"It didn't go the way it was supposed to." That was the news from a clearly-disappointed Gary Karp about his trip last week to the Bahamas. After spending a decade squeezing out every tiny scrap of information possible in the still-unsolved murder of his daughter, Karp was hoping a Hail Mary swing through the island would produce new evidence. Unfortunately, Karp says he didn't get much cooperation from authorities in-country.
See also: - Marissa Karp Murder: A Decade of Investigation Pays Off
The trip was sparked by the April murder in the Bahamas of Almanto Coakley, long-believed to be the man with key information on who killed Marissa in 2002. When Karp was plotting this latest trip, he hoped to hit the Fox Hill neighborhood where Coakley was killed to sniff out friends who might have had other information on the earlier crime.
But Karp says the Royal Bahamas Police declined to shuttle him to the crime scene or provide information on the Coakley killing. Karp said he met with the police force brass, but their involvement was limited to a sit-down. The head of the Central Detective Unit, Superintendent Paul Rolle, informed Karp his agency couldn't help out without a formal request from the Broward Sheriff's Department.
"The only thing they did was pick me up at the airport," Karp tells New Times. "They didn't do a damn thing."
Durning his five-day stay, Karp did sit for interviews with the local print and TV media. But his time on-island failed to produce the evidence he was hoping for.
In another recent newsflash related to Marissa's death, last week a court in the Bahamas finally greenlit the extradition of a drug boss involved with the same ring of smugglers likely responsible for the girl's murder.
Back in 2004, the US federal government named Melvin Maycock Sr. as one of the big timers running cocaine from the Bahamas to South Florida -- a $275 million operation at the time. In the intervening years, Maycock has successfully fought off extradition attempts until last week. A magistrate signed the necessary paperwork to ship the alleged drug lord and 13 others back to Miami to face charges.
See also: - Almanto Coakley, Key Witness in the Marissa Karp Case, Murdered in the Bahamas - Gary Karp Heads to Bahamas for Clues to His Daughter's Unsolved Murder
Follow Kyle on Twitter @kyletalking. For tips, send an e-mail.
Follow @NewTimesBroward
