Mauk into his car and drove her to the cemetery where he smothered her after he “had abnormal sexual relations with her”. However, he then claimed he “blacked out” and “couldn’t believe she was dead” when he awoke. Finally, on April 19th 1955 the 3-judge court ordered Harry Grossard to be put to death for his crimes against Karen Mauk.
Kewpie Doll Mask