KY KY - Randy Sellers, 17, Visalia, 16 Aug 1980

[Richard]

... He obviously didn't want to be seen getting out of a police car in front of his house.
Do we know anything about his family?

I do not know why the police did not take Randy all the way to his doorstep, as it was only about a half mile from the County Line. Maybe he refused to give them his address, or maybe the police felt that crossing the County Line would take them legally out of their jurisdiction. They have been criticised for that action over the years.

Randy's mother was still living in 1994 when the search was being conducted for his body. I did not meet her, but was told that she had been at the supposed burial site only days before I was taken to it. She was very much involved and interested in finding Randy.

I do not know much more about the family. They lived in a farm house out in the country, and not in or near a town.

 

[LisainWV]

Randy Lee Sellers, 17, Missing 16 August 1980 from Visalia, KY

Randy Lee Sellers
Missing since August 16, 1980 from Visalia, Kenton County, Kentucky.
Classification: Non-Family Abduction

Vital Statistics
Date Of Birth: September 6, 1962
Age at Time of Diappearance: 17 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'9, 149 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: White male. Brown hair; hazel eyes.
Marks, Scars, Tattoos: "R" tattoo on left forearm. Scar on right knee. Scar on crown of head. Scar over left eye.
Dentals: Available

Circumstances of Disappearance
Sellers, a student at an alternative school in Kenton County, was first reported missing on Aug. 17, 1980. The night before he had been to the Kenton County Fair in Independence. At the fair he got into a fight, and police picked him up for disorderly conduct and public intoxication. But instead of taking him all the way home, police dropped the boy off about a mile from his home as a favor. Sellers never arrived at his house; he has not been heard from since that day.

Donald Leroy Evans, a drifter sentenced to death for killing a 10-year-old Mississippi girl, told police he shot Sellers in the head in 1980 and buried him three feet deep at Kincaid Lake State Park in Pendleton County. He claims to have killed dozens of others in dozens of states, but he has not led police to their bodies. Investigators searched the park in 1994, but found no leads concerning Randy's whereabouts. They have found no evidence that Evans claims are true.

Investigators
If you have any information on this case, please contact:
Kenton County Police Department
Missing Persons Unit
Detective Wayne Wallace
859-392-1940
E-Mail: mailto:[email protected]

NCIC Number: M-459537596
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Source Information

The National Center For Missing and Exploited Children

The Doe Network: Case File 14DMKY

Link:

http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/14dmky.html

That line made it soound as though he didn't want to be seen getting out of a police car??

 

[mooner123]

If you are still here mooner123, have you heard anything about the email you sent (any response)? I am just reading this case now, I think the tatoo is worth looking into.

I contacted a few agencies, including Team Hope, the detective handling the case, and Doe Network. I heard back from Team Hope (the woman who called me back wasn't familiar with the case and had me call another number), and I heard from Doe Network. The detective never called me or emailed me back.

Apparently Randy was ruled out as being a match to the Oklahoma Doe because of his age and the circumstances (although i believe it could still be him). I believe no DNA test was ever performed. I wish someone would at least check dental records, if not do a DNA test.

 

[Boyz_Mum]

I contacted a few agencies, including Team Hope, the detective handling the case, and Doe Network. I heard back from Team Hope (the woman who called me back wasn't familiar with the case and had me call another number), and I heard from Doe Network. The detective never called me or emailed me back.

Apparently Randy was ruled out as being a match to the Oklahoma Doe because of his age and the circumstances (although i believe it could still be him). I believe no DNA test was ever performed. I wish someone would at least check dental records, if not do a DNA test.

Thanks for answering my post! (And also you Richard!)

I often wonder why the authorities don't do DNA or dental records right away in the comparisons to the missing. I do understand this would be costly but it's become so easy today to narrow things down.

In the case of Randy, I would understand the police dropping him off away from home, but only if that was the end of their jurisdiction boundaries. I am guessing this is the case since he was dropped off at the county line? I don't know if I am prone to believe the confession of Evans, I don't think he is the only killer to confess to multiple crimes soley for the noteriety. (I am thinking that Henry Lee Lucas and Otis Toole confessed to many crimes they may or may not actually committed?) The mind of a "kill for fun" person is for sure a puzzle to me.

 

[missacorah]

What does it mean by 'the fob' of a keyring that Evans was able to correctly describe, please? Sorry to be dumb!

 

[STEADFAST]

What does it mean by 'the fob' of a keyring that Evans was able to correctly describe, please? Sorry to be dumb!

The fob is the part that isn't the actual ring that the keys are attached to; it's the part you hold usually if you're holding your keys. If someone asks you what your keyring looks like, you'd describe the fob.

 

[missacorah]

Thanks steadfast *feels embarrassed*

 

[missacorah]

''According to police, the arresting officer was driving Randy home when the 17-year-old decided to fight back: he struck the officer.''

I just got this quote from areicas most wanted
http://www.amw.com/missing_children/case.cfm?id=33928 which claims that Randy struck out at one of the officers. Do you think that theres a chance that something could have happened with one of the cops that wasnt revealed that could explain Randys disappearance?

 

[christine2448]

bump no news on this one?

 

[Richard]

''According to police, the arresting officer was driving Randy home when the 17-year-old decided to fight back: he struck the officer.''

