KOKOMO, Ind. — Court documents reveal that a Kokomo man recently accused of murder has been at the center of the investigation into a missing Kokomo woman since she first vanished in October 2016.
Flint Vincent Farmer, 57, was arrested at a residence in the 600 block of South Purdum by the Kokomo Police Department around 1 p.m. on Monday. Farmer is charged with one count of murder in connection to the disappearance of 18-year-old Karena McClerkin.
McClerkin was last seen on Oct. 11, 2016.
“She walked into a house on S. Washington, the 1000 block, and she never walked out supposedly,” McClerkin’s grandmother previously said.
Court documents now reveal that home on S. Washington Street to be an apartment where Farmer was living at the time. McClerkin’s mother told police just two days after her daughter’s disappearance that McClerkin had been at Farmer’s apartment on Oct. 11, 2016. Officers responded to the apartment but didn’t locate McClerkin. Farmer told police McClerkin had been outside in the alley but never came inside.
Surveillance footage obtained from the Village Pantry, however, showed Farmer, McClerkin and a third individual visiting the convenience store at around 10 p.m. on Oct. 11, 2016. The three left at approximately 10:32 p.m.
Multiple other witnesses told police McClerkin was at Farmer’s apartment on that fateful night as well. Some of the witnesses even reported hearing Farmer and a woman “wrestling” in a room in the apartment. Some reported the sounds of a woman “being hurt.”
McClerkin’s mother informed police on Oct. 17, 2016, that she had recorded a phone conversation with an individual who said that McClerkin had stolen approximately $600 from Farmer’s safe. Farmer and McClerkin were also alleged to be involved in Xanax deals, according to witnesses investigators spoke to.
According to court documents, police also spoke with an individual in February 2017 who claimed someone saw a person who was covered up lying on Farmer’s floor on the morning of Oct. 12, 2016.
Substantially redacted court documents don’t mention police returning to the S. Washington apartment to search for clues into McClerkin’s disappearance until June 30, 2022.
‘Keep your mouth shut’
Further leads against Farmer came from his own mouth, according to the court documents.
The court documents revealed the contents of multiple prison phone calls made by Farmer to different individuals over the course of two years dating back to when he was incarcerated in Howard County Jail in November 2016 on a drug dealing charge.
During one call from Nov. 18, 2016, investigators said Farmer sounded nervous and scared, telling someone to watch the news because he believed “they found the body of the missing girl.”
Another call made the same day by Farmer warned someone to stay away from the S. Washington apartment because “they found that girl”. Someone else Farmer spoke to told him they hadn’t located the missing girl, however, and Farmer told this person to “keep his mouth shut and not say anything.”
“I think they found the body of that girl, but they’re really trying to get me for everything,” Farmer said in a phone call dated Nov. 18, 2016. “You need to get ahold of (REDACTED),” he told the person on the other end of the line. “Brace yourself, okay? It’s getting ready to get real ugly.”
Court documents reveal another phone call made by Farmer threatened a woman with Farmer saying “they would not find a body” and telling the woman to keep her mouth shut or “she will end up like her,” referring to McClerkin, police clarified.
Phone calls documented in the court records state Farmer constantly would express his worry to people about police finding “that girl” or “the missing girl.” Farmer, when reassured the girl hadn’t been found, would tell people to “keep their chin up” and “stick to their guns” along with warning them against cutting deals to get out of jail.
Old blood, new leads
Investigators continued to speak with witnesses about the case, court documents said. In August 2021, police received a statement from one such witness who talked about her time at the S. Washington apartment. This section of the document was redacted.
Investigators also re-interviewed witnesses who reaffirmed their prior story that McClerkin was with Farmer on Oct. 11, 2016. The witnesses told police that Farmer had made comments about “getting lucky” before he left and that they heard a struggle next door and a person gasping or whimpering. The witnesses believed it was McClerkin being hurt.
On June 30, 2022, a member of the Kokomo Police Department’s lab met with a representative who owned the S. Washington apartment. Luminol was used to check the detached garage for any evidence that may be related to this case. Luminol is said to be a water-based solution capable of detecting blood that has been diluted up to 10,000 times. Once Luminol comes in contact with blood, it reacts by causing the blood to glow a fluorescent pale blue color.
Court documents reveal the Luminol test indicated the floor just inside the walk-through service door had blood stains. Three areas in total were noted, and samples were collected, according to police. The samples were provided to Indiana State Police for further testing.
On July 8, 2020, investigators spoke to an individual who stated that she and McClerkin had been very close and talked every day. Since Oct. 2016, the individual told police she hadn’t received any information that would give her hope that Karena is still alive.
