Ann Marie Kelley, Missing Since 4/15/08, Gage County, NE [Archive]

Faith

04-19-2008, 05:20 PM

Gage Co. asks for help finding missing woman

http://www.journalstar.com/content/articles/2008/04/19/news/local/doc480a23a9bdad0100746245.jpg
Ann kelly

Saturday, Apr 19, 2008 - 04:06:02 pm CDT

The Gage County Sheriff is asking for help in locating a Beatrice woman last seen on Tuesday.

Sheriff Millard Gustafson said 36-year-old Ann Kelly was thought to be driving a gray, 1991 Plymouth Voyager with Nebraska license plates when seen last on her way to work. Her husband reported her missing.

So far, Gustafson said, the case is “generic” in terms of missing persons cases. He wasn’t sure if foul play is involved.

Gage County officials plan to work with the Nebraska State Patrol on Saturday to arrange a flyover of the county to look for Kelly’s vehicle, or others, parked in unusual or remote locations.

Gustafson asked people to call his office or a local CrimeStoppers hotline if they see a vehicle fitting the description of Kelly’s van or have additional information. The sheriff’s office number is (402) 223-5221. Gustafson said he plans to release a photo of Kelly later on Saturday.
http://www.journalstar.com (http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2008/04/19/news/local/doc480a23a9bdad0100746245.txt)

Roamer

04-19-2008, 05:42 PM

Whenever they're last seen driving their own vehicle, I immediately think "accident". I hope she's found safely.

Faith

04-23-2008, 12:40 AM

Missing woman's husband arrested on unrelated warrant

Tuesday, Apr 22, 2008 - 06:54:20 pm CDT

The husband of a missing rural Filley woman was arrested Monday on a warrant unrelated to his wife’s disappearance, Gage County authorities said Tuesday morning.

Sheriff Millard Gustafson said William Kelley Jr. was arrested on a warrant for an outstanding traffic violation, which officers noticed during the search for Kelley’s wife, Ann Marie Kelley.

“It was absolutely nothing,” Gustafson said.

The search for Ann Marie Kelley, missing since April 15, continued Monday. As part of that search, Gage County authorities said, a foot search of the area surrounding the Kelleys’ residence was conducted Monday evening.

The search, beginning at 5 p.m. and completed at 7 p.m., involved the sheriff’s office, Filley volunteer firefighters, the Gage County Attorney’s Office, Gage County Emergency Management and the Gage County Citizens Emergency Response Team.

During the course of the search, Tuesday’s news release said, William Kelley Jr. was arrested. He was taken into custody, transported to the Gage County Detention Center, then released on bond.

Other details on the arrest were not immediately available.

Gustafson said Ann Marie Kelley, 37, left for work from her home near Filley about 5:45 a.m. last Tuesday. She was driving a gray 1991 Plymouth Voyager with Nebraska license plate number 3A-8045. The car is also missing.

The Nebraska State Patrol searched the Filley area by plane Saturday to see if it could locate the van, but it was not found.

Gustafson said in a statement Monday that deputies are following up leads from both the Albion and Omaha police departments.

Gage County Attorney Randall Ritnour told the Beatrice Daily Sun that since news of Kelley’s disappearance was first released to the media Friday evening, two calls have come in from the Omaha and Albion police departments saying persons there reported seeing a minivan that could have matched the description of Kelley’s Voyager.

Ritnour also said there have been no indications foul play was involved in her disappearance.

Ritnour said the sheriff’s office was notified that she was missing late last Tuesday, but sheriff’s officials did not notify the general public until she was unable to be found and the search expanded.

Anyone with information concerning Kelley is asked to call the sheriff’s office at (402) 223-5222.
http://www.journalstar.com (http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2008/04/22/news/local/doc480d2fb7aba22292716855.txt)

Faith

04-23-2008, 05:05 PM

Search finds no sign of missing rural Filley woman

Gage County authorities are continuing their search for Ann Marie Kelley, a 37-year-old rural Filley woman who has been missing since last Tuesday.

Personnel from the Gage County Sheriff’s Office, Community Emergency Response Team and the Filley Rural Volunteer Fire Department late Monday afternoon combed an area near Kelley’s residence about three miles east and two miles north of Filley.

During the two-hour search, Gage County sheriff's deputies also looked through the Kelleys' residence and outbuildings. However, no sign of the missing woman was found.

“We needed to do a proper search,” Gage County Attorney Randall Ritnour said shortly before the search began.

While deputies were at the residence, they arrested Kelley's husband, William Kelley Jr., on an active warrant for an unrelated criminal matter. He was then taken into custody and transported to the Gage County Detention Center, whre he was released on bond.

Ritnour said since news of the woman's disappearance was first released to the media Friday evening, two calls have come in from the Omaha and Albion police departments saying persons there reported seeing a minivan that could have matched the description of Kelley’s gray 1991 Plymouth Voyager she was last seen driving.

Ritnour also said there have been no indications foul play was involved in her disappearance.

According to a sheriff’s office statement released Monday afternoon, Kelley was last seen at her residence about 5:45 a.m. last Tuesday. Ritnour said the sheriff’s office was notified that she was missing later that day, but sheriff’s officials did not notify the general public until she was unable to be found and the search expanded.

No possible direction of travel or exact physical description of Kelley was released.

Ritnour said there was some information received that she might have been at a convenience store, but deputies have not been able to review a video from the store to see if she was actually there.

She reportedly works in Beatrice.

On Saturday, a Nebraska State Patrol aircraft joined the search, but no sign of Kelley or her minivan was found. In addition, CERT members have been distributing flyers asking the public for any information they might have on the missing woman.

Meanwhile, the landlord of the house where Kelley, her husband, and their four children live said he was mystified by her disappearance. They have lived at the residence for about the past year and a half.

“She’s a real nice girl,” the landlord, who did not want his name used, said. “They have been no problem.”

Anyone with information regarding Kelley should contact sheriff’s office Investigator Rob Sandersfeld at 402-223-5222, ext. 207, or Crimestoppers at 402-228-4343.

Video
http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll116/helpfindthemissing/Ann.jpg (http://www.beatricedailysun.com/media/videos/?mid=M480dfaa50c032)

http://www.beatricedailysun.com (http://www.beatricedailysun.com/articles/2008/04/23/news/local/doc480e11af374ad180467992.txt)

Faith

04-23-2008, 05:09 PM

The video says her name is Ann Marie Kelly or Kelley?

Faith

04-23-2008, 05:41 PM

MISSING GAGE COUNTY WOMAN
(Posted 04/22/2008. Written by Associated Press. )

Gage County authorities continue to search for a 37-year-old woman who went missing last week. Sheriff Millard Gustafson said his office is conducting a foot search of the rural area surrounding Ann Marie Kelley's home near Filley.Kelley was last seen the morning of April 15 at her home. Her vehicle, a gray 1991 Plymouth Voyager with Nebraska registration 3-A8045, is also missing. An aerial search was conducted Saturday, but Gustafson said there was no sign of Kelley.Gustafson said deputies have received possible leads from police in Albion and Omaha, and they're investigating those tips.

http://admin.lincnet.com/shared_media/news_photos/kellyann1.jpg

http://www.kfor1240.com/news/index.html?id=12689

Roenick

04-23-2008, 06:04 PM

Faith

04-23-2008, 06:45 PM

WOW. None of those pics look the same to me.

The last one looks more like the middle one but if I were to have seen her I wouldn't pick her out as the missing woman from the pictures provided.

Hope she is safe and found soon

I was thinking the same but compared articles and it's the same woman.

I hope she is found safe soon. It doesn't look good. :girl_sad:

Faith

04-24-2008, 11:09 PM

Attorney General offers to help with Kelley search

The Nebraska Attorney General’s office has offered its help in the search for Ann Marie Kelley, a 37-year-old rural Filley woman missing since last Tuesday.

Gage County Attorney Randall Ritnour said Tuesday that doesn’t signify any breakthroughs in the investigation, but was merely an offer to help.

“They offered to provide us with assistance,” Ritnour said. “It’s an extra pair of hands for us.”

Ritnour also said no new developments were reported in the case Tuesday. However, he said sheriff’s office investigators were continuing to follow up on previous leads.

Kelley was last seen leaving her residence about three miles east and two miles north of Filley about 5:45 a.m. last Tuesday driving her gray 1991 Plymouth Voyager minivan with Gage County license plate 3-A-8045. She works in Beatrice and at a convenience store west of Filley near the U.S. Highway 136-Nebraska Highway 4 junction.

The Nebraska State Patrol provided an aerial search Saturday, but no sign of Kelley was found.

Late Monday afternoon, members from the Gage County Sheriff’s Office, Community Emergency Response Team and the Filley Rural Volunteer Fire Department combed an area near Kelley’s residence. They also searched the residence where Kelley, her husband, William Jr., and their four children live.

However, nothing was found.

In addition, CERT members have been distributing flyers asking the public for any information they might have on the missing woman.

Ritnour has also said there have been no indications foul play was involved in her disappearance.

Anyone with information regarding Kelley should contact sheriff’s office Investigator Rob Sandersfeld at 402-223-5222, ext. 207, or Crimestoppers at 402-228-4343.
http://www.beatricedailysun.com (http://www.beatricedailysun.com/articles/2008/04/23/news/local/doc480f4ca688af1847359011.txt)

Faith

04-25-2008, 05:25 AM

Officials map out plan to follow leads in case of missing woman

The investigation into the disappearance of Ann Marie Kelley, the 37-year-old rural Filley woman missing since last Tuesday, is continuing, Gage County Attorney Randall Ritnour said.

Ritnour said state Attorney General’s Office Investigator Bill Black and Gage County officials met in the courthouse Emergency Operations Center Wednesday night and mapped out a plan of action for checking out leads Thursday.

Ritnour said he could not be specific, but said among the items investigators have searched so far are bank, credit card and tax records.

A Nebraska State Patrol aerial search Saturday and ground searches last week and earlier this week have been unsuccessful.

Kelley was last seen about 5:45 a.m. last Tuesday leaving her residence about three miles east and two miles north of Filley driving her gray 1991 Plymouth Voyager minivan.
http://www.beatricedailysun.com (http://www.beatricedailysun.com/articles/2008/04/25/news/local/doc481095c0d40a2659510831.txt)

wheezer

04-29-2008, 06:01 PM

Gage County authorities are asking for your help finding a missing woman.

Authorities say they have few leads in the case of Ann Kelley, who's now been put on the national missing person's registry. Investigators have followed leads in Albion and Omaha.

The Albion lead didn't produce anything, but authorities are still investigating a tip from Omaha. They haven't received any out-of-state tips.

Authorities have no suspects and aren't saying if foul play is involved.

"What I want to emphasize is that no bit of information is too insignificant. We need anybody who has any information about this case to come forward and tell us what they know. They can't just simply wait for us to figure out that they may be associated with her in some capacity and hope that we are going to contact them. We are not mind readers. We have to have those people come forward with any assistance that the local resident can give to us," said Randy Ritnour, Gage County Attorney.

Authorities say they plan to conduct an air search sometime in the future in Gage County.

Kelley was last seen leaving the Sun Mart grocery store in Beatrice the morning of April 15.

There has been no activity on Kelley's accounts or credit cards.

http://www.kolnkgin.com/news/headlines/18365974.html

TupperLes

04-29-2008, 09:14 PM

Hi, I live very close to the area Ann Kelley is from, however I do not know her, but had seen her in one of the places she had worked. Here is a press release from todays paper www.beatricedailysun.com . I sure hope she is found soon.

Tuesday, Apr 29, 2008 - 06:02:11 pm CDT
From County Attorney Randall Ritnour

The Gage County Attorney, Randall Ritnour, held a press conference at the Emergency Operations Office (EOC) in the Gage County Courthouse to update the public and media on the progress of the investigation regarding the disappearance of Ann Marie Kelley, a (36)-year-old mother of four who was last seen on April 15, at 8:25 a.m. in Beatrice, Nebraska. The Gage County Sheriff's Office began to investigate the case later that evening when her husband reported her missing at 6:40 p.m. They conducted an initial search of the Kelley home at that time.

Over the course of the first few days, sheriff's deputies searched rural areas and places that Mrs. Kelley was known to frequent. The Beatrice Police Department conducted a street-by-street search of Beatrice, in an attempt to locate the vehicle Mrs. Kelley may have been driving. The Nebraska State Patrol deployed an aircraft for a flyover search of Gage County on Saturday, April 19th. On April (21st), in conjunction with volunteers from the Filley Volunteer Fire Department and the Citizens Emergency Response Team (CERT), the Gage County Sheriff's Department conducted a second search of the Kelley residence and a foot search of the farmland and outbuildings surrounding the rural home of the missing woman.

During the ensuing two weeks, investigators and officers with the Gage County Sheriff's Office, Beatrice Police Department, Wymore Police Department, the Nebraska State Patrol and the Nebraska Attorney General's Office have been actively involved in the case. Leads that have been followed up include tips from the Albion Police Department, a tip from Omaha and the Marshall County Sheriff's Office in Marysville, Kansas.

The husband, relatives (and) other individuals known to have had contact with Ann Marie Kelley have been interviewed and investigators are actively pursuing leads developed from those interviews. However, to date, there have been no sightings of Mrs. Kelley, nor the vehicle she was driving.

