Kara Robinson Chamberlain was 15 when serial killer Richard Evonitz abducted her in South Carolina in 2002. She survived 18 hours of captivity, escaped and provided investigators with information that linked Evonitz to three previously unsolved murders. Today, Chamberlain hosts a true-crime series focused on missing-person and homicide cases while encouraging families to trust their instincts and keep seeking answers.
Her work is shaped by both her experience as a survivor and her former career in law enforcement. She says the cases she investigates are not simply mysteries, but the ongoing stories of families living with loss and uncertainty.
| 1) | A warning instinct before the abduction |
| 2) | Surviving 18 hours of captivity |
| 3) | Evidence, pursuit and unanswered questions |
| 4) | A mission centered on missing families |
| 5) | From survivor to investigator and advocate |
A warning instinct before the abduction
On June 24, 2002, Chamberlain was visiting a friend in South Carolina when Evonitz arrived in the driveway. She noticed that his presence seemed unusual but dismissed the concern. He approached with pamphlets, asked whether her parents were home, then held a gun to her neck and forced her into a storage container in his vehicle.
Chamberlain now says people often suppress intuition to avoid appearing impolite or hurting another person’s feelings. She believes children should be taught that an uneasy feeling can be an important safety signal.
“Listen to your intuition and teach your children how to listen to that intuition.”
Surviving 18 hours of captivity
Evonitz took Chamberlain to an apartment in Columbia, South Carolina, where she was repeatedly sexually assaulted and restrained. During the 18 hours she was held, she quietly memorized details about the apartment and her surroundings.
When Evonitz fell asleep, Chamberlain freed herself and reached people sitting in a car in a parking lot. She asked them to take her to police. She later described dissociation and deliberately appeasing her captor as trauma responses that helped her remain focused on survival and lower his guard.
Evidence, pursuit and unanswered questions
After reaching a police station, Chamberlain guided officers to Evonitz’s apartment, but he had already fled. Investigators later tracked him to Sarasota, Florida. As police closed in, Evonitz died by suicide at age 38.
Evidence from the apartment, other residences and his vehicle connected Evonitz to the killings of three teenage girls from Spotsylvania County, Virginia: Sofia Silva, 16, and sisters Kristin Lisk, 15, and Kati Lisk, 12. Chamberlain believes he may have had additional victims, but his death left those questions unresolved.
A mission centered on missing families
Chamberlain hosts “Somebody Knows Something,” a series that revisits unsolved disappearances and murders with relatives and investigators. The program seeks renewed attention and new information that could help move cold cases forward.
She says families should be allowed to tell the full stories of their loved ones rather than being defined only by how someone disappeared or died. Her goal is to help generate leads, while recognizing that no investigation can erase the trauma of loss.
“Closure really is a myth.”
From survivor to investigator and advocate
In 2010, Chamberlain completed training at the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy and joined the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. She worked as a school resource officer, sex crimes and child abuse investigator, and victim advocate before the birth of her children.
That experience informs her conversations with grieving relatives. In one case, she said she recognized that a father wanted to speak about who his missing daughter was, not only about the circumstances of her disappearance. The series airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on Freeform and streams the following day on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.
| Number | Key Point |
|---|---|
| 1 | Chamberlain escaped after 18 hours of captivity in 2002. |
| 2 | Her information helped connect Evonitz to three teenage girls’ killings. |
| 3 | She advocates trusting intuition while acknowledging different trauma responses. |
| 4 | Her television work focuses on unsolved disappearances and murders. |
Summary
Chamberlain’s survival story led to a career serving victims and investigating crime. Through her current television work, she is using that experience to bring attention to families whose cases remain unresolved, while emphasizing that their loved ones are more than the circumstances of their disappearance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who abducted Kara Robinson Chamberlain?
Richard Evonitz abducted Chamberlain from a friend’s home in South Carolina in June 2002.
How did Chamberlain escape?
She memorized details during her captivity, freed herself while Evonitz slept and persuaded people in a parking lot to take her to police.
What is Chamberlain’s current work?
She hosts “Somebody Knows Something,” which examines unsolved disappearances and murders with families and investigators.
