Missing but Not Forgotten: The Search For Ann Marie Kelley
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.
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