The Gage County Emergency Management director, Mark Meints, will coordinate with Nebraska Emergency Management to request search teams from the Nebraska Wing of the Civil Air Patrol. The Nebraska State Patrol will coordinate any additional air searches of Gage county and surrounding counties that may be appropriate.

At this juncture, we are asking that any individuals who know Ann Marie Kelley and have information about this case to contact the Gage County Sheriff's Office at 402-223-5221 or Beatrice Crime Stoppers at 402-228-4343. We are also asking rural residents to check their property and outbuildings for any sign of the Kelley minivan. Ann is believed to be driving her blue-gray wood panel 1991 Plymouth Voyager minivan, Nebraska license 3-A8045. Her maiden name is Riekenberg for those who may know her by that name.

http://www.beatricedailysun.com/articles/2008/04/29/news/local/doc4817a8b686a77331134750.txt

TupperLes

04-29-2008, 09:16 PM

Tuesday, Apr 29, 2008 - 06:35:15 pm CDT
From Gage County Sheriff's Office

Born 8-21-1971; Gender: Female; Height: 5'4"; Weight: 125-130 lbs.; Eyes: Blue; Hair: Auburn/Red/Brown; Race: White; Identifying Marks: 3" scar right calf. The last publicly confirmed sighting of Ann was at approximately 8:25 a.m. on Tuesday, April 15, 2008, in the Beatrice area. Ann is believed to be driving her dark gray wood panel 1991 Plymouth Voyager minivan, Nebraska license 3-A8045.

http://www.beatricedailysun.com/articles/2008/04/29/news/local/doc4817b09fd52a7014966275.txt

TupperLes

04-29-2008, 09:18 PM

By Harold Campbell
Daily Sun editorTuesday, Apr 29, 2008 - 02:20:20 pm CDT

County issues appeal for information on missing woman
By Harold Campbell
Daily Sun editorTuesday, Apr 29, 2008 - 02:20:20 pm CDT
Gage County authorities have issued an appeal for information from anyone concerning the whereabouts of Ann Marie Kelley, a 36-year-old rural Filley woman who has been missing since April 15.

“I want to emphasize that no bit of information is insignificant, any information is important,” Gage County Attorney Randall Ritnour said at a press conference Tuesday morning at the Gage County Courthouse.

“We have to have those people with information to come forward.”

So far, Ritnour said, the investigation over the past two weeks into Kelley’s disappearance has turned up nothing. There has been no sign of her gray 1991 Plymouth Voyager minivan she was last seen driving, while an investigation into her credit card and bank records has revealed nothing unusual.

But Ritnour said what worries investigators the most is that Kelley has apparently not contacted any friends or relatives since she was reported missing.

“We’ve watched her bank records and we’ve tried to check as many avenues as possible, but we have come up with absolutely nothing,” he said. “That’s what causes us some real concern.”

That concern, he said, is what prompted Tuesday morning’s appeal for any information regarding Kelley.

As part of the press conference, Ritnour presented an updated account of activities regarding Kelley’s disappearance.

Originally, reports indicated Kelley was last seen at her residence about three miles east and two miles north of Filley by her husband, William Jr., around 5:45 a.m. Tuesday, April 15, on her way to work. The couple has four children, ranging in age from 3 to 15.

She works at the One-Stop Convenience Store on U.S. Highway 136 west of Filley and in Beatrice as a cleaning person at Southeast Community College and with a relative in an upholstery business.

Tuesday, however, Ritnour said new information revealed Kelley was last seen by a relative about 8:25 a.m. April 15 at the SunMart supermarket in Beatrice.

Her husband reported her missing to the Gage County Sheriff’s Office at 6:40 p.m. that day. Sheriff’s deputies conducted an initial search of the residence that evening, while in the next few days they searched for her in rural areas and places where she was known to frequent.

The Nebraska State Patrol used one of its aircraft for a flyover search of Gage County on April 19, while the sheriff’s office in conjunction with volunteers from the Filley Volunteer Fire Department and the Citizens Emergency Response Team on April 21 conducted a second search of the Kelley residence and a foot search of the farmland and outbuildings surrounding the home.

The media and general public, however, were not made aware of Kelley’s disappearance until the evening of April 18.

When asked about the three-day delay in releasing information to the general public, Ritnour said sheriff’s deputies had made contact with Kelley before at several locations in the county and wanted to check those places first before widening the search.

Over the last two weeks, he said, investigators and officers with the sheriff’s office, Beatrice Police Department, Wymore Police Department, the Nebraska State Patrol and the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office have followed up leads, including tips from the Albion Police Department, Omaha and the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office in Marysville, Kan.

In addition, Kelley’s husband and other relatives and individuals known to have contact with Kelley have been interviewed, and her name has been listed with the National Missing Persons Clearing House.

Ritnour said Kelley’s family has been hard hit by the disappearance.

“They are devastated by this,” he said. “They don’t know where she is. They said this is completely out of character for her and she would have contacted someone in the family if something was wrong.”

For updates, see the Wednesday Daily Sun print edition and visit www.beatricedailysun.com.

http://www.beatricedailysun.com/articles/2008/04/29/news/local/doc48174a7b9397b251457061.txt

TupperLes

04-30-2008, 12:24 AM

I found this story at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24372775/

Gage County Woman Disappeared 2 Weeks Ago

TheOmahaChannel.com
updated 2 hours, 14 minutes ago
BEATRICE, Neb. - There is still no sign of a missing Gage County woman.

Ann Marie Kelley, 37, was last seen on April 15. Police said they have conducted a foot search around Kelley's home but came up empty-handed.

Kelley's 1991 Plymouth Voyager is also missing. It has a Nebraska license plate of 3 A8045.

The mother of four works two jobs. On Tuesday, her employer at a One Stop convenience store said Kelley was never late and always worked hard. Posters with her picture are now posted at the store.

"Courteous -- she was just a great person to work with," said employer Duaine Arena. "She had quite a few kids and she talked about her family, talked about her husband. I wouldn't think she'd leave her family."

Her employer at a contract cleaning company may have been the last person to talk to her. He said Kelley was cleaning a dorm room on April 15 when she called him on her cell phone and said she needed to leave but would return to work shortly. Investigators say the key card Kelley had issued was used that morning. The cell phone call is the last recorded on her account, and police said the phone was found in Kelley's room at her home.

Police said no bank or credit card transactions have occurred since she disappeared.

"All of the family has indicated to us this is completely out of character for her," said Gage County Attorney Randall Ritnour. "She would be contacting someone in the family."

Kelley's maiden name is Riekenberg. She was last seen buying some items at a Beatrice Sunmart at about 8:25 a.m. Her husband returned to the couple's Filley home in the afternoon on April 15 to find the phone.

"He was at work all day and investigators have verified that with his employer," Ritnour said.

"It would put everyone's mind at ease if someone would come forward," said Arena.

Kelley is described as being about 5 feet 4 inches tall, 125 to 130 pounds, with blue eyes and auburn hair. If you have any information about her disappearance, call Beatrice Crime Stoppers at 402-228-4343.

Roamer

04-30-2008, 05:52 AM

Thank you for all the articles and updates, TupperLes.

Faith

04-30-2008, 12:28 PM

Officials ask for public's help in case of missing woman

Tuesday, Apr 29, 2008 - 06:39:50 pm CDT

FILLEY — Two weeks ago Tuesday, William Kelley Jr. said goodbye to his wife, Ann Marie Kelley, and left for work.

Just under three hours later, at 8:25 a.m., the 37-year-old mother of four was seen by a relative as she drove into Beatrice, where, a few minutes later, she bought a few things at a Sun Mart grocery store.

And then she disappeared.

In the 15 days since, Kelley hasn’t used her credit cards, Gage County Attorney Randall Ritnour said at a press conference in Beatrice Tuesday morning. She hasn’t called any friends or relatives. She didn’t take her cell phone with her when she left home.

A gas station clerk in Albion in northeast Nebraska reported seeing a suspicious vehicle shortly after Kelley’s April 15 disappearance, but it wasn’t Kelley’s dark gray, wood-paneled 1991 Plymouth Voyager minivan, Ritnour said.

Ground and air searches near Kelley’s rural Filley home turned up no sign of the petite brunette or her vehicle.

And despite repeated pleas by investigators, no one has come forward with information about where she might have gone.

“There has been nothing, absolutely nothing,” Ritnour said.

During Tuesday’s press conference, Ritnour reiterated his plea for information about Kelley, no matter how trivial it might seem.

“What I want to emphasize is no bit of information is too insignificant,” he said. “We’re not mind readers. We have to have those people come forward.”

Kelley’s family — which has declined to talk with the media — is “terribly worried,” Ritnour said.

Once before, Ritnour said, Kelley left home and was gone for about 12 hours. Even so, friends and family have stressed to investigators that for Kelley to disappear for any longer was out of character.

Her co-workers at the One-Stop Country Store, a convenience store on Nebraska 136 just west of Filley, said Tuesday they, too, were stunned when they first heard that Kelley was missing.

Customers liked Kelley, said Christian Pobamz, a One-Stop cashier, who had trained Kelley when she started just a month or two before her disappearance.

“She was nice. She was quiet,” Pobamz said. “She talked about her kids all the time.”

But she also was shy and didn’t say much about her personal life aside from her children, who sometimes visited their mom at work, Pobamz said.

Pobamz said she aided in a ground search for Kelley last week.

A missing person sign with Kelley’s picture is prominently displayed on the counter at the One-Stop.

“Lots of people are asking about her,” said Casey Hilzinger, another One-Stop cashier. “I know whatever happened, a lot of people are worried about her.”

In addition to her job at One-Stop, Kelley did some cleaning at Southeast Community College and also helped a relative with some upholstery work, Ritnour said.

Kelley’s four children, the youngest of whom is a toddler and the oldest of whom is about 15, are at home with Kelley’s husband, he said.

Investigators are still following up on one possible lead from Omaha and another from Kansas, he said.

Ritnour said investigators believe Kelley could have traveled up to 320 miles before her minivan would have run out of gas. He asked people in a 320-mile radius to be on the lookout for Kelley — who is 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighs about 125 pounds, with blue eyes and reddish brown hair — as well as her vehicle, which has license plates reading 3-A8045. Her maiden name is Riekenberg for those who may know her by that name, Ritnour said.

Anyone with information can call the Gage County Sheriff's Office at (402) 223-5221 or Beatrice Crime Stoppers at (402) 228-4343.

Reach Cara Pesek at 473-7361 or cpesek@journalstar.com.
http://www.journalstar.com/news/nebraska/doc48174d25696f9633125160.txt

Faith

04-30-2008, 03:53 PM

Appeal for information

Wednesday, Apr 30, 2008

http://www.beatricedailysun.com/resources/image_resizer.php?url=/content/articles/2008/04/30/news/local/doc48174a7b9397b251457061.jpg&max_w=330&max_h=0&border=3
Photo by Harold Campbell/Daily Sun editor
Gage County Attorney Randall Ritnour issues a statement Tuesday morning during a press conference at the Gage County Courthouse. In the statement, county officials have issued an appeal for information relating to the disappearance of Ann Marie Kelley of rural Filley two weeks ago.

Gage County authorities have issued an appeal for information from anyone concerning the whereabouts of Ann Marie Kelley, a 36-year-old rural Filley woman who has been missing since April 15.

“I want to emphasize that no bit of information is insignificant, any information is important,” Gage County Attorney Randall Ritnour said at a press conference Tuesday morning at the Gage County Courthouse.

“We have to have those people with information to come forward.”

Kelley is described as 5 feet, four inches tall, weighing about 125 to 130 pounds, with blue eyes and auburn/red/brown hair.

So far, Ritnour said, the investigation over the past two weeks into Kelley’s disappearance has turned up nothing. There has been no sign of her gray 1991 Plymouth Voyager minivan she was last seen driving, while an investigation into her credit card and bank records has revealed nothing unusual.

But Ritnour said what worries investigators the most is that Kelley has apparently not contacted any friends or relatives since she was reported missing.

“We’ve watched her bank records and we’ve tried to check as many avenues as possible, but we have come up with absolutely nothing,” he said. “That’s what causes us some real concern.”

That concern, he said, is what prompted Tuesday morning’s appeal for any information regarding Kelley.

As part of the press conference, Ritnour presented an updated account of activities regarding Kelley’s disappearance.

Originally, reports indicated Kelley was last seen by her husband, William Jr., at the family’s residence three miles east and two miles north of Filley around 5:45 a.m. Tuesday, April 15, on her way to work. The couple has four children, ranging in age from 3 to 15.

She works at the One-Stop Country Store on U.S. Highway 136 west of Filley and in Beatrice as a cleaning person at Southeast Community College and with a relative in an upholstery business.

Tuesday, however, Ritnour said new information revealed Kelley was last seen by a relative about 8:25 a.m. April 15 at the SunMart supermarket in Beatrice.

In an interview after the press conference, Ritnour said Kelley purchased about $50 in groceries that morning at SunMart. Sheriff’s deputies found items similar to what she bought when they later searched her residence, but Ritnour said it would be difficult to determine if she returned home and dropped them off after she went to SunMart.

Her husband reported her missing to the Gage County Sheriff’s Office at 6:40 p.m. that day. Sheriff’s deputies conducted an initial search of the residence that evening, while in the next few days they searched for her in rural areas and places where she was known to frequent.

