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KOKOMO, Ind. — An arrest has been made in the disappearance of an 18-year-old Kokomo woman who walked into a house in October 2016 and was never seen by friends and family again.

Flint Vincent Farmer, 57, of Kokomo was arrested at a residence in the 600 block of South Purdum by the Kokomo Police Department around 1 p.m. on Monday and charged with one count of murder.

According to the Kokomo Police Department, Farmer is accused of murdering 18-year-old Karena McClerkin who was last seen on Oct. 11, 2016.

Gerry McClerkin, Karena’s grandmother, has been searching for answers to her grandaughter’s death for nearly six years.

“She walked into a house on S Washington; the 1000 block; and she never walked out supposedly,” McClerkin said. 

“The last words I heard my granddaughter tell me when I asked her to move in with me was, ‘I’ll be okay mamaw,’” McClerkin explained. 

Since Karena’s disappearance, Kokomo police have investigated numerous leads. For years, the case was cold until the fall of 2021 when police said investigators received new information on Karena’s disappearance. Working with Indiana State Police and other resources, investigators were able to determine the events that occurred on or about Oct. 11, 2019.

After presenting this information to the Howard County Prosecutor’s Office, a warrant was issued for Farmer on one count of murder.

Police haven’t revealed the details in the break in the investigation that lead investigators to Farmer.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact Lieutenant Richard Benzinger at (765) 456-7324, rbenzinger@cityofkokomo.org, or the Kokomo Police Department Hotline at (765) 456-7017.

To remain anonymous, call Central Indiana Crime Stoppers at 1-800-262-TIPS.