Retired Las Vegas police detective dies after battle with COVID-19
Retired Las Vegas police Detective Michael Karstedt spent nearly 50 years of his life pursuing justice in the valley.
Karstedt, 70, died Jan. 3 from complications of COVID-19. He was well known and highly regarded in local law enforcement circles after working for 28 years as an officer and robbery detective. He also supervised the Las Vegas police Secret Witness program.
“He was a top-notch robbery detective,” former Clark County District Attorney David Roger said. “He understood how to put
together cases and followed them through to conviction. He also had a great deal of empathy for people who he knew needed a break. Mike recognized that sometimes people make mistakes, and they simply needed a fair shake.”
Karstedt continued to work in the justice system after retiring from the Metropolitan Police Department in 1998.
He spent several years at the Clark County district attorney’s office, where he worked as an investigator on some of Southern Nevada’s most notorious criminal cases, including the Ted Binion murder case.
Karstedt’s wife, Kathy, said her husband never fully retired because he cared about the Las Vegas justice system and its integrity.
“He loved being a cop,” she said. “That was his favorite job of all of them. He loved it. He just liked getting the bad guys.”
Precautions taken
Kathy Karstedt said her husband took every step possible to avoid contracting the coronavirus. He wore a mask in public, kept his distance from people, avoided unnecessary family gatherings and regularly used hand sanitizer. Yet somehow he picked up the virus right around Christmas. There are no definitive answers as to how or where.
“He started to not feel good, and he kept saying, ‘I know I have it. I know I have it,’ ” Kathy Karstedt recalled.
The first symptoms showed up around Dec. 26. The cold and flu-like symptoms worsened in the coming days. On Dec. 30, he was tested for COVID-19. A positive result came back the next day.
“He got really, really sick,” Kathy Karstedt said. “Like really, really bad flu. Congested. Coughing. Sneezing. He complained that his heart was racing. He was shaky. He probably had a 100-degree temperature at one point, but it didn’t get any higher than that.”
Michael Karstedt believed he would be able to beat it. He resisted his wife’s repeated pleas to go to the emergency room.
“He was stubborn,” she said. “He was always that way. He did not want to go to the emergency room.”
On Jan. 3, Michael Karstedt fell asleep on the family couch watching his favorite football team, the Buffalo Bills, defeat the Miami Dolphins.
His wife later found him not breathing. She called 911, but paramedics could not revive him. His death certificate said he died of cardiopulmonary arrest due to “unknown etiology,” but Kathy Karstedt said it was COVID-19 that killed her husband.
A stellar career
Longtime Las Vegas homicide Detective Don Tremel said Michael Karstedt was a cop’s cop: aggressive and honest with an excellent work ethic motivated by a deep desire to keep Las Vegas residents safe.
Michael Karstedt was a 1968 graduate of Valley High School, which Tremel said helped him in his policing career.
“He pretty much grew up in Vegas, so he knew the town backwards and forwards,” Tremel said. “Going to high school in Vegas, playing baseball, playing softball, he knew everybody. He made everyone’s job easier because he could make a call and find out everything about anyone because he knew everyone. We couldn’t have lunch anywhere without someone coming up and saying, ‘Hey Mike!’ ”
Tremel said Michael Karstedt was a dear friend and a committed family man and husband.
“He was a really great cop and a really great person,” Tremel said.
Kathy Karstedt said her husband was particularly proud of his policing career. He started with the old Las Vegas Police Department before it merged with the Clark County Sheriff’s Department.
The binders and scrapbooks of commendations, awards, recognitions and news clippings from a quarter century with Las Vegas police are more than a foot thick.
They contain photos of Michael Karstedt with former sheriffs such as Ralph Lamb and Jerry Keller. They contain recognition after recognition for bravery and exemplary work in the line of duty.
Michael Karstedt’s Facebook page is filled with tributes to him and his career.
Kathy Karstedt said her husband was an avid Buffalo Bills and New York Yankees fan. His dogs were named Derek Jeter and Mickey Mantle. She will hold a small, private memorial service Saturday.
“He was a wonderful man,” she said.
Kathy Karstedt also said her husband suffered personal tragedy in his life. He retired from the police department to care for his then-wife, Julie Greenfield Karstedt, who died from cancer in October 1998. His daughter, Brandi, died in 1994.
Contact Glenn Puit at gpuit@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0390. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.