The Nebraska State Patrol used one of its aircraft for a flyover search of Gage County on April 19. Two days later, the sheriff’s office in conjunction with volunteers from the Filley Volunteer Fire Department and the Citizens Emergency Response Team conducted a second search of the Kelley residence and a foot search of the farmland and outbuildings surrounding the home.

The media and general public, however, were not made aware of Kelley’s disappearance until the evening of April 18.

When asked about the three-day delay in releasing information to the general public, Ritnour said sheriff’s deputies had made contact with Kelley before at several locations in the county and wanted to check those places first before widening the search.

Over the last two weeks, he said, investigators and officers with the sheriff’s office, Beatrice Police Department, Wymore Police Department, the Nebraska State Patrol and the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office have followed up leads, including tips from the Albion Police Department, Omaha and the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office in Marysville, Kan.

In Albion, a convenience store clerk thought a minivan matching the description of Kelley’s had stayed at a gas pump for what he thought was an inordinately long period of time. However, it turned out not to be her vehicle.

In the case of Marysville, Kelley’s husband did not recognize a Marysville telephone number on his phone bill, but it turned out to be the number of a contractor his construction business had worked with.

In addition, Kelley’s husband and other relatives and individuals known to have contact with Kelley have been interviewed, and her name has been listed with the National Missing Persons Clearing House.

Ritnour said although Kelley’s disappearance has been made known nationally, the sheriff’s office would focus its search in a 320-mile radius of Gage County, the distance sheriff’s officials believe she could have reached based on how much gasoline was left in her van at the time of her disappearance.

Ritnour said Kelley’s family has been hard hit by the disappearance.

“They are devastated by this,” he said. “They don’t know where she is. They said this is completely out of character for her and she would have contacted someone in the family if something was wrong.”

Some One-Stop Country Store employees contacted Tuesday said Kelley had worked at the store for about two months before her disappearance and was “nice and outgoing” and often brought her children with her to the store.

“(Her disappearance) was a complete surprise,” employee Casey Hilzinger said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 402-223-5221 or Beatrice Crime Stoppers at 402-228-4343. The license plate number for Kelley’s van is 3-A8045.

http://www.beatricedailysun.com/articles/2008/04/30/news/local/doc48174a7b9397b251457061.txt

Grande

05-01-2008, 09:30 AM

Press release on Ann Marie Kelley from County Attorney's Office
Tuesday, Apr 29, 2008 - 06:02:11 pm CDT
From County Attorney Randall Ritnour

The Gage County Attorney, Randall Ritnour, held a press conference at the Emergency Operations Office (EOC) in the Gage County Courthouse to update the public and media on the progress of the investigation regarding the disappearance of Ann Marie Kelley, a (36)-year-old mother of four who was last seen on April 15, at 8:25 a.m. in Beatrice, Nebraska. The Gage County Sheriff's Office began to investigate the case later that evening when her husband reported her missing at 6:40 p.m. They conducted an initial search of the Kelley home at that time.

Over the course of the first few days, sheriff's deputies searched rural areas and places that Mrs. Kelley was known to frequent. The Beatrice Police Department conducted a street-by-street search of Beatrice, in an attempt to locate the vehicle Mrs. Kelley may have been driving. The Nebraska State Patrol deployed an aircraft for a flyover search of Gage County on Saturday, April 19th. On April (21st), in conjunction with volunteers from the Filley Volunteer Fire Department and the Citizens Emergency Response Team (CERT), the Gage County Sheriff's Department conducted a second search of the Kelley residence and a foot search of the farmland and outbuildings surrounding the rural home of the missing woman.

During the ensuing two weeks, investigators and officers with the Gage County Sheriff's Office, Beatrice Police Department, Wymore Police Department, the Nebraska State Patrol and the Nebraska Attorney General's Office have been actively involved in the case. Leads that have been followed up include tips from the Albion Police Department, a tip from Omaha and the Marshall County Sheriff's Office in Marysville, Kansas.

The husband, relatives (and) other individuals known to have had contact with Ann Marie Kelley have been interviewed and investigators are actively pursuing leads developed from those interviews. However, to date, there have been no sightings of Mrs. Kelley, nor the vehicle she was driving.

The Gage County Emergency Management director, Mark Meints, will coordinate with Nebraska Emergency Management to request search teams from the Nebraska Wing of the Civil Air Patrol. The Nebraska State Patrol will coordinate any additional air searches of Gage county and surrounding counties that may be appropriate.

At this juncture, we are asking that any individuals who know Ann Marie Kelley and have information about this case to contact the Gage County Sheriff's Office at 402-223-5221 or Beatrice Crime Stoppers at 402-228-4343. We are also asking rural residents to check their property and outbuildings for any sign of the Kelley minivan. Ann is believed to be driving her blue-gray wood panel 1991 Plymouth Voyager minivan, Nebraska license 3-A8045. Her maiden name is Riekenberg for those who may know her by that name.

http://www.beatricedailysun.com/articles/2008/05/01/news/local/doc4817a8b686a77331134750.txt

Faith

05-01-2008, 06:25 PM

Missing Woman May Have Left Note

POSTED: 3:13 pm CDT May 1, 2008

LINCOLN, Neb. -- A Gage County woman who disappeared two weeks ago may have left a note.

Ann Marie Kelley, 37, was last seen on April 15.

Kelley's 1991 Plymouth Voyager is also missing. It has a Nebraska license plate of 3 A8045.

Gage County Attorney Randall Ritnour said Kelley's husband found a note with her cell phone in their home. Ritnour said the note said she loved her children.

Ritnour said he would not describe it as a farewell or suicide note.

Investigators are checking the note to see if it matches Kelley's handwriting.
http://www.ketv.com/newsarchive/16116601/detail.html

TupperLes

05-03-2008, 12:56 AM

Search efforts for missing Filley woman will likely slow next week
BY CARA PESEK / Lincoln Journal Star
Friday, May 02, 2008 - 03:25:28 pm CDT
It’s been more than two weeks since anyone in Ann Marie Kelley’s family has heard from her.

She hasn’t withdrawn any money from her bank account.

No one has seen her dark gray wood-paneled minivan.

[+]EnlargeAnn Marie KelleyOn Tuesday Gage County Attorney Randall Ritnour held a press conference, during which he asked the public to come forward with information about Kelley, a 37-year-old mother of four with reddish brown hair and blue eyes.

“I wouldn’t say there was any kind of an avalanche of information,” Ritnour said.

And as a result, he said Friday, he expected that the search for Kelley would slow come next week.

Kelley was last seen about 8:25 a.m. on April 15 in Beatrice. A few minutes after that last sighting, she bought a few groceries at Sun-Mart.

No one has heard from her since.

Ground and air searches yielded no sign of Kelley. Investigators questioned her husband and several other family members, but no arrests have been made.

Kelley left her cell phone at her home, a ranch-style farmhouse near Filley. A note to her children was found with her phone, Ritnour said, but even that didn’t provide many clues.

“It is not a suicide note,” Ritnour said. “It is a note written to her kids, but it is not a farewell note.”

Kelley’s disappearance has puzzled investigators and worried her family, Ritnour said.

Come Monday, investigators from several agencies including the Gage County Sheriff’s Office and the Nebraska Attorney General’s office would likely meet to discuss the case, Ritnour said.

“We’re going to take stock of everything Monday and see where we’re at,” he said.

Provided there are no big developments between now and then, he said, he expected search efforts would slow.

Investigators will continue to follow up any tips they receive, he said, they’ll just do so individually instead of as a team.

Anyone with information on Ann Marie Kelley — who is 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs about 125- 130 pounds — or her vehicle — a dark gray, wood-paneled 1991 Plymouth Voyager minivan — can call Beatrice Crime Stoppers at (402) 228-4343.

Reach Cara Pesek at 473-7361 or cpesek@journalstar.com.

http://www.journalstar.com/news/nebraska/doc481b781ad3c0e319235574.txt#cancel

Faith

05-03-2008, 11:24 AM

“It is not a suicide note,” Ritnour said. “It is a note written to her kids, but it is not a farewell note.”

I'm glad this was cleared up.

TupperLes

05-05-2008, 11:52 PM

Authorities to search lakes for missing rural Filley woman
Monday, May 05, 2008 - 02:26:01 pm CDT
Daily Sun staff

Gage County authorities are planning to dive in a number of lakes in the county over the next few days in an effort to locate a rural Filley woman who has been missing for the past three weeks.

Gage County Attorney Randall Ritnour said Monday afternoon the plan did not come as the result of any leads, but was part of the overall search process for 36-year-old Ann Marie Kelley, who was reported missing on April 15.

“We don’t have any leads to indicate she would be in a lake, but we thought it would be prudent to check,” Ritnour said.

He also said county officials had already notified Kelley’s family.

“We’re just being careful,” he said.

For now, he said authorities were only going to check Gage County lakes, but the search could be widened later.

Kelley is described as 5 feet, 4 inches tall, weighing about 125 to 130 pounds, with blue eyes and auburn/red/brown hair. Her husband, William Jr., reported her missing about 6:40 p.m. April 15, while a relative of Kelley reported seeing her at the SunMart supermarket in Beatrice about 8:25 a.m. that day.

No one has reported seeing her since that day, and Ritnour said Kelley has apparently made no attempt to contact relatives or friends since her disappearance.

http://www.beatricedailysun.com/articles/2008/05/05/news/local/doc481f5f2f94b90394841731.txt

TupperLes

05-09-2008, 02:04 AM

Divers search lake for missing woman
By Harold Campbell
Daily Sun editorThursday, May 08, 2008 - 09:16:54 pm CDT

Divers from Beatrice, Fairbury and Thayer County searched the lake in the Wolf-Wildcat Wildlife Management Area about six miles south of Virginia Thursday, but found no trace of a rural Filley woman who has been missing for more than three weeks.

The divers began their search about 6:30 p.m. and concluded about 8:30 p.m. Thursday. Officials said they were attempting to locate thed dark gray wood panel 1991 Plymouth Voyager minivan 36-year-old Ann Marie Kelley was last seen driving about 8:25 a.m. April 15 at the SunMart supermarket in Beatrice.

Gage County Attorney Randall Ritnour said divers searched Bear Lake on Tuesday. In addition, Ritnour said officials from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks are expected to bring sonar equipment to use in search Rockford and Big Indian lakes this weekend.

"We have no reason to believe that she is in a lake, but we want to check out all possibilities," he said.

Ritnour added Thursday that the Gage County Sheriff's Office has received no new leads in the case. Kelley is described as 5 feet, 4 inches tall, 125-130 pounds, with auburn/red/brown hair. Anyone with information is urged to call the sheriff's office at 402-223-5211 or Beatrice Crime Stoppers at 402-228-4343.

For more details, see Friday's Daily Sun print edition and www.beatricedailysun.com.

TigressPen

05-09-2008, 06:42 AM

I hope Ann is found and that she is safe. I feel for what her children must be going through. :1222423:

Faith

05-09-2008, 09:29 AM

My prayers go out to the family & friends. May God lead the LE to Ann. :1222423:

TupperLes

05-09-2008, 02:54 PM

Diver search for missing woman under way

By Harold Campbell/Daily Sun editorFriday, May 09, 2008 - 10:03:06 am CDT

A handful of Gage County-area divers suited up Thursday evening to enter the murky waters of Wolf-Wildcat Lake.

While the men, carrying their full gear of tank, hoses and other equipment, splashed along the shoreline to head for deeper waters, a bluegill jumped out of the water nearby.

This was no fun snorkeling outing, however. It was part of the latest effort to find Ann Marie Kelley, a 36-year-old rural Filley woman who has been missing since April 15.

“We still have no further leads,” Gage County Attorney Randall Ritnour said in an interview Thursday afternoon. “We still have no new information.”

Although divers found nothing Thursday evening during their two-hour search, the effort was part a plan by Gage County authorities to send dive teams into county lakes to search for Kelley and her 1991 gray wood-paneled Plymouth Voyager minivan she was last seen driving about 8:25 a.m. April 15 in Beatrice.

“There is no reason to believe she is in a lake, but we want to cover all possibilities,” Ritnour said.

Gage County Sheriff’s Sgt. Bruce Slaven said divers searched Bear Creek Lake about four miles north and two miles east of Beatrice Tuesday, but they found no trace of Kelley or the minivan.

Thursday night, a handful of divers representing Beatrice, Fairbury and other area communities searched the lake in the Wolf-Wildcat Wildlife Management Area, a 160-acre area about six miles south of Virginia on South 162nd Road.

Using a rope stretched out about 100 feet into the water, the divers fought weeds, murky waters with little or no visibility and fatigue to comb the west side of the lake near where the gravel road leading from South 162nd Road goes down a hillside to the lake.

“It was like looking through a camera with the lens cap on,” said Fairbury Fire Chief Eric Voss, one of the divers during Thursday evening’s search.

Divers continually returned to the surface with their face masks, tanks and suits covered with wet, slimy grass, while the divers and personnel on the shore regularly shook off weeds from the rope to make the search go more smoothly.

With no sign of Kelley or the minivan and darkness approaching, however, the search was stopped about 8:30 p.m. Sheriff’s officials who searched the area surrounding the lake also reported finding nothing except beer bottles and other evidence of parties that had taken place recently.

