Born in a sleepy, Iowan town, Katherine ‘Kate’ Austen was raised by Diane and Sam. By Kate’s adulthood, her parents separated. Diane revived a previous relationship with Wayne, Kate’s biological father. The object of his drunken sexual advances, more importantly the extreme physical abuse of her mother, birthed an immense loathing for him.
The truth regarding Kate’s lineage, discovered on a wartime photograph, disgusted her. The solution to everything, murder Wayne. Diane reported the crime to the authorities, forcing Kate to flee, ultimately boarding the ill-fated Oceanic Flight 815.