Well educated and spoken, Dr. Karla Turner (1947 - 1996) was widely respected in the UFO community for her research on alien abduction. Born in Arkansas in 1947, she grew up in the South, but had lived in a number of other areas of the United States, as well as in India and England. A scholar and professional educator, she had received a Master's of Art from the University of Nottingham (England) and had earned a Ph.D. in Old English studies from the University of North Texas (Denton, TX). She also taught college English courses at the University of North Texas and Cook County College (Gainesville, TX) for more than ten years.

But in 1988, she and her husband and son endured a shocking series of experiences and recollections that forced them to recognize that they were all abductees. The story of her family's experiences is told in her book Into The Fringe (Berkeley 1992). Additionally, she had published articles in a number of magazines and had given lectures and interviews around the country. Her work is reported in Taken: Inside the Alien-Human Abduction Agenda, published by Kelt Works in April 1994. Her third and last book, Masquerade of Angels, was published in 1994 as well.

Karla's hobbies involved her two Chihuahua dogs, the music of Bruce Springsteen and cultivation of natural plants in Arkansas. She was a full-time abduction researcher and lived in rural Arkansas with her husband, Elton.

Dr. Karla Turner died of cancer on January 10, 1996, after being threatened for her work. She was just 48. She is survived by a married son and one grandchild.

Since then, several other people involved in UFO investigation have also experienced threats, followed by highly unusual cancers.

Sources:

http://www.realufos.net/2010/03/dr-karla-turner-on-abductions.html
http://www.whale.to/b/turner_h.html
MUFON 1994 International UFO Symposium Proceedings