The FBI continues to ask for tips in connection to the disappearance of Michigan mother-of-8, Heather Mae Kelly, whose blood was found inside her abandoned vehicle in December.
The Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office provided an update Tuesday after the FBI said there is “evidence to suggest” 35-year-old Kelley is a homicide victim. Her family reportedly said that her boyfriend is a person of interest but he’s not been named as a suspect in her disappearance.
He’s currently being held on a charge unrelated to the case and is scheduled for jail release on April 26.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Kelley was last seen in the Comstock Township area on December 10, 2022, a day before her cousin found her car abandoned and set on fire. Investigators said her blood was found inside the vehicle and police found some of her clothing nearby.
Kelley’s boyfriend was reportedly finishing up sentencing at a halfway house in Kalamazoo at the time she disappeared. Kelley’s cousin told police that the halfway house, located at 537 Chicago Ave., is a few miles from where she found Kelley’s car.
The cousin also saw a red pickup truck speeding away from the area the moment after she arrived, adding that she arrived shortly after someone set Kelley’s car on fire.
Police said on Tuesday that there is evidence that places a person of interest with Kelley before her disappearance, but declined to provide the person’s name. There is currently more than one person being investigated, the sheriff added.
“We know that it’s likely somebody helped with the burning of the vehicle and the possible destruction of other evidence. And so that person is also a person, or people are also a focus of this investigation,” the sheriff said during the press statement.
Court documents indicate that the boyfriend was serving the sentence for a murder-for-hire plot cocaine distribution charge, Wood TV reports.
DNA is currently being processed in the case, the sheriff added.
“Anyone with information is asked to call the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office at (269) 383-8748 or the Portage Department of Public Safety at (269) 329-4567,” the FBI said. “You may also contact your local FBI office, the nearest American Embassy or Consulate, or you can submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.”
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[Featured image: Police Handout]
