OSBI Investigators Dig For New Evidence In Carina Saunders' Case

State investigators are digging for new evidence in the unsolved murder of Carina Saunders.

News 9 was the first to take you to the excavation site at home near NW 10th St. and N. MacArthur Blvd., Monday morning.

Saunders' family is cautiously optimistic, Monday night, as investigators dig in at a home on 504 Oakdale Dr. OSBI agents, acting on new leads in the case, are looking for evidence that's been missing from the very beginning.

“Coming over here I knew it was going to be hard. It hurt it really did,” said Carina’s sister, Sara Saunders.

Sara had to see if for herself; the OSBI and other agencies excavating a home looking for new evidence in her sister’s murder.

“I can’t get my hopes up because I fall every time and that is a hard thing to work back through,” said Sara.

She and the rest of Carina's family have endured many dramatic twists and turns in the case throughout the years.

The OSBI says this is one of the better leads the agency has received since taking over the investigation in 2013.

“It’s a very complex case with a lot of information. We just have to sort through all the information and this is doing that right now,” said OSBI spokesperson, Jessica Brown.

When Carina's body was found in 2011, dismembered in a duffle bag in this field in Bethany, the medical examiner determined some of her body parts and clothing were missing.

Multiple sources indicated that's the evidence authorities are hoping to find at the home, but the OSBI is not revealing any specifics.

“We are searching an area with our ground penetrating radar to look for any anomalies in the ground,” said Brown.

The excavation could take up to five days. A recent tip led the OSBI back to the home. Kenny Richards lived there in 2011. He was initially questioned by Bethany Police, but never arrested.

Sara says Carina was with Richards the last time anyone in the family saw her alive. She's relieved tips have come in allowing investigators to take a second look.

“I’m ready for it to be over. It’s like waiting for a ship that never comes in,” Sara told News 9.

The digging wrapped up for the day around 5:30 p.m. News 9 is still trying to reach Kenny Richards for comment.