Ritnour said officials from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks were expected to bring sonar equipment Friday to help in searches scheduled for this weekend of Rockford and Big Indian lakes.

Meanwhile, authorities are continuing to ask the public for any information surrounding Kelley’s disappearance. She is described as 5 feet, 4 inches tall, weighing about 125-130 pounds, with auburn/red/brown hair.

Anyone with information should call the sheriff’s office at 402-223-5221 or Beatrice Crime Stoppers at 402-228-4343.

TupperLes

05-13-2008, 11:17 AM

Still no leads in Ann Marie Kelley case
Tuesday, May 13, 2008 - 09:18:48 am CDT
Daily Sun staff

There are still no new clues or leads in connection with the disappearance of Ann Marie Kelley, a 36-year-old rural Filley woman who has been missing since April 15.

Gage County Attorney Randall Ritnour said Monday afternoon authorities have received no new information regarding Kelley’s disappearance, while searches at Gage County lakes last week proved unsuccessful in finding Kelley or the 1991 Plymouth Voyager minivan she was last seen driving.

Ritnour said officials are concerned that no one has reported hearing from Kelley or seeing her van since her disappearance. Thursday will mark the one-month anniversary of when she was last seen at about 8:25 a.m. April 15 at the SunMart supermarket in Beatrice.

Meanwhile, authorities are continuing to ask the public for any information surrounding Kelley’s disappearance. She is described as 5 feet, 4 inches tall, weighing about 125-130 pounds, with auburn/red/brown hair.

Anyone with information should call the sheriff’s office at 402-223-5221 or Beatrice Crime Stoppers at 402-228-4343.

TupperLes

05-15-2008, 02:19 PM

After one month, search continues for missing rural Filley woman
By Harold Campbell/Daily Sun editorThursday, May 15, 2008 - 09:38:54 am CDT
Exactly a month has passed since Ann Marie Kelley was last seen, but Gage County officials say they still have few clues and no new leads in the disappearance of the 36-year-old rural Filley woman.

“There is absolutely nothing to report,” Gage County Attorney Randall Ritnour said in an interview Wednesday evening.

Last week, authorities searched unsuccessfully at several Gage County lakes for Kelley and her 1991 Plymouth Voyager minivan she was last seen driving on the morning of April 15.

The Nebraska State Patrol has also flown numerous aerial surveillance flights over Gage County and surrounding southeast Nebraska counties as well as over parts of northern Kansas during the past four weeks, while authorities have also scoured the Gage County countryside searching for clues, Ritnour said.

In addition, Kelley’s name and description have been posted on a nationwide missing person’s database.

Ritnour said the search will likely slow down next week when the Richard Griswold murder trial begins on Monday in Gage County District Court.

However, Ritnour said representatives from the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office who had volunteered to help earlier with the investigation and Gage County officials are expected to meet on May 27 to discuss further options, including searching more lakes.

According to Gage County officials, Kelley left her residence about three miles east and two miles north of Filley at about 5:45 a.m. April 15. She was last seen by a relative driving her dark gray wood-paneled 1991 Plymouth Voyager minivan at about 8:25 a.m. that day at SunMart in Beatrice.

Ritnour said other clues remain scarce.

What is known is that Kelley bought about $50 worth of items at SunMart, Ritnour said, and she left her cell phone at home that morning.

An additional piece of information Ritnour revealed Wednesday was that Kelley had called her employer, a cleaning service which cleans Southeast Community College, to say she was not coming in to work that day because of something at her children’s school she had to deal with.

However, nothing was going on at her children’s school, Ritnour said.

In addition, there have been no reported sightings of her van or any contact with her since her disappearance.

“It’s highly unusual that someone would go an entire month without contacting somebody,” he said.

Ritnour said authorities are still considering Kelley’s disappearance as a missing person’s case and not a criminal case.

“We have no reason at this point to consider this a criminal investigation,” he said.

Meanwhile, authorities are continuing to ask the public for any information surrounding Kelley’s disappearance. She is described as 5 feet, 4 inches tall, weighing about 125-130 pounds, with auburn/red/brown hair.

Anyone with information should call the Gage County Sheriff’s Office at 402-223-5221 or Beatrice Crime Stoppers at 402-228-4343.

http://www.beatricedailysun.com/articles/2008/05/15/news/local/doc482c48db9b796335270532.txt

Faith

05-15-2008, 02:29 PM

I hope she is found safe. My prayers and support for the family. :1222423:

Snowbird

05-15-2008, 10:52 PM

An additional piece of information Ritnour revealed Wednesday was that Kelley had called her employer, a cleaning service which cleans Southeast Community College, to say she was not coming in to work that day because of something at her children’s school she had to deal with.

However, nothing was going on at her children’s school, Ritnour said.

http://www.beatricedailysun.com/articles/2008/05/15/news/local/doc482c48db9b796335270532.txt

Snipped

Is this just a misquote or conflicting info? It was stated previously

" Her employer at a contract cleaning company may have been the last person to talk to her. He said Kelley was cleaning a dorm room on April 15 when she called him on her cell phone and said she needed to leave but would return to work shortly. Investigators say the key card Kelley had issued was used that morning. The cell phone call is the last recorded on her account, and police said the phone was found in Kelley's room at her home. "

I am sure it is most likely misquote but just curious about the conflicting info.

TupperLes

05-20-2008, 10:22 PM

Tuesday, May 20, 2008 - 07:38:37 pm CDT

Rumors circulating around Beatrice that Ann Marie Kelley, a 36-year-old rural Filley woman missing since April 15, has been found are false, Gage County Attorney Randall Ritnour said Tuesday evening.

“There is nothing to report, and these rumors have no basis in fact,” Ritnour said in a telephone interview.

Ritnour said his office received a call Tuesday morning from KUTT Radio saying someone had contacted the station claiming Kelley had been found. A number of people also called the Gage County Sheriff’s Office Tuesday asking if Kelley had been found, but Sheriff Millard “Gus” Gustafson said there was no truth to the reports.

“I wish we had found her,” Gustafson said.

Ritnour said Gustafson asked him about 6 p.m. Tuesday if the county should issue a press release saying Kelley remains missing and the search for her and her 1991 Plymouth Voyager minivan continues.

An official statement will likely be released some time Wednesday, Ritnour said.

One of the stories heard Tuesday was that Kelley and her van were found in the Holmesville quarry. Ritnour, however, said he heard nothing about that.

http://www.beatricedailysun.com/articles/2008/05/20/news/local/doc48336f008ab52878354712.txt

TupperLes

05-20-2008, 10:33 PM

Here is the link to the Gage County Sheriffs office, where you will find pictures of Ann Kelley. I could post the pictures, maybe someone else could?

http://www.gage-ne-sheriff.us/index.html

Faith

05-21-2008, 12:06 AM

Faith

05-21-2008, 12:08 AM

Here is the link to the Gage County Sheriffs office, where you will find pictures of Ann Kelley. I could post the pictures, maybe someone else could?

http://www.gage-ne-sheriff.us/index.html

Thank you TupperLes, we have them on page 1.

wheezer

05-22-2008, 07:49 PM

OMAHA, Neb. -- Authorities in Gage County said Wednesday that the husband of a missing woman is in custody on a drug charge.

The Gage County attorney said that William Kelley was arrested Wednesday night at his home on a single felony count of possession of a controlled substance.

The sheriff's department said that the investigation that led to his arrest began at the time of Ann Marie Kelley's disappearance. The 36-year-old mother of four has been missing since April 15.

http://www.ketv.com/newsarchive/16361294/detail.html

wheezer

05-22-2008, 07:51 PM

The husband of missing Filley, Nebraska woman Ann Marie Kelley has been arrested on a drug charge.

William Kelley was arrested Wednesday night at his home for possession of a controlled substance.

County Attorney Randy Ritnour says William Kelley is charged with possession of a controlled substance; felon in possession of firearms and false reporting on a gun permit application

Bond was set this am at 10 percent of $25,000.

Ritnour says these charges have nothing to do with Ms. Kelley's disappearance.

The last publicly confirmed sighting of Ann was at approximately 8:25 am on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 in the Beatrice, Nebraska Area.

Ann was believed to be driving her Dark Gray Wood Panel 1991 Plymouth Voyager Mini-Van, Nebraska License 3-A8045.

http://www.wowt.com/news/headlines/19180584.html

Faith

05-22-2008, 07:51 PM

Missing Woman's Husband Faces Drug Charge

May 22, 2008

Arrested Wednesday night

http://media.graytvinc.com/images/William-Kelley-200.jpg

http://media.graytvinc.com/images/Ann-Marie-Kelley.jpg

The husband of missing Filley, Nebraska woman Ann Marie Kelley has been arrested on a drug charge.

William Kelley was arrested Wednesday night at his home for possession of a controlled substance.

County Attorney Randy Ritnour says William Kelley is charged with possession of a controlled substance; felon in possession of firearms and false reporting on a gun permit application

Bond was set this am at 10 percent of $25,000.

Ritnour says these charges have nothing to do with Ms. Kelley's disappearance.

The last publicly confirmed sighting of Ann was at approximately 8:25 am on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 in the Beatrice, Nebraska Area.

Ann was believed to be driving her Dark Gray Wood Panel 1991 Plymouth Voyager Mini-Van, Nebraska License 3-A8045.

http://www.wowt.com/news/headlines/19180584.html

Myst

05-23-2008, 04:46 AM

My thoughts and prayers are with Ann's family and friends. My heart goes out to them and those in her surrounding community, all of whom must be reeling in shock.

packy

05-23-2008, 07:43 AM

I think where the problem is coming in is there is an obituary for Ann Marie Kelley

WHATELY - Ann Marie Kelley, 42, of River Road, died Saturday at the Cooley Dickinson Hospital.

This is a different Ann Marie Kelley
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:l2wqfL0_pvQJ:www.dailyhampshiregaze tte.com/storytmp.cfm%3Fid_no%3D78136+Ann+Marie+kelley,+obi tuary&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us

Thanks, Faith. It can be confusing.

TupperLes

05-26-2008, 10:50 PM

What I can't understand..Ann's children a boy that is 2, twins: a boy and a girl who are 4 or 5, and a 15 year old daughter. If she left on her own will, why she didn't take the kids with her.
I am really wondering if there has been some foul play.
News Paper articles have been conflicting in some of their reporting.

What I want to know...why hasn't her Mother, Father, Sister, or Husband made a plea to the puclic? Don't you find that strange?

I think there is much more to this than what is being told to the public.

Faith

05-26-2008, 10:53 PM

TupperLes

05-30-2008, 04:46 PM

http://www.beatricedailysun.com/articles/2008/05/30/news/local/doc48400f493522c347721337.txt

Friday, May 30, 2008 - 09:37:58 am CDT
Daily Sun staff

William Kelley Jr., the husband of Ann Marie Kelley, who has been missing since April 15, has had 13 charges filed against him recently, ranging from drug-related offenses to possession of a firearm by a felon to misrepresentation of unemployment insurance.

In addition, Gage County Attorney Randall Ritnour filed a child sexual assault charge against him Thursday afternoon.

Kelley, 37, of rural Filley, is the natural father of three children between him and Mrs. Kelley and is the stepfather to one child. All the children range in age between 3 and 15.

In one case filled on May 21, he is charged with possession of marijuana more than one pound, possession of drug paraphernalia, two counts of possession of a firearm by a felon and providing false information on handgun. Hearing is set for June 9.

In the other case, filed in February, there are eight charges of misrepresentation of unemployment insurance, a Class III misdemeanor, occurring between April 30 and June 18, 2005. A hearing is set for June 3.

On Thursday Kelley’s bond was reduced to $15,000 from $25,000.

TupperLes

06-02-2008, 08:15 PM

Missing woman's husband named 'person of interest'

CARA PESEK / Lincoln Journal Star
Monday, Jun 02, 2008 - 03:07:45 pm CDT
A month and a half after a rural Filley woman vanished without a trace, authorities have identified her husband as a person of interest in the case.

William Kelley isn’t technically a suspect in his wife’s disappearance, but investigators are considering he may have been involved, said Gage County Attorney Randall Ritnour.

“He is certainly a person of interest,” Ritnour said.

Kelley also faces a charge of sexual assault of a minor, which was filed Thursday.

Ritnour said law enforcement served five search warrants relating to the disappearance of Ann Marie Kelley last week.

One of those warrants led to Kelley’s arrest. Ritnour alleges Kelley, 37, had sexual relations with a teen between August 2006 and August 2007.

There had been allegations William Kelley was abusing the victim, whom he knew, prior to last week’s arrest, Ritnour said. No previous charges had been filed.

William Kelley’s bond for the charge was set at 10 percent of $500,000. He is in the Gage County Jail on felony drug and weapons possession charges.

Ritnour declined to comment on the nature of the other four search warrants served last week.

Ritnour would not elaborate on any leads investigators were following up on, but he would say details in the case are still vague.

“I can’t allege that anything bad happened to Ann Marie Kelley because I don’t have any evidence either way,” he said.

The Nebraska State Patrol helped with serving the search warrants, said State Patrol Spokeswoman Deb Collins.

Ann Marie Kelley, 36, was last seen the morning of April 15, driving her dark gray, wood-paneled 1991 Plymouth Voyager minivan. She has not contacted friends or family nor used her credit cards since then.

