Kathleen Kelly, known as Kathy, was a very independent 12-year-old in 1981.
On May 22, 1981, Kathy went to the local skating rink with her family.
Later that evening, she visited her older sister Judy, who was at home taking care for her infant.
Kathy mentioned she had left the rink because she was bored, which wasn’t unusual.
However, Judy felt uneasy about her sister’s visit.
Kathy told Judy she was heading home that night, and that was the last time anyone saw her.
This disappearance remains an unsolved mystery till date.
Who is Kathy Kelly
Kathleen Kelly was born on February 20, 1969, in California.
She had two older siblings: her sister Judith and her brother Robert, who was about five years older than her.
After her father passed away, her mother, Annabelle Kelly, moved the family to the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area to be near relatives.
In the time leading up to Kathy’s disappearance, Annabelle was experiencing difficulties at home, though the details remain unclear.
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| Kathleen "Kathy" Kelly |
Disappearance
On May 22, 1981, several of Kathy’s family members went to the Ches-A-Rena Skating Rink for a typical evening outing.
At some point that evening, Kathy left the skating rink and walked to her sister’s house.
Although her sister Judy was 25 years older than Kathy, they had a close relationship.
Judy had two teenage children who had gone skating that night, but she stayed home with her youngest child, an infant.
Judy and her husband both worked at the rink, so they spent most evenings there with their children.
When Kathy arrived Judy’s house, Judy asked why she had left the skating rink.
Kathy said she was just bored and that was why she left.
This was a typical behavior for Kathy, so Judy wasn’t surprised.
Judy said that Kathy stayed for about an hour before getting up to leave.
Judy remembers asking Kathy if she was sure she wanted to walk home.
Although Kathy said yes, Judy felt that Kathy was hiding something from her.
Kathy walked out the door and headed home which wasn’t a long walk.
Kathy was never seen or heard from again.
No Search, No Investigation
Interestingly, she wasn’t reported missing immediately, even though she didn’t return home that night.
Initially, Kathy was reported as a runaway, and no one actively searched for her, which is deeply upsetting.
Judy said that law enforcement showed little interest, and there were no organized searches.
Some reports suggest that Kathy disappeared in 1980, not 1981, and that the case was only taken seriously in 1981.
The media never really covered Kathy’s case, and many locals who grew up in the area during that time said they were not aware of Kathy Kelly’s disappearance.
About 8–9 years after Kathy’s disappearance, Judy began receiving strange phone calls.
Most of the time, there was no one on the line.
However, on one occasion, a voice answered and said, “You know who I am, and I’m fine.”
Was it Kathy? Or a prank caller?
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| Kathleen "Kathy" Kelly and a young boy |
Theories/possibilities
There are a few theories that have been considered in Kathy’s disappearance.
Voluntary Run Away - Some, including Kathy's family, believe that Kathy may have run away.
They believe she is still alive and well somewhere.
However, others argued that it was hard for a 12-year-old to live alone at that age.
How would she have survived on her own without financial support?
And why wouldn’t she have returned to her family over time?
Abduction/Foul Play: Some believe that Kathy was a victim to foul play that night, possibly at the hands of a stranger or a serial killer.
As a young child walking home alone, Kathy might have easily fallen victim to a crime of opportunity.
Also, some reports indicate that she was seen getting into an unidentified car that night, though this has not been confirmed.
Given that several other girls around her age went missing in the Pittsburgh area that same period, many strongly considered this possibility.
Foul Play by Family Member - Some people believe that Kathy encountered foul play that night at the hands of someone she knew.
Was she having some kind of troubles at the home?
Could it be that someone Kathy knew found her walking that night and harmed her?
Some family members suggested that Kathy may have gone missing in 1980, but the family only began to take her disappearance seriously in 1981.
This means that for a whole year, no one actively searched for Kathy or asked about her whereabouts.
This raises a lot of concerns about the kind of people she had as a family.
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| Age progression photo of Kathleen "Kathy" Kelly |
As of 2024, Kathy remains missing and her case remains an unsolved mystery.
If you have any information about Kathy Kelly's whereabouts or details related to her case, please contact the Springdale Police Department at 724-274-9022.
In another mysterious disappearance case, 2-year-old Sky Elijah Metalwala vanished in Bellevue, Washington.
His mother, Julia Biryukova, claimed she left him in the car while searching for help after running out of gas.
When she returned about 90 minutes later, Sky was gone. Click here for more details.
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