Kim Larrow
The Crime
Kim Larrow, a teen from southeast Michigan, was last seen on June 8th, 1981, at Stroh’s Ice Cream Parlor, where her best friend worked. She had made plans with her best friend to meet at Hagerty Field in Hines Park in Canton, MI, but never showed up. She was not reported missing for days and her mother was relatively uncooperative with investigators. Originally, it was believed that she ran away and would come home when she was ready. However, Kim’s sister claimed it was not like Kim to leave without reaching out.
Just one week prior to her disappearance, Kim had moved from her father’s residence in Dundee to her mother’s residence in Canton. Despite her habit of hitch-hiking, Kim’s family stated that she always contacted someone when she ran away. Larrow’s father, Arnold Larrow, later hired a private investigator to help find Kim.
The Victim
15-year-old Kim Larrow was known to regularly hitch-hike and disappear for days. She was known for her spunky and rebellious spirit with a love for laughter. She was also known as very loving and caring.
Before her disappearance in 1981, Larrow had run away from her mother’s house twice, once in 1979 and again in 1980. She had hitchhiked with a friend to Florida before, so it wasn’t surprising to many that she had not been seen for a few days after her last sighting.
The Cold Case
Since her disappearance in 1981, Larrow’s case has been investigated by multiple detectives. Since she had no driver’s license and no Social Security Number at the time of her disappearance, combined with a lack of her body and no crime scene, finding a suspect has proven to be difficult.
In 2018, a possible primary suspect was linked to Larrow’s case. Arthur Ream was listed as a possible suspect in not only Larrow’s disappearance, but also the disappearances of four other young women. He had previously been convicted of sexual assault in the 1970s, and in 1986, murdered Cindy Zarzycki, the 13-year-old girlfriend of his son.
Years later, in 2008, Ream led authorities to Zarzycki’s body about 30 miles from Detroit. Ream had reported to his cellmates that he was a serial killer with four to six victims. In August of 2024, Ream passed away from cancer.
Today, Larrow’s case is still active. Larrow’s living family have not given up hope, and are determined to find her.
How WMU Cold Case Program Students Are Helping
WMU students are assisting detectives from the Canton Police Department in investigating Larrow’s case by completely digitizing the physical case file and turning it into a searchable PDF. Students are currently creating a detailed timeline of events, a person index, family tree and victimology.