A van that matched the description of the one Anne Marie Kelley was driving was spotted on U.S. 77 last week, Ritnour said. It turned out to be a different van, though it was nearly identical to Kelley’s.

William Kelley was arrested and jailed on the drug and weapons charges in late May. Ritnour said investigators discovered about three pounds of marijuana at the Kelleys’ home during their investigation into the whereabouts of his wife.

Investigators also discovered two guns, which were illegal for William Kelley, a felon, to own.

He will next appear in court today, for a misdemeanor charge also discovered during the investigation into Ann Marie Kelley’s disappearance. A court appearance for the drug, gun and child molestation charges is set for June 9 at 2:30 p.m., Ritnour said.

The Kelleys’ four children are staying with relatives, Ritnour said.

Reach Cara Pesek at 473-7361 or cpesek@journalstar.com.

http://www.journalstar.com/news/local/doc4844505176e24188389804.txt

Faith

06-02-2008, 09:16 PM

>snip<

In addition, Gage County Attorney Randall Ritnour filed a child sexual assault charge against him Thursday afternoon

how sad-

wheezer

06-04-2008, 12:08 PM

BEATRICE, Neb. -- The husband of a missing Gage County woman was charged with sexual assault of a minor this week.

According to court documents, a 15-year-old told investigators that William Kelley had sex with her numerous times between August 2006 and August 2007.

Gage County Attorney Randy Ritnour said that the allegations have reignited the investigation into Kelley's wife, Ann's, disappearance. Ritnour said the investigators have not made a connection between the assault charges and the disappearance.

"The fact that we were looking for Mrs. Kelley brought a lot of light to some of his actions, and I think that's why he's being prosecuted at this point. As we investigate, we've uncovered more," Ritnour said.

Ritnour said the investigation continues. Four other search warrants were filed in the last week.

Ann Marie Kelley, 36, and a mother of four, has been missing since April 15.

Ritnour said there are no suspects in Ann Kelley's disappearance and they still have no evidence a crime was committed.

http://www.ketv.com/news/16490814/detail.html

TupperLes

06-04-2008, 08:57 PM

Details of search warrant on Kelley residence released
Wednesday, Jun 04, 2008 - 09:50:45 am CDT
Daily Sun staff

The investigation into the disappearance of 36-year-old Ann Marie Kelley of rural Filley is continuing.

However, there is now the added complication that charges have been filed against her husband, William Kelley Jr., for unrelated offenses and an arrest warrant has been put out against Kelley herself in connection with some of her husband’s drug-related charges.

Kelley’s husband has had more than a dozen charges filed against him recently in Gage County Court, ranging from drug-related offenses to child sexual assault.

The contents of an affidavit for a search warrant performed on Kelley’s residence three miles east and two miles north of Filley late last week was made available to the public Tuesday.

The affidavit showed Gage County Sheriff’s Office deputies obtained such items as pornographic tapes, DVDs, CDs, books and magazines from Kelley’s home, as well as sexual stimulation devices, sexually explicit clothing, sex board games and bondage materials.

Gage County Attorney Randall Ritnour said while Kelley has had a number of criminal charges filed against him, the case of his missing wife has not reached the criminal stage.

“He is a person of interest in her wife’s disappearance,” Ritnour said. “But that remains a missing persons case until we actually find a body or her vehicle. Just being missing isn’t a crime.”

Meanwhile, the sheriff’s office late last week also issued an arrest warrant against Ann Marie Kelley on charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of more than one pound of marijuana. The charges were related to information sheriff’s deputies received while investigating drug charges against her husband.

Ann Marie Kelley was reported missing on April 15. She was reportedly last seen about 8:20 a.m. that day at the SunMart supermarket in Beatrice driving her 1991 dark gray wood-paneled Plymouth Voyager minivan.

Authorities continue to ask anyone with information to call the sheriff’s office at 402-223-5221 or Beatrice Crime Stoppers at 402-228-4343.

http://www.beatricedailysun.com/articles/2008/06/04/news/local/doc4846a751a95a2829277358.txt#blogcomments

Faith

06-04-2008, 10:33 PM

TupperLes

06-05-2008, 04:47 PM

Affidavits reveal alleged murder threats by Ann Marie Kelley’s husband
Thursday, Jun 05, 2008 - 09:46:04 am CDT
Daily Sun staff

Search warrant affidavits filed Wednesday in Gage County District Court shed more light on the time leading up to Ann Marie Kelley’s April 15 disappearance and include contents of conversations law enforcement officers had with former co-workers of Kelley’s husband, William Kelley Jr., in which he allegedly threatened to kill his wife.

Gage County Attorney Randall Ritnour has said the investigation into Kelley’s disappearance remains a missing persons case and her husband is a “person of interest” but not a suspect because no body or vehicle has been found.

However, he said the evidence contained in the affidavits filed this week was troubling.

“(Kelley) is still just a person of interest, but all these things cause us great concern,” Ritnour said.

So far, five search warrants connected with Kelley have been issued: one for a computer, one for a boat and pickup truck from a DeWitt residence, one for a vehicle in Beatrice and two for items from Kelley’s residence three miles east and two miles north of Filley, including one related to the missing person’s case and one related to charges filed against him recently for having sex with a 15-year-old girl from August 2006 to August 2007.

Information contained in the affidavits offer a picture of the timeline leading up to Ann Marie Kelley’s disappearance, although in one point they contradict earlier statements from law enforcement officials.

According to the affidavits, it was William Kelley and not Ann Marie Kelley who left their residence at 5:45 a.m. April 15. In the report, Gage County Sheriff’s Investigator David Heidbrink said Ann Marie received a text message from her husband at 7:22 a.m. that read, “Have a good day.” She then replied, “You too, don’t blow away.”

She and the couple’s four children then left their house sometime after 7:23 a.m. to be dropped off at school in Beatrice. In the middle of the trip, she made a purchase at the SunMart supermarket in Beatrice at 8:14 a.m.

There was later a telephone call from Ann Marie’s mother to Ann Marie at 8:45 a.m. for a duration of one minute and 14 seconds. Ann Marie, who worked for a cleaning service at Southeast Community College, used a key fob assigned to her to enter Roosevelt Hall on the SCC campus at 8:46 a.m.

She then used her phone to call her employer at 9:43 a.m. to say there was a problem with her children at school. At 9:55 a.m. there was a call from Ann Marie’s phone to the school, but no one there indicated they had a conversation with her that day.

The report filed Wednesday said there were no further sightings or contact with Ann Marie after 9:55 a.m. April 15.

At 12:29 p.m., William Kelley sent a text message to Ann Marie asking her, “What’s up?” and then another asking if she was planning to pick up their son. Her mother picked up the son after Ann Marie did not show up. Records then indicate William began to send numerous text messages to Ann Marie, but received no response.

Kelley then called Beatrice Communications at about 7:30 p.m. that day to report his wife as missing.

A sheriff’s deputy was dispatched to the Kelley residence, and a search began of all Gage County towns as well as all the bars and motels in the Beatrice area in an effort to locate Ann Marie, who would have been driving a dark gray 1991 Plymouth Voyager minivan with wood panels on the side and rear.

At about 12:30 a.m. April 16, Kelley reported finding a note and Ann Marie’s cell phone in their bedroom on their pillow. The contents of the note were not disclosed.

The affidavits filed Wednesday also contain information from conversations law enforcement officials had last week with former co-workers with William Kelley at Filley Powdercoating.

One former co-worker told Investigator Tina Vath that he worked with Kelley from July 15, 2007, to Aug. 9, 2007, and heard Kelley make comments about killing his wife.

Heidbrink later interviewed the co-worker himself, who said one day Kelley came in to work early and told him he was frustrated because he was low on money and was fighting with his wife all the time. In addition, according to the document, Kelley said he liked to fish and there were places he knew of deep enough to get a vehicle into and no one would be able to find it.

Other former co-workers said they overheard Kelly complaining about his wife spending too much money and said he often had a temper and could be easily rattled.

In the midst of the search for his missing wife, Kelley has been charged with 13 offenses, ranging from child sexual assault to possession of a controlled substance.

Ritnour, meanwhile, said the investigation is continuing.

Leave a Comment

http://www.beatricedailysun.com/articles/2008/06/05/news/local/doc4847f6850d4db652488084.txt

TigressPen

06-05-2008, 06:36 PM

I am going to be very surprised if they find Ann's body. And I really think she is dead. :1222423: But, I pray I am wrong.

Faith

06-05-2008, 07:22 PM

It certainly doesn't look good in her favor. :cryintime:

TupperLes

06-06-2008, 02:36 PM

My heart goes out to her children and her parents.

Faith

06-09-2008, 07:14 PM

Missing Woman's Husband in Court on Unrelated Charges
Posted: 3:57 PM Jun 9, 2008
Last Updated: 4:08 PM Jun 9, 2008

http://media.graytvinc.com/images/kelley_william.JPG

A man, described as a person of interest in the disappearance of his wife, was in court Monday on unrelated charges.

William Kelley appeared in Gage County court on charges of drug, gun and child molestation.

According to Gage County Attorney Randall Ritnour investigators found three pounds of marijuana and two hand guns inside his home during their investigation into the where-abouts of his wife Anne Marie Kelley.

Ritnour also said Kelley had sexual relations with a teen between August of 2006 and August of 2007.

His wife, 36-year-old Anne Marie Kelley was last seen April 15 driving her dark gray 1991 Plymouth Voyager minivan.

Officials say she has not contacted friends or family since or used her credit cards.
http://www.kolnkgin.com/home/headlines/19669759.html

Grande

06-10-2008, 02:22 PM

Kelley marijuana, weapons case bound over to Gage County District Court
Tuesday, Jun 10, 2008 - 09:39:12 am CDT
Daily Sun staff

A case relating to William Kelley Jr.’s possession of marijuana and two weapons was bound over to Gage County District Court on Monday. Kelley, 37, of rural Filley, is the husband of Ann Marie Kelley, who has been missing since April 15.

On April 21, the Gage County Sheriff’s Office obtained a search warrant on the Kelley property three miles east and two miles north of Filley.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Joe Kubicek observed marijuana growing materials and a marijuana plant in a motor home on the property. Kubicek also saw two weapons that were registered to Mr. Kelley, an alleged convicted felon.

While public defender Roger Harris did not deny any charges, he argued their validity. Harris said that since the marijuana plant had not been weighed, the severity of the charge could not be determined.

“(It is) premature to argue about the marijuana,” Harris said in closing statements.

Harris said that he found no proof that Kelley was a convicted felon. He obtained a certified transcript of the Lancaster County case in question regarding a failure to appear based on a controlled substance charge and presented it to the court.

Kubicek, as a witness on the stand, said that after looking at the document he did not notice a conviction.

Gage County Attorney Randall Ritnour requested information from the National Criminal Information Center stating Kelley served time for a felony conviction in 1994.

Another argument from Harris involved the removal of a handgun from Mrs. Kelley last year that was then returned by the sheriff’s office to Mr. Kelley. Ritnour did not know the specifics of the case but did note that there was no indication of Mr. Kelley being a felon at the time.

Harris said that he also did not know the specifics but knew that the event occurred last year and the sheriff’s office should have noticed a conviction at that time.

“I find it interesting that the sheriff’s office would allow a convicted felon to have a 9 mm handgun,” said Harris in closing statements.

The District Court hearing is set for July 17 at 9 a.m.

The case regarding Kelley’s alleged sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl was also discussed. Tod Lancaster, the court-appointed defending attorney, asked for the bond to be reduced at this time. Ritnour objected, saying that Kelley has had contact with relatives in Florida and is a flight risk. Bond remains at $500,000 and the preliminary hearing is set for July 3 at 1:30 p.m.

http://www.beatricedailysun.com/articles/2008/06/10/news/local/doc484e8f2f89d25851237243.txt

TupperLes

06-19-2008, 03:21 PM

I sure hope they can find some answers soon, for the kids sake.

TupperLes

06-28-2008, 12:26 AM

Kelley pleads not guilty to fraud charges
Wednesday, Jun 25, 2008 - 09:45:01 am CDT
A rural Filley man whose wife disappeared in April appeared in Gage County Court Tuesday on charges unrelated to his missing wife.

William T. Kelley Jr., 37, pleaded not guilty to eight counts of misdemeanor misrepresentation of unemployment insurance, said Gage County Attorney Randall Ritnour.

Investigators discovered a warrant for Kelley’s arrest on the fraud charges during the investigation into Ann Marie Kelley’s disappearance.

He’ll next appear in a bench trial at county court on the misdemeanor fraud charges on July 28.

Mrs. Kelley, 36, was last seen the morning of April 15, driving her dark gray, wood-paneled 1991 Plymouth Voyager minivan. The mother of four has not contacted friends or family nor used her credit cards since then.

Her husband is considered a person of interest in her disappearance, but no charges have been filed.

Since Mrs. Kelley’s disappearance, Mr. Kelley has also been charged with two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm; one count of marijuana possession, and one count of sexual assault of a minor.

The preliminary hearing is set for July 3 at 1:30 p.m. regarding the child sexual assault charges.

Mr. Kelley will appear again in Gage County District Court on the gun and drug charges on July 17 at 9 a.m.

