Finding Andrea

Do you have siblings? There is a good chance you do. In fact, I have two younger brothers living in Indiana. Although I don't see them frequently, I love them both just the same. On Facebook I saw a meme that described siblings perfectly. The meme mentioned how siblings will argue over everything during childhood. However, as adults, they realize their siblings aren't so terrible.

Unfortunately, there are some siblings who can’t even be in the same house together. I wanted to share a story this week about three Kentucky sisters (Andrea, Erin and Sarah) who have been thrust into the national spotlight. A true crime documentary titled "Finding Andrea" tells the story of Andrea Knabel, a mother of two who disappeared from Louisville, Kentucky on August 13, 2019.

This story intrigued me so much that I reached out to Erin Knabel for the Catch my Killer podcast. Erin agreed to talk about her sister's case on the podcast. I found Erin to be a kind-hearted young mother who has launched a full-scale media blitz to find her older sister Andrea.

I strongly recommend the documentary about Andrea if you have not seen it yet. I will tell you that the documentary does not necessarily portray Andrea in a positive light. In our conversation, Erin expressed her dissatisfaction with the way the documentary presented Andrea's disappearance. Nevertheless, the documentary has kept Andrea's disappearance at the forefront of public consciousness.

There are several theories about what happened to Andrea in the documentary. The one that had the most disturbing implications involved sibling rivalry between Andrea and Sarah. As revealed in the documentary, the two had constant arguments and a strained relationship.

Erin, being the middle child, may have felt like she was caught in the middle. I found the moments leading up to Andrea’s disappearance troubling. I also want to mention that if you look at social media postings about this case, you will see much unfair criticism of Erin.

Erin told me about the moments leading up to Andrea’s disappearance. Andrea was living with her mother at the time. Meanwhile, Sarah and her boyfriend Ethan Bates also stayed in the house to do some remodeling. On August 12, 2019, Andrea had a nasty argument with Sarah and Ethan.

Later, Andrea visited Erin and vented to her about the argument she had with Sarah and Ethan. Erin did her best to calm her sister down before driving her back to their mother's house.

Due to being locked out of their mother's house, Andrea returned to Erin's house. Andrea asked Erin if she could stay the night. Erin didn’t allow her sister to stay. Because of the friends Andrea keeps, Erin didn't let her sister stay over. Erin told me they weren't good people and she feared her sister would bring them into her home while she worked. Erin explained to me that she needed to look after both herself and her children.

Erin told her sister she should go home and rest. Then, Erin called her mother and asked her to make sure Andrea got inside the house. She watched Andrea walk back toward their mother's house. And then she disappeared. Erin told me she regrets not letting Andrea stay with her. I understand Erin's feelings and sympathize with her. My response would have been the same.

In the documentary, it was suggested that Sarah and Ethan may have let Andrea inside the house and continued to argue afterwards. Were Ethan and Sarah the last people to see Andrea? According to the documentary, this is a possibility that cannot be ignored.

Aside from interviewing Andrea's acquaintances, the filmmakers also spoke with Erin and Mike Knabel, the father of the three sisters. Sarah and Ethan declined to be interviewed. It was also mentioned that the couple haven’t posted flyers or participated in any searches for Andrea. In the documentary, Mike Knabel stated Sarah no longer speaks to him.

Erin is frustrated with the entire situation. She loved Andrea and misses her. Erin and her father want to know what happened to Andrea. Hopefully they will find the answers they deserve.

Marc is a longtime resident of Clermont County and an avid reader. Contact him through his website at www.themarcabe.com or through Facebook: www.Facebook.com/themarcabe or his twitter account @themarcabe. Marc also has a podcast called Catch my Killer where he interviews family members seeking justice for their murdered loved ones. You can listen at www.catchmykiller.com.