I am a resident of Warrick County, the same county where Kristy Kelley went missing. Boonville is only 15 minutes away from Newburgh where I live. This case has many women in our county very concerned. The majority of residents in our county are very disappointed and frustrated that the sheriff has not called in the FBI. The FBI is automatically called in with child abductions. However, the FBI will get involved with missing adult cases IF the local law enforcement asks them to do so. The sheriff, Brett Kruse, has even stated in an interview on WFIE Channel 14 that he can call in military reserves to aid in the search for Kristy. However, he stated that since they have "no idea" where to look for her, he has chosen not to call them in to assist.
As many of you have posted that you are frustrated with how the sheriff is not keeping the public updated on their efforts to find Kristy. The vast majority in the Greater Evansville area are also extremely frustrated with this as well. Though, most of us believe that the sheriff's department has, and is, investigating this case to the best of their ability. With that said, as small as our county is, the department simply does not have state-of-the-art investigative tools such as the FBI has. It is mind-boggling to many of us that the family seems to be all right with the FBI not helping.
Boonville is a very small town. Everyone pretty much knows everyone else. Kristy's father is a corrections officer with the county jail. It is speculated that since he has strong ties to the sheriff's department, that he is "mistakenly" putting his full faith in the department to find Kristy. Yet, he pleads for help in finding her on both his and the "Find Kristy" Facebook pages.
There is no reason to NOT ask for the FBI and military reserves to assist. I am a parent, and I would have demanded that help from day one. The Scales family is 100% relying on a limited-resources sheriff's department and local volunteers to find Kristy. The department and these volunteers are working their hearts out to find Kristy. But with so much time going by with absolutely no leads or clues, they desperately need more help; and deserve it by the FBI and reserves being called in! The Ohio River is very large and deep. There are numerous strip mines that are very deep. It is ABSURD that the family and law enforcement are 100% relying on volunteers to scan these bodies of water, and lakes we have in our county. The FBI and reserves SHOULD be the ones leading the search of bodies of water with their state-of-the-art sonar equipment.
We also have countless farms with the corn being extremely high this time of year. It is stunningly shocking how only last week was a drone used to scan the landscape. On top of that, the drone was donated! The FBI should have used their drone from day one. But again, the sheriff refuses to call the FBI in to assist. So, once again, the family is completely relying on everyday citizens to find their daughter by people volunteering to donate drones and boats with sonar.
Sympathy is waning for the family. We read their constant pleas for finding Kristy. It is heart-wrenching to read those posts and hear that on television, and know they are not demanding the FBI and reserves to be called in. I personally cannot believe they would have the assumption that finding Kristy is the responsibility of the community only.
Resentment is building toward them for not doing all they can to find their daughter, but yet go on and on pleading for the community to find her, and not asking for the FBI and reserves to come in. If they are 100% pleased with the sheriff's department investigation, many of us feel that if Kristy is never found, then that is on the family for not demanding professional assistance to help the volunteers. It is truly unbelievable that they have not demanded this by now.
The time is way past due for them to stop asking people to continue to do the same things over and over again expecting a different result!
Kristy, like almost anyone her age, would have NOT have left her phone behind. Sure there is a chance she accidentally left it. However, within seconds as she went to leave; if it was an accident that she left and forgot it, she would have absolutely realized it before she walked out the door. The phone being left strongly points to her leaving that building under duress.
Going back to everyone knowing everyone else in Boonville, this also includes the Boonville Police and the sheriff's department. Many of us feel confident that someone associated with the VFW is involved. But with law enforcement knowing those who were there with Kristy at closing, there is a huge possibility, if not a certainty, that the police would clear them because they "know" them. Someone like the FBI needs to investigate those people without bias. The statistics on cases like this point to the missing person knowing the abductor; either knowing them well, or casually, especially when it happens in a very small town.
Statistics also point to the fact that the longer the person is missing, the more the end result will be tragic. So, again, the family needs to step-up to the plate and forget about worrying about "stepping on the toes of law enforcement," and DEMAND help from outside professionals.
Also, just as mind-boggling, the family has NOT actively searched out a professional search and recovery company like Texas Equusearch. They know their stuff, and have a high success rate in finding missing people. It is unacceptable and shocking that this family pleads for help, but yet does nothing at all to truly do all they can to find her. They believe that relying on local police and volunteers IS doing all they can to find their daughter.
Mind-boggling...