Rhonda L. Rickers and Rose A. Pittman will petition for guardianship of the three Kelley children on July 8 at 2:15 p.m. in county court.

http://www.beatricedailysun.com/articles/2008/06/25/news/local/doc486257209f416484412763.txt

TigressPen

06-28-2008, 08:04 AM

Sexual assault of a minor? I hope they keep him in jail a very long time! I get this uneasy feeling that he knows where Ann Marie is.

Faith

06-28-2008, 09:38 AM

Sexual assault of a minor? I hope they keep him in jail a very long time! I get this uneasy feeling that he knows where Ann Marie is.

Me too http://bestsmileys.com/crying/6.gif

Grande

07-10-2008, 09:24 AM

Kelley bound over on sex charge
Wednesday, Jul 09, 2008 - 10:10:32 am CDT

William T. Kelley Jr., husband of Ann Marie Kelley, a rural Filley woman who has been missing since April, was bound over in Gage County Court this week on a charge of first-degree sexual assault of a minor, a Class II felony.

Kelley, 37, is accused of having sex with a 15-year-old girl between August 2006 and August 2007.

His first appearance in Gage County District Court was scheduled for 9 a.m. Aug. 7.

http://www.beatricedailysun.com/articles/2008/07/09/news/local/doc4874d3115b17a823365893.txt

Grande

07-10-2008, 09:26 AM

INMATE
Kelley, William Thomas Jr

BOOKING DATE
05.21.08

CHARGES
Marijuana Possession More Than One Pound
2 cts Weapon Offense/Felon w/Possession
Weapon Offense False Info Handgun
Fraud/Unemployment Insurance
Assault/Sexual Assault Minor 1st Degree

http://www.gage-ne-sheriff.us/corrections/inmates

January2

07-14-2008, 12:14 AM

Grande

07-14-2008, 10:00 AM

Officials search sandpits as investigation into Kelley disappearance continues
Friday, Jul 11, 2008 - 09:50:08 am CDT
Lee Enterprises

Law enforcement searched two sandpit lakes Wednesday for the body of a missing Filley woman.

Using a cadaver dog, and acting on a tip they had received, investigators searched the two sandpits between Holmesville and Blue Springs for the body of Ann Marie Kelley, Gage County Attorney Randall Ritnour said.

“And we just simply found nothing there,” he said.

Gage County investigators have been searching for Kelley, 36, for four months. The mother of four was last seen in Beatrice on April 15, driving her 1991 dark gray wood-paneled Plymouth Voyager minivan.

There have been no reported sightings of her since.

Investigators have received several tips, Ritnour said, but none have panned out. The investigation is ongoing.

Ann Marie Kelley’s husband, 37-year-old William Kelley, has since been arrested on drug, weapon and child molestation charges. He is next set to appear in Gage County District Court at 1:30 p.m. on July 28.

http://www.beatricedailysun.com/articles/2008/07/12/news/local/doc48776f5402142546151908.txt

Faith

07-14-2008, 11:54 AM

I wish they could find her and bring her home. My prayers continue. :1222423:

TupperLes

07-19-2008, 11:17 AM

Officials still sifting through Kelley clues
Saturday, Jul 19, 2008 - 01:04:33 am CDT
Daily Sun staff

More than three months after Ann Marie Kelley disappeared, Gage County officials are still sifting through clues and tips in an effort to find the missing 36-year-old rural Filley woman.

Gage County Attorney Randall Ritnour said authorities have been checking out a tip regarding a vehicle that might have matched the 1991 Plymouth Voyager minivan Kelley was driving on April 15, the day she was last seen.

Ritnour declined to identify the source of the tip came from or disclose the vehicle’s location, but said the tip has not turned up anything so far.

Acting on another tip, officials from the Gage County Sheriff’s Office and Nebraska State Patrol last week dragged a farm pond about five miles south of Filley, Ritnour said, but found nothing.

He said a person claimed to have seen a vehicle in the pond about two weeks after Kelley was reported missing and reported it to authorities last week.

“Why the individual came forward with that information at this point, three months later, I don’t know,” Ritnour said Friday.

Law enforcement also searched two sandpit lakes between Holmesville and Blue Springs on July 9 for a body and earlier dragged a number of lakes in Gage County, all without finding any trace of Kelley or the minivan.

Since Kelley’s disappearance, her husband, 37-year-old William Kelley, has since been arrested on drug, weapon and child molestation charges. He is next set to appear in Gage County District Court at 1:30 p.m. on July 28.

http://www.beatricedailysun.com/articles/2008/07/19/news/local/doc48817ab1e9a0e473576834.txt

TupperLes

07-28-2008, 03:03 PM

Husband of missing Filley woman pleads to misdemeanor

Monday, Jul 28, 2008 - 11:56:05 am CDT
The husband of a missing Filley woman has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge discovered during the investigation into his wife’s disappearance.

William T. Kelley, 37, plead guilty early last week to one charge of unemployment fraud, a misdemeanor charge, said Gage County Attorney Randy Ritnour.

A warrant out of Kelley’s arrest on eight counts of unemployment fraud was discovered while law enforcement were investigating the April 15 disappearance of Kelley’s wife, Anne Marie Kelley. Anne Marie Kelley was last seen driving her 1991 dark gray Plymouth Voyager minivan in Beatrice that morning. She still hasn’t been found.

[+]EnlargeAnn Marie Kelley Ann Marie Kelley

During last week’s plea agreement, William Kelley agreed to pay restitution on all eight counts of unemployment fraud. He won’t serve any additional jail time, Ritnour said.

But Kelley’s legal battles aren't over yet. He also faces five felony charges: one count of sexual assault of a minor, one count of possession of a controlled substance, two counts of being a felon in possession of a weapon, and one count of giving false information on an application for a handgun permit.

All charges were brought against Kelley after investigators searched his rural Filley home while investigating the disappearance of Ann Marie Kelley.

Ritnour has also described William Kelley as a person of interest in the disappearance of Anne Marie Kelley. Ritnour has not named William Kelley as a suspect.

TupperLes

08-07-2008, 10:05 PM

http://www.kolnkgin.com/home/headlines/26389669.html

Lincoln, Neb.
Posted: 4:34 PM Aug 7, 2008
Last Updated: 4:34 PM Aug 7, 2008
Reporter: 10/11 News
Email Address: desk@kolnkgin.com

A rural Filley man was in court Thursday, charged for first-degree sexual assault of a minor.

William Kelley, Jr., 37, is accused of having sex with a 15-year-old girl between August of 2006 and August of 2007.

And innocent plea was made on that charge and a jury trial was set for Oct. 27.

Kelley also faces drug charges in a different case.

Kelley is the husband of Ann Marie Kelley who went missing last April.

He was the last person to see his wife and is described as a person of interest in the case.

sarahhod

11-25-2008, 04:49 AM

http://www.beatricedailysun.com/articles/2008/10/15/news/local/doc48f5fb8d829b6681512732.txt

What happened to Anne Marie?

By Cara Pesek/For the Daily Sun
Wednesday, Oct 15, 2008 - 10:08:33 am CDT

Six months ago Wednesday, Ann Marie Kelley left the rural Filley home she shared with her husband, William Kelley Jr., and their four children.

The 36-year-old woman dropped her children off at school, went to work -- and then disappeared.

In the months since, law enforcement officials say, she hasn’t used her credit cards, and she left her cell phone at home.

There have been no verified sightings of either Ann Marie Kelley or her vehicle -- a dark gray 1991 Plymouth Voyager minivan.

Since Kelley’s disappearance, investigators have followed up on the few leads they’ve received. Possible sightings in Albion and Omaha didn’t pan out. Law enforcement and volunteers conducted ground and air searches around Filley, and divers searched several rural Gage County lakes.

Six months after Kelley’s disappearance, law enforcement is no closer to finding the petite woman, Gage County Attorney Randall Ritnour said Tuesday.

About two months ago, Ritnour said, investigators received a tip that a body may have been buried near Blue Springs. But an intensive search that spanned several days turned up nothing.

Last month, he said, investigators noticed there had been some activity on Kelley’s credit card account. But it turned out that William Kelley’s sister had made the charges, Ritnour said.

“Once you resolve those particular loose ends, you just have to wait for something else to occur,” he said.

In May, Ritnour named Kelley’s husband as a person of interest in her disappearance, although investigators still have no reason to suspect foul play.

William Kelley is in jail, awaiting arraignment on one count of child sex assault, and he is awaiting trial on four felony drug and weapons charges, all of which stem from the investigation into his wife’s disappearance.

Ritnour said investigators found three pounds of marijuana in the Kelleys’ home while they were investigating the disappearance. They also found two weapons in the home. It is illegal for William Kelley to own weapons because he is a felon. About a week after Ritnour filed the drug and weapons charges, he filed the child sex assault charge.

The couple’s children -- the youngest of whom is a toddler and the oldest of whom is about 15 -- are staying with relatives, Ritnour said. Ann Marie Kelley’s family has declined to speak with the media.

Ritnour declined to discuss how the family was dealing with the disappearance of Kelley, other than to say, “This isn’t an easy thing.”

Since her disappearance, Kelley has turned 37.

According to a description police gave when she disappeared, Kelley is 5-foot-4, weighs about 125 pounds and has reddish brown hair.

The case isn’t closed, Ritnour said.

“About the best that we can do is continue to let folks know that we’re still interested in locating Ann Marie Kelley, and we have to ask the public periodically to contact us with any information they might have,” he said.

annalyzer

02-03-2009, 10:52 PM

Can't find any updates.

F~M

03-14-2009, 01:03 PM

I guess she didn't receive very much publicity. Seems reports have just stopped.

sarahhod

03-20-2009, 05:00 AM

NEW: Missing woman’s husband pleads guilty to four felonies

By Kristin Jirovsky/Daily Sun staff writer
Thursday, Mar 19, 2009 - 04:07:24 pm CDT

William Kelley Jr. of rural Filley faces a total of 55 years in prison for pleading guilty to four felonies in Gage County District Court on Thursday. The action comes as part of a plea agreement from Gage County Attorney Randy Ritnour.

Kelley, 38, is the husband of Ann Marie Kelley, who has been missing since April 15, 2008. The Kelleys have four children, ranging in age between 3 and 15.

On April 21, 2008, the Gage County Sheriff’s Department obtained a search warrant on the Kelley property three miles east and two miles north of Filley.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Joe Kubicek found marijuana growing materials and a marijuana plant in a motor home on the property. He also found two weapons registered to Mr. Kelley, an alleged convicted felon.

Kelley served time for a felony conviction in 1994.

A separate case against Kelley regarded the alleged sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl.

Gage County Attorney Randy Ritnour filed a child sexual assault charge against Kelley, a Class II felony, on May 29, 2008.

A combined plea hearing was held Thursday in Otoe County with Judge Daniel Bryan Jr. of the 1st Judicial District hearing the case.

Kelley pleaded guilty to a lesser two counts of intentional child abuse, two Class IIA felonies, two counts of a felon in possession of a firearm, two Class III felonies and falsifying a handgun application, a Class IV felony.

The sexual abuse of a child was lessened due to the plea agreement. The former charge of sexual abuse of a child is a Class II felony, carries 1-50 years in prison. The two Class IIA felonies carry a sentence of 0-5 years each.

The two weapons charges, Class III felonies, carry 1-20 years each, as does the falsifying a handgun application, also a Class III felony.

The charges of possession of marijuana, more than a pound, a Class IV felony carrying 0-5 years and possession of drug paraphernalia, an infraction, were dropped as part of the plea agreement, Ritnour said.

Ritnour released a statement in early 2009, stating that his office would no longer accept plea agreements after Feb. 1, 2009.

He said that this case was different, due to the length at which the county and the defendant have been negotiating long before the cut-off date.

The plea agreement keeps from having two lengthy and costly trials in Nemaha County, he said.

Ritnour said the previous media coverage around the case would have kept Kelley from his right to a fair trial in Gage County.

This plea agreement also keeps the 15-year-old victim from having to testify.

“We decided 55 years was a sufficient amount of time that he needed to face,” Ritnour said.

He said Judge Bryan refused to allow Kelley to plead no contest, he had to plead guilty.

“(Kelley) hesitated, but he plead guilty,” Ritnour said.

Kelley is currently being held in the Diagnostic Evaluation Center at the State Department of Correctional Services.

Bryan ordered a presentence investigation, and sentencing will be in the Gage County District Court on June 4 at 9 a.m.

