Half a century after a California mother's tragic murder, a DNA breakthrough has finally pinpointed her killer, bringing solace to the daughter she was torn from. Back in 1976, 25 year old Karen Percifield made a trip to Santa Cruz to see relatives. Following a heated family argument, she stormed off to a local bar and vanished, only to be found dead days later in a ravine near Aptos Village Park, Santa Cruz County, with fatal stab wounds.

At the time, Richard Sommerhalder, a 29 year old from Sonoma County, was eyed as a potential suspect but there wasn't enough evidence to pin him for the crime. Fast forward to this month, and cutting-edge DNA techniques, including genetic genealogy and familial DNA testing, have allowed authorities to conclusively identify Sommerhalder as Karen's murderer.

Karen's daughter, Meadow Shumake, now 55, speaks out for the first time, expressing a sense of peace. The Newport, Washington-based artist was just six years old when her mother was slain. In a shocking twist, Meadow disclosed that she remained unaware of her mother's fate until she was 20 in 1988, having been kept in the dark by distant relatives who vaguely claimed "she's with your grandma". It took hiring a private investigator to uncover the grim truth.

Meadow is now determined to commemorate her mother's life and reveal the long-hidden reality to her younger brother Donnie, who is currently serving time at 52 years old. Meadow disclosed that her mother Karen disappeared when she journeyed to Santa Cruz in a bid to find her and Donnie, who had been sent to an orphanage following their father's incarceration.

A family argument led to Karen storming out of the house and heading to a local bar where Sommerhalder was known to hang out, Meadow explained. "I guess he got hold of her and stabbed her to death and threw her over a cliff," Meadow recounted. "I don't have a memory of her. I blocked her out in my mind. But I do remember asking my dad where she was. He said, 'With her mother.' So he obviously didn't know that she had gotten killed."

Growing up, Meadow was kept in the dark about her mother's identity, with her father telling her that Karen was living with her own mother. She confessed: "I would ask everyone who my mom was, I would ask my auntie if she was my mom. I would ask my dad where my mom was, and he would say she was with my grandma. I was curious about who my mother was; that is why I hired a private investigator."

Sadly, Meadow's life was marred by further tragedy. Her grandmother passed away from alcoholism a year after Karen's murder, and in 1979, her father met his end. "My father was killed when I was nine," Meadow shared. "I didn't have any answers from anybody." For years, she grappled with feelings of abandonment before deciding to hire a private investigator to uncover the truth about her mother. "I was angry, I felt ripped off. I was wondering who would have done it, I was paranoid that someone in my family might have done it."

Meadow confessed, "I thought she abandoned me," revealing the emotional toll of her mother's disappearance. "It was a waste of terrible energy. When really, she was dead long before my father." In a move to crack cold cases with modern tech, Santa Cruz County sleuths in 2019 reopened the investigation into the murder, turning to Othram Laboratories' cutting-edge DNA advancements.

Their efforts bore fruit as familial DNA pinpointed Sommerhalder as the murderer. Barely months after the killing of Karen, Sommerhalder found himself behind bars for two separate murders and spent eight and a half years in jail. Cancer claimed his life in 1994 when he was just 47. Recounting the moment justice caught up, Meadow shared, "When I got the call from the detectives, I was in shock."

Year after year, she'd ring them up every Mother’s Day, hoping for news. "Mother's Day would be really hard for me so I would use the day and ask the police for any updates in the investigation." This breakthrough marks the 59th cold case in California solved through the genetic wizardry of Othram's methods.

Relief washed over Meadow, knowing the killer's identity. "It's even more peace knowing that we finally know who did it," she said. "So I don't have to wonder if it was my father's side of the family." Now sober and channeling her energies into recovery, Meadow is turning a new leaf. She divulged, "I was using as many drugs as I could get my hands on," but made the choice to kick the habit.

"So I decided to set them down. I quit methamphetamine. It's like a whole new beginning." She's committed to commemorating her lost mother. Despite a lack of gravesite or ashes, Meadow lamented, "The guy who killed her has a headstone."

Her resolve is clear: "But I think I'm going to have something made for her - somewhere special in the mountains." Meadow grew up estranged from her mother's family, only making contact with her aunts in recent years. "I finally met her sisters about three years ago," she revealed. "I got answers and finally got pictures of my mom."

She's also established a line of communication with her brother Donnie, who is serving time behind bars at the age of 52. "We write back and forth," Meadow shared. Yet, she has not yet broken the news to him about their mother, a revelation she believes will bring him some solace.

After a lifetime of mysteries, Meadow has found her tranquility. "I'm a survivor, not a victim," she declared. "I've totally done a 180 with my personal life - how I live instead of always being depressed and sad and wondering why and who did this."