Woman Lost Best/Pal Sister in Bali Bombing

When Kayce Casner went to Southeast Asia with her younger sister Karri last fall, she was looking forward to getting out of the United States and leaving behind the terrorism worries that had gripped the country since the Sept. 11 attacks.

She never dreamed that terrorism would follow them around the globe and that 23-year-old Karri — her sister, best friend and traveling buddy — would be killed in an Oct. 12 terrorist attack at the Sari nightclub in Bali, Indonesia.

For Kayce Casner, the past 4 ½ months have been full of deep pain and sorrow over her sister's death. She struggles with a mix of disbelief and the inability to grasp what exactly happened.

"I still feel like grabbing the phone and calling her, or if the phone rings, I think it might be her," said Kayce, 25. "I think I'm in denial."

Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the al Qaeda commander who was captured in Pakistan over the weekend, is believed to be behind the nightclub bombing in Bali that took Karri's life. But his arrest doesn't change anything for Karri's sister.

"The whole thing is still [so] surreal to me that I cannot imagine some person's arrest in Pakistan having anything to do with the loss of Karri," Kayce said.

She said she doesn't hate the people responsible for Karri's death.

"My heart is not full of hate, just sadness," Kayce said. If anything, she wishes Mohammed would be forced to cry over Karri's death and realize what he took from all of her loved ones.

Inseparable Sisters

Just 18 months separated Kayce from Karri. The only children of Bill and Susan Casner, the sisters grew up in Irving, Texas. They had different interests in elementary, middle and high school, and tended to compete with each other.

"My earliest memories are of me and Karri fighting over building blocks. With Karri, she was just always there," Kayce said. She cannot remember her life before her sister was born.

By the time they were in college, the sisters had put aside their differences and become best friends. They attended the same college, the University of Colorado, and were even roommates. Kayce was on the triathlon team and Karri joined a sorority, but they were inseparable running buddies and close confidantes.

In the fall of 2002, when older sister Kayce was scheduled to go to Southeast Asia to study crocodiles, younger sister Karri naturally tagged along. They spent two weeks in Thailand before Kayce was scheduled to arrive in Cambodia, where she was supposed to work with Conservation International.

Karri was having such a good time in Thailand that she extended her trip. She decided to hook up with some Australians she had met and head south to Indonesia. The sisters said goodbye to each other on Oct. 10, just one day before Kayce's birthday. Kayce made her way to Cambodia to study the dangerous crocodiles there. Karri made her way to the vacation island destination of Bali.

A Sister’s Intuition

On Oct. 12, Kayce heard word of the Sari nightclub bombing in Bali. She knew that if it was the hottest club on the island there was a good chance her sister would have been there. Kayce tried desperately to contact Karri by using a satellite phone and sending e-mails, but she heard nothing, and began to fear the worst.

As Kayce headed for Bali, the sisters' parents were en route from Texas.