“As for Anne Marie,” Ritnour said of Kelley’s missing wife, “Our task force is still in place and we are still looking for her.”

http://www.beatricedailysun.com/articles/2009/03/19/news/local/doc49c2b3d335e11975857464.txt

sarahhod

03-20-2009, 07:30 AM

Husband of missing Neb. woman faces prison time

Associated Press - March 20, 2009 6:25 AM ET

BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) - The husband of a missing Nebraska woman faces up to 55 years in prison on sex and drug charges unrelated to her disappearance.
William Kelley Jr. pleaded guilty to two counts each of intentional child abuse and being a felon in possession of firearm and one count of falsifying a handgun application on Thursday in Gage County District Court. In exchange, other charges were dropped.
Sentencing for the 38-year-old from rural Filley is scheduled for June 4.
The charges against Kelley stem from two separate incidents. In one, authorities said Kelley sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl. In the other, he's accused of growing marijuana and keeping guns at his home.
Kelley's wife, Ann Marie Kelley, has been missing since April 15.

http://www.nebraska.tv/Global/story.asp?S=10040724&nav=menu605_2

sarahhod

03-29-2009, 03:48 PM

Missing but Not Forgotten: The Search For Ann Marie Kelley

Gage County
Posted: 11:00 PM Mar 28, 2009
Last Updated: 11:18 PM Mar 28, 2009
Reporter: Chie Saito
Email Address: chie.saito@kolnkgin.com

http://media.graytvinc.com/designimages/wrdw-video-included.gifMissing but not Forgotten: The Search for Ann Marie Kelley (http://www.kolnkgin.com/home/headlines/42066162.html#)

http://media.graytvinc.com/images/Ann-Marie-Kelley.jpg

Nearly a year after a Gage County woman went missing, investigators say they are no closer to finding out what happened to her.
Last April 15th was the last time family members either heard from or saw 36 year old Ann Marie Kelley.
As the one year anniversary of her disappearance approaches, investigators say potential leads in the case have been few and far between.
However, that does not mean they have stopped looking. On the third floor of the Gage County Courthouse, a local task force formed to investigate her case has set up a "war room".
Gage County Attorney Randall Ritnour says the task force is made up of the sheriff's department, Beatrice Police Department and Nebraska State Patrol, among other law enforcement agencies.
"We're not saying that Ann Marie Kelley is deceased," said Ritnour "but we certainly can say that no sighting has been found in the country or at least reported to us, there has been no sighting of the car. There simply is no trace."
Days following her disappearance, Gage County officials searched the area around her home for any clues.
According to Ritnour, authorities have also conducted several searches since then, which have all turned up nothing.
"Many of the sand pits and lakes in Gage County and surrounding counties were either dived or dredged trying to locate either the car or her," said Ritnour.
Investigators have created a time line to help track what Ann Marie was doing the day she went missing.
According to this information, at 5:45 a.m. Ann Marie left her home that morning. At 7:22 a.m. she sent a text to her husband William Kelley and dropped her kids off at school. At 8:14 a.m. investigators say she made a purchase at SunMart. Then at 8:45 her mother called Ann, while at minute later she used her key pass at the community college where she worked. About an hour later, at 9:43 a.m. she called her employer, and at 9:55 a.m. she made a call to Beatrice Public Schools.
Investigators say that was the last known contact Ann Marie made that day.
At 6:40 that evening, Ritnour says her husband called the Gage County Sheriff's Department to report Ann Marie missing.
"It is entirely possible that she has just left, but normally you would see some trace of her somewhere," said Ritnour.
He says there has been no financial activity by Ann Marie since the day she disappeared.
Even though it has been nearly a year since she disappeared, investigators vow to try to find the key piece in the puzzle, which only becomes more difficult with time.
"Certainly the longer she goes missing the colder the case becomes," said Ritnour.
Investigators say anyone with information on this case, no matter how insignificant it may seem should contact the Gage County Sheriff's Office at (402)223-5221

http://www.kolnkgin.com/home/headlines/42066162.html

annalyzer

04-11-2009, 09:59 PM

One year later: Ann Marie still missing

By Joelyn Hansen/Daily Sun staff writer
Saturday, Apr 11, 2009 - 08:24:48 am CDT

There is one room in the Gage County Courthouse few people enter: the “war room.”

Stationed on the third floor, the room, familiar to local investigators and unknown to others, contains various contents of witness accounts, timelines of chronological events and evidence related to the disappearance of Ann Marie Kelley.

It is a tangible reminder that Ann Marie is still missing.

April 15, 2008 was a Tuesday. The weather report called for temperatures in the 70s with clear skies. It was a day many likely have forgotten, but it was the last day anyone saw Ann Marie Kelley.

http://www.beatricedailysun.com/resources/image_resizer.php?url=/content/articles/2009/04/11/news/local/doc49e0927e4fb8f439199107.jpg&max_w=330&max_h=0&border=3
Ann Marie Kelley left her rural Filley home sometime after 7:23 a.m. on April 15, 2008. At 7:30 p.m., the Gage County Sheriff’s Office began to search the area around her home and the community after she was reported missing.

It was sometime after 7:23 a.m., Ann Marie Kelley left her rural Filley home and headed to Beatrice to drop off her four children at school. In the middle of the trip, she made a purchase at the SunMart supermarket in Beatrice at 8:14 a.m.

Later, a telephone call from Ann Marie’s mother to Ann Marie at 8:45 a.m. for a duration of one minute and 14 seconds. Ann Marie, who worked for a cleaning service at Southeast Community College, used a key fob assigned to her to enter Roosevelt Hall on the SCC campus at 8:46 a.m.

She then used her phone to call her employer at 9:43 a.m. to say there was a problem with her children at school. At 9:55 a.m. there was a call from Ann Marie’s phone to the school, but no one there indicated they had a conversation with her that day.

There were no further sightings or contact with Ann Marie after 9:55 a.m. April 15.

At 12:29 p.m., William Kelley sent a text message to Ann Marie asking her, “What’s up?” and then another asking if she was planning to pick up their son. Her mother picked up the son after Ann Marie did not show up. Records then indicate William began to send numerous text messages to Ann Marie, but received no response.

At 7:30 p.m., Kelley reported his wife missing and the search was on for the 5-foot-4, 125 pound, reddish brown-haired mother of four.

A sheriff’s deputy was dispatched to the Kelley residence, and a search began of all Gage County towns as well as all the bars and motels in the Beatrice area in an effort to locate Ann Marie, who drove a dark gray 1991 Plymouth Voyager minivan with wood panels on the side and rear.

But, even after a weekend search, no signs of Ann Marie were was found.

“The concern turned to alarm when she hadn’t come home,” Gage County Attorney Randy Ritnour said.

As word got out to local media, two possible leads came in from the Omaha and Albion police departments saying persons there reported seeing a minivan that could match the description of Kelley’s gray minivan, Ritnour said. The leads turned up empty.

“Every time there’s any type of lead, we follow it up immediately,” Ritnour said.

But, few leads have come in the last few weeks, Gage County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Rob Sandersfeld said. They continue to hope people will continue to call in legitimate leads to the case

On April 19, 2008, a Nebraska State Patrol aircraft joined the search, but no sign of Kelley or her minivan was found, Community Emergency Response Team began distributing flyers asking the public for any information they may have on the missing woman. They would go on to perform two more aircraft searches.

Many other agencies began offering assistance, too, Ritnour said.

“As law enforcement heard about it and had extra resources or ideas, they would try to help the sheriff’s office,” Ritnour said.

By April 21, a task force, made up of investigators and law enforcement officers from different agencies from the local area and state, was formed, Ritnour said. The task force would meet every morning in those first few days after the disappearance to discuss the evidence and then assign tasks that would hopefully lead to the finding of Kelley, Sandersfeld said. The task force remains active and meets on an as needed basis.

Searches were done in variety of ways to find Kelley, Ritnour said. Divers and sonar equipment was utilized to search area lakes, ponds and water ways. Searches were done on financial records to try to locate her.

A warrant was also issued for possession of illegal substance as a way to better help find her, Ritnour said.

Yet, with all efforts and manpower put in, Ann Marie has not surfaced.

Today, the search has not stopped, he said.

In the meantime, William Kelley came into his own path of legal troubles as criminal activity began to unveil itself before law enforcement.

In March, William Kelley pleaded guilty to five felonies in Gage County District Court. He will be sentenced on June 11 to a lesser two counts of intentional child abuse (Class IIA felonies), two counts of a felon in possession of a firearm (Class III felonies) and one count of falsifying a handgun application (Class IV felony).

Kelley could face up to a 55 years in prison. He is currently awaiting sentencing at the Diagnostic Evaluation Center at the State Department of Correctional Services in Lincoln.

Now that William Kelley will soon be sentenced, Ritnour said law enforcement will again be able to put more intense focus on Ann Marie’s disappearance.

“We’re going to get real active again,” he said. “But at some point, if we don’t get any viable leads, at some point its going to become a cold case.”

http://www.beatricedailysun.com/articles/2009/04/11/news/local/doc49e0927e4fb8f439199107.txt

sarahhod

05-05-2009, 12:30 PM

The search continues

By Joelyn Hansen/Daily Sun staff writer
Tuesday, May 05, 2009 - 09:28:33 am CDT

FILLEY -- Members of the Gage County Sheriff’s Office continued the search for Ann Marie Kelley Monday morning at her rural Filley home, this time with the help of a cadaver search dog.

But, once again, the search came up empty.

“It had been searched by foot, but since we had the opportunity to use the cadaver dog we figured we might as well use her,” Gage County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Rob Sandersfeld said.

The Gage County Sheriff’s Office, with the help of several law enforcement agencies, have completed several ground and aerial searches around Gage County since Kelley went missing on April 15, 2008, including the area near her rural Filley home, Sandersfeld said.

In an effort to continue the search for Kelley, the sheriff’s office brought in Lincoln resident John Beck and his cadaver search dog, Iva, to complete a search of the property buildings and the two tree lines around Kelley’s former home.

Iva, an eight-year-old labrador retriever, is fully trained to sniff out body scents, particularly of cadavers. There are few dogs in the state that have the capability to do this type of work, Beck said.

The search began around 9:30 a.m. at the home, located about three miles north of U.S. Highway 136 on 176th Road.

Iva first began sniffing and investigating all of the buildings located on the property. Nothing came to the dog’s attention.

Iva then walked down to the tree lined areas located on the property and traveled through about a mile of area, sniffing around brush piles, logs and even small waterways.

Monday’s search didn’t bring any new outcome to the case, Sandersfeld said.

Other searches with the cadaver dog are planned for the future.

“We’ll keep looking,” he said.

Among the areas police will reexamine with the cadaver dog will be sand pits near Blue Springs. The area was scheduled to be looked at Monday, but poor road conditions delayed the search.

There is a long list of items that investigators would like to revisit on this case, including a complete review of the evidence and interviews, Sandersfeld said. It will also include searches in other areas of Gage County.

A law enforcement task force, formed days after Kelley’s disappearance, remains in tact and continues to perform duties in the case, he said.

http://www.beatricedailysun.com/articles/2009/05/05/news/local/doc4a0045c0d0694211803757.txt

nomadpatti

05-05-2009, 01:44 PM

They have never found her vehicle - how strange is that? I would imagine it is easier to hide a body than it is a vehicle.
I can understand her wanting to leave. Imagine living in a small town with and everyone knows your husband was having sex with a 15 year old?
However, she could never leave her kids in that enviroment, imo. ESPECIALLY her 15 year old daughter.
Or there is always the possibility that she did leave (fearing for her life) knowing that her children would be placed with her family where they would be safe. This may account why her family has not spoken out publicly. IMO, it is perfect - she leaves, kids are safe, he goes to prison, she returns safe to her kids and she has not broken the law by disappearing. AND she had to know that her disappearance would be investigated and they would find the guns and marijuana and he is a convicted felon - sure prison time! I feel her vehicle is stashed in a storage unit somewhere (close) and that is why they have not found it.
I REALLY HOPE I AM RIGHT.
Come home safely to your precious children Ann Marie!

sarahhod

06-12-2009, 12:30 PM

Kelley sentenced for child abuse, firearm charges

By Kristin Jirovsky/Daily Sun staff writer
Friday, Jun 12, 2009 - 10:00:04 am CDT

William Kelley Jr. - the husband of Ann Marie Kelley, who has been missing since April 15, 2008 - was sentenced to more than 16 years in prison Thursday in an unrelated case.
[/URL]
Judge Daniel Bryan Jr. presided over Kelley’s sentencing for two counts of child abuse, two counts of felon in possession of a firearm and one count providing false information on a firearm application.

William and Ann Marie Kelley have four children, ranging in age from 3 to 15.

He was sentenced in two cases on Thursday, which were amended on March 19 due to a plea agreement with the State of Nebraska, represented by Gage County Attorney Randall Ritnour.

Kelley was originally charged with first degree sexual assault, a Class II felony, carrying a sentence of 1-50 years in prison; possession of more than one pound of marijuana, a Class IV felony, carrying a sentence of five years in prison, a $10,000 fine or both; possession of drug paraphernalia, a $100 fine; felon in possession of a firearm, carrying a sentence of one to 20 years, a $25,000 fine or both; and providing false information on a handgun certificate application.

The sexual assault charges were based on allegations that Kelley had supplied drugs and alcohol to a girl under age 16 from August 2006 to August 2007 in order to have sexual intercourse with the girl.

In the plea agreement, the sexual assault charge was downgraded to two counts of intentional child abuse, a Class IIIA felony, carrying a maximum of five years.

Kelley was required by the judge to plead guilty to the charges, which included two counts of a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of providing false information on a firearm application. The firearm charges, Class IIIA felonies, carry a one to 20 year sentence, a $25,000 fine or both.

Ritnour said the felony and misdemeanor possession charges were dropped because they weren’t as big compared to the other charges.

“It was the lesser charge to bargain with,” he said.

Ritnour said the plea bargain began over a year ago, before his Feb. 1, 2009, vow to end plea bargains.

Ritnour asked Judge Bryan to consider the maximum penalties on all charges.

“These two cases present a snapshot of William Kelley. If I could characterize him at all, I would characterize him as arrogant and remorseless,” Ritnour said.

Defense Attorney Todd Lancaster with the Nebraska Commission on Public Advocacy said Kelley did not show remorse because he told him not to respond to the allegations for his own good.

Though Kelley claimed he was not aware that his former charge was a felony, Ritnour said it did not matter, because it was, and possessing a firearm as a felon is illegal.

Kelley was originally charged in 1994 in Lancaster County for possession of a controlled substance.

He failed to appear at his hearing, was arrested and plea agreements began.

His possession charge was dismissed and in turn, Kelley pleaded guilty to felony failure to appear, for which he served five months in jail.

As for the child abuse allegations, Ritnour said the presentence investigation showed that Kelley had no remorse for his actions.

When given the opportunity, Kelley chose not to make any further comments to the court.

Bryan said first that he wanted everyone to be aware that, even though the allegations were sexual in nature, he cannot make a ruling on sex offender status and registration because the plea agreement changed the sexual abuse charge to child abuse.

“I guess it’s a good deal for you,” he said to Kelley.

Ritnour later said the reason he had for downgrading to child abuse was to protect the victim from cross-examination.

“This was especially difficult for the victim and her family to suffer through,” he said. “I wanted to save the family from any more suffering.”

For both counts of child abuse, Bryan ruled that Kelley serve five years per count, with 387 days credit for time served, to be served consecutively.

As for the felon firearm charges, Bryan said he has a “firm belief” that Kelley was not trying to cheat the system when he applied for his gun application.

Bryan said Kelley had a hunting license at the time he was in possession of the guns, and assumed Kelley used them for hunting, not committing crimes.

He said he didn’t agree with Ritnour’s claim that Kelley was “arrogant” in filing an application with false information, but doesn’t completely agree with Kelley’s claims either.

“I don’t believe it was completely innocent,” he said.

For the two firearm charges, Bryan sentenced Kelley to five years per count, to be served concurrently, or at the same time.

For the application information charges, Bryan sentenced Kelley to 20 to 60 months.

Bryan said the total time sentenced to be served, up to 20 years, could be cut in half.

Kelley will be eligible for parole at the half way mark on each charge.

“You could do the full time if you lose your good time in the penitentiary,” Bryan warned Kelley.

Kelley was then turned over to the Gage County Sheriff’s Department to start serving his sentence immediately.

Ritnour said he didn’t regret amending the charges for the plea agreement.

“We’re not complaining about the sentence, we just would have liked it to be longer,” he said. “The judge had the opportunity to sentence him to up to 55 years. He chose not to do that. I regret that the sentence is not the full 55 years.”

[URL]http://www.beatricedailysun.com/articles/2009/06/12/news/local/doc4a326a778cd9e991468330.txt (http://adsys.townnews.com/c71092238/creative/beatricedailysun.com/news+in_story/153083-1237414624.jpg?r=http://www.hillhomefurnishings.com/)

sarahhod

06-12-2009, 12:31 PM

What a shame it wasn't the full 55 years.

Faith

06-12-2009, 06:32 PM

Missing Woman's Husband Sent To Prison

Jun 12, 2009

A missing Nebraska woman's husband has been sentenced to several years in prison on charges that have nothing to do with her disappearance. Ann Kelley disappeared in April of 2008 after she dropped her four children off in Beatrice.

Judge Daniel Bryan Jr. of Gage County District Court sentenced William Kelley, Ann's husband, to five years in prison on each of two counts of child abuse. He also sentenced Kelley to five years on each of two counts of being a felon possessing a firearm and 20-60 months for lying on a firearm application.

After a plea agreement, a sex-assault charge was lowered to child abuse and the felony and misdemeanor drug charges were dropped.

William Kelley has not been charged in connection with her disappearance.

The couple's children are staying with relatives.

http://www.wowt.com/news/headlines/47927772.html

nomadpatti

06-12-2009, 07:38 PM

Kelley sentenced for child abuse, firearm charges

By Kristin Jirovsky/Daily Sun staff writer
Friday, Jun 12, 2009 - 10:00:04 am CDT

William Kelley Jr. - the husband of Ann Marie Kelley, who has been missing since April 15, 2008 - was sentenced to more than 16 years in prison Thursday in an unrelated case.
[/URL]
Judge Daniel Bryan Jr. presided over Kelley’s sentencing for two counts of child abuse, two counts of felon in possession of a firearm and one count providing false information on a firearm application.

William and Ann Marie Kelley have four children, ranging in age from 3 to 15.

He was sentenced in two cases on Thursday, which were amended on March 19 due to a plea agreement with the State of Nebraska, represented by Gage County Attorney Randall Ritnour.

Kelley was originally charged with first degree sexual assault, a Class II felony, carrying a sentence of 1-50 years in prison; possession of more than one pound of marijuana, a Class IV felony, carrying a sentence of five years in prison, a $10,000 fine or both; possession of drug paraphernalia, a $100 fine; felon in possession of a firearm, carrying a sentence of one to 20 years, a $25,000 fine or both; and providing false information on a handgun certificate application.
The sexual assault charges were based on allegations that Kelley had supplied drugs and alcohol to a girl under age 16 from August 2006 to August 2007 in order to have sexual intercourse with the girl.

In the plea agreement, the sexual assault charge was downgraded to two counts of intentional child abuse, a Class IIIA felony, carrying a maximum of five years.

Kelley was required by the judge to plead guilty to the charges, which included two counts of a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of providing false information on a firearm application. The firearm charges, Class IIIA felonies, carry a one to 20 year sentence, a $25,000 fine or both.

Ritnour said the felony and misdemeanor possession charges were dropped because they weren’t as big compared to the other charges.

“It was the lesser charge to bargain with,” he said.

Ritnour said the plea bargain began over a year ago, before his Feb. 1, 2009, vow to end plea bargains.

Ritnour asked Judge Bryan to consider the maximum penalties on all charges.

“These two cases present a snapshot of William Kelley. If I could characterize him at all, I would characterize him as arrogant and remorseless,” Ritnour said.

Defense Attorney Todd Lancaster with the Nebraska Commission on Public Advocacy said Kelley did not show remorse because he told him not to respond to the allegations for his own good.

Though Kelley claimed he was not aware that his former charge was a felony, Ritnour said it did not matter, because it was, and possessing a firearm as a felon is illegal.

Kelley was originally charged in 1994 in Lancaster County for possession of a controlled substance.

He failed to appear at his hearing, was arrested and plea agreements began.

His possession charge was dismissed and in turn, Kelley pleaded guilty to felony failure to appear, for which he served five months in jail.

As for the child abuse allegations, Ritnour said the presentence investigation showed that Kelley had no remorse for his actions.
When given the opportunity, Kelley chose not to make any further comments to the court.

Bryan said first that he wanted everyone to be aware that, even though the allegations were sexual in nature, he cannot make a ruling on sex offender status and registration because the plea agreement changed the sexual abuse charge to child abuse.[/COLOR]
“I guess it’s a good deal for you,” he said to Kelley.

Ritnour later said the reason he had for downgrading to child abuse was to protect the victim from cross-examination.

“This was especially difficult for the victim and her family to suffer through,” he said. “I wanted to save the family from any more suffering.”

For both counts of child abuse, Bryan ruled that Kelley serve five years per count, with 387 days credit for time served, to be served consecutively.

As for the felon firearm charges, [COLOR="red"]Bryan said he has a “firm belief” that Kelley was not trying to cheat the system when he applied for his gun application.

Bryan said Kelley had a hunting license at the time he was in possession of the guns, and assumed Kelley used them for hunting, not committing crimes.

He said he didn’t agree with Ritnour’s claim that Kelley was “arrogant” in filing an application with false information, but doesn’t completely agree with Kelley’s claims either.

“I don’t believe it was completely innocent,” he said.

For the two firearm charges, Bryan sentenced Kelley to five years per count, to be served concurrently, or at the same time.

For the application information charges, Bryan sentenced Kelley to 20 to 60 months.

Bryan said the total time sentenced to be served, up to 20 years, could be cut in half.
Kelley will be eligible for parole at the half way mark on each charge.

“You could do the full time if you lose your good time in the penitentiary,” Bryan warned Kelley.

Kelley was then turned over to the Gage County Sheriff’s Department to start serving his sentence immediately.

Ritnour said he didn’t regret amending the charges for the plea agreement.

“We’re not complaining about the sentence, we just would have liked it to be longer,” he said. “The judge had the opportunity to sentence him to up to 55 years. He chose not to do that. I regret that the sentence is not the full 55 years.”
[URL]http://www.beatricedailysun.com/articles/2009/06/12/news/local/doc4a326a778cd9e991468330.txt (http://adsys.townnews.com/c71092238/creative/beatricedailysun.com/news+in_story/153083-1237414624.jpg?r=http://www.hillhomefurnishings.com/)

nomadpatti

06-12-2009, 07:41 PM

Is this "justice"?
I think not!
He bargained - NOT enough!
Perhaps another bargaining tool would have been - "where is Ann Marie"?

sarahhod

09-17-2009, 12:12 PM

Police continue search for Kelley

Thursday, Sep 17, 2009 - 09:39:18 am CDT

The Gage County Sheriff’s Department recently followed up on two reports regarding the 2008 disappearance of Ann Marie Kelley.

Kelley, 38, was reported missing on April 15, 2008. She was last seen leaving her residence about three miles east and two miles north of Filley, driving her gray 1991 Plymouth Voyager minivan with Gage County license plate 3-A8045.

The first of the recent tips came on Sept. 4, when the Gage County Sheriff's Office received information indicating a possible sighting of Kelley in Rawlins, Wyo.

Gage County Sheriff's Office Investigator Rob Sandersfeld immediately contacted detectives with the Rawlins Police Department regarding the sighting.

Rawlins detectives performed a preliminary investigation into the matter.

Sandersfeld received additional information from the Rawlins Police indicating there were significant similarities between Ann Marie Kelley and the woman in Rawlins.

On Saturday, Sept. 12, Sandersfeld and a representative from the Gage County Attorney's Office traveled to Rawlins to confirm the woman's identity.

Sandersfeld, with the assistance of the Rawlins Police Department, Carbon County Sheriff's Department and the Hanna Marshall's Office, performed a thorough investigation that resulted in locating the woman of interest late Sunday evening. At that time, it was determined that the woman was not Kelley.

A second report was made to the Gage County Crimestoppers Hotline on Sept. 8. The sheriff’s department investigated a report that the van driven by Kelley at the time of her disappearance was located in a sand pit in northern Gage County.

A team of law enforcement agencies performed a search of the location. The search failed to turn up any evidence.

The search team included several divers and other emergency personnel from jurisdictions including Gage County Sheriff's Office, Gage County Emergency Management, Marysville, Kan. Police Department Dive and Rescue, Marysville Fire Department, Marysville Dive Team, Fairbury Fire Department, Dewitt Fire Department and the Gage County Attorney’s Office.

Anyone with information regarding the disappearance of Anne Marie Riekenberg/Kelley, is asked to contact the Gage County Sheriff's Office at 402-223-5221 or Gage County Crime Stoppers at 402-228-4343.

http://www.beatricedailysun.com/articles/2009/09/17/news/local/doc4ab2434717e3e192883022.txt

Faith

09-19-2009, 08:32 PM

In Gage County, search continues for Kelley

September 19, 2009 5:45 pm

BEATRICE - Nearly a year and a half after Ann Marie Kelley disappeared, the Gage County Sheriff's Office continues to follow up reports about her possible whereabouts.

Kelley, 38, was reported missing on April 15, 2008.

She was last seen leaving her home about three miles east and two miles north of Filley in her dark gray, wood-paneled 1991 Plymouth Voyager minivan with Gage County license plate 3-A8045.

The first of recent tips came Sept. 4, when the sheriff's office received information indicating a possible sighting of Kelley in Rawlins, Wyo.

Sheriff's Investigator Rob Sandersfeld said checks by Rawlins police indicated similarities between Kelley and the woman in Rawlins were significant enough to send Sandersfeld and a representative from the Gage County Attorney's Office to Rawlins.

Their interview with the Rawlins woman convinced them she was not Kelley.

Also this month, the Gage County Crimestoppers Hotline got a tip that the van driven by Kelley at the time of her disappearance was in a sand pit in northern Gage County.

A team of law enforcement agencies - including divers and other emergency personnel from Gage County, Fairbury, DeWitt and Marysville, Kan. - searched the sand pit but failed to turn up any evidence.

According to court documents, Kelley and her four children left for school in Beatrice after 7:23 the morning she disappeared and at 8:46 that morning she used a key fob to enter a building on the Southeast Community Campus in Beatrice, where she worked for a cleaning service.

At 9:43, she called her employer to say there was a problem with her children at school. At 9:55 a.m., there was a call from Ann Marie's phone to the school, but no one there indicated they had a conversation with her.

Kelley's husband, William, reported his wife missing about 7:30 that evening, and the search began. A few hours later, he told police he found a note and his wife's cell phone in their bedroom. Contents of the note were not disclosed.

William Kelley has been called a person of interest in his wife's disappearance. In June, he was sentenced to 16 to 20 years in prison on unrelated charges of child abuse, being a felon in possession of a firearm and falsifying a firearm application.

http://journalstar.com/news/state-and-regional/article_5f1d0bc4-a56f-11de-8aea-001cc4c002e0.html