I just got this quote from areicas most wanted
http://www.amw.com/missing_children/case.cfm?id=33928 which claims that Randy struck out at one of the officers. Do you think that theres a chance that something could have happened with one of the cops that wasnt revealed that could explain Randys disappearance?

The statement might be true, but I would think that it would have happened prior to Randy being put into the police car.

The police involved in transporting Randy would have been the Kenton County Police. He was picked up at the Kenton County Fair for being drunk and belligerent. Randy's home was a farm in the county just to the south of Kenton County. The police let him out alongside a well traveled highway right at the county line - the border of their jurisdiction.

It could easily be argued that they were negligent in putting him out there, instead of driving one more mile and dropping him off at his home. But it is possible that Randy did not give them his address or directions to it. Possible that he asked to be let out at the county line, so as not to get into trouble with his folks (being brought home by police).

The Kentucky State Police have jurisdiction over investigation of this case. One of their investigators on the case indicated to me that they found evidence at the Sellers home in the form of foot prints to indicate that Randy actually made it home, but that no one was home at the time. They felt that he may have then returned to the highway to hitch a ride.

The case had come to a halt until Convicted Serial Killer Donald Leroy Evans voluntarily confessed that he had killed Randy. His description of the area was amazingly accurate, but no body has ever been found. Evans has since died in prison.

 

[Xts]

Hi everyone, my first post If I mess up on the rules, know it was never intentional.

I wanted to ask how common those single initials may have been on the forearm. Especially for that time period. And is it possible he left to NV with a female?

The reason I ask is I was looking around last night and found a female in NV with an S on her forearm. Found 5 Oct 1980.

I know folks run off to NV to marry, to have fun, to hide, etc. I ran off there to marry when I was young (with ma's permission, long story) so it donned on me it's possible, just maybe not likely. I've sent the info on to the coroner at that site yesterday. Nothing heard back yet. She must've been found not long after having passed as she's not in bad shape at all. There's a photo of her so I caution you. An actual photo.
http://www.accessclarkcounty.com/depts/coroner/unidentified/Pages/unid_indv_80-1221.aspx

I tried to find something on her but to no avail except maybe here. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

EDIT: I have heard back from the coroner, he said he's going to look into this and see if the killer traveled to LV. I was thinking both of the victims may have went but you really never know. Sometimes travels are as scattered as thoughts.

 

[Xts]

I didn't see an edit button so I have to make a new one here. Sorry, not sure how to say this otherwise.

I see it's been right at a year since this was discussed. My mom, the other night, mentioned of the possibility of the initials being his, but on both of their arms. The girl I mentioned has S on the right forearm, his is an R on the left. If they stood side by side, it'd show RS, his initials.

The coroner is polite and responsive, he will get back with me if there's anything there. He does say it's possible.

 

[shadowangel]

It's an interesting theory...Definitely thinking outside the box.

 

[kfitz]

I was just wondering if there are any new developments on this case, I see that no one has discussed this for a while

 

[REXMorgan]

First timer here, I ran across an old post concerning Randy Lee Sellers who went missing in 1980. After reading the ramblings of the local members I had to join and write down what I know/presume to be the truth.

I grew up in Morning View Kentucky and was friends with Randy's brother, Tyran, who committed suicide in 1991. I believe that one of the contributing factors in his suicide was the disappearance of his older brother, whom Tyran looked up to. I remember Randy, who was five years older than myself, as one of the local tough guys and back then I was a little kid and scared to death of him. Not to tarnish his memory but Randy was in and out of trouble most of his teen years and the local cops were quite familiar with him.

This is what is known as common knowledge in and around our small town: Randy had been arrested numerous times...for the police to say they were given wrong directions or misled as to where he lived makes no sense. If a policeman is escorting a minor home and having another policeman follow him, isn't that a little suspicious? Why does it take two police cars to take home a 17 year old? If a policeman is taking home a minor, isn't it part of his duty to deliver him to his parents instead of drop him off in the middle of nowhere? One of the policemen stated he "dropped him off about a mile away as a favor"? Bull****, period.

Morning View is a quiet little country town along the Licking River, everyone knows everyone. The local police were known not to put up with troublemakers and for one of the policemen to admit Randy struck him in the back of the head, then it is obvious what was to come next. If anyone seriously thinks this happened and there was no recourse, then they have never dealt with policemen, period. Hell, hit me in the head and I will hit you back.

Randy was being taken for one of the infamous "rides" so many cops were known for back in the 70's and 80's. His "tracks" were not found on or around the house, they were conveniently found on the river bank about 1/2 mile from his house, completely in the wrong direction. Of course, they were found by a policeman, not one of the hundreds of searchers. Afterwards, a statement was put out that they could not verify whose tracks they were, they could have been animal tracks.

I have been looking into this case for years because I knew the family and a terrible wrong has never made right. What turned out to be one murder eventually lead to a mother losing both of her sons. I had asked the family's permission to write a book about this but due to the Cotton's understandable grief, they declined to participate and I honestly did not feel morally ok to proceed. This has weighed heavily upon my conscience and I am still somewhat reticent to do it, but as time passes, I feel more and more inclined to do so.

If anyone has anything to add, I would love to hear what their opinion is. For people to think Donald Leroy Evans killed Randy,well, they should have their heads checked. He was known for killing women, Randy was a tough kid and I cannot imagine anyone getting the drop on him. Morning View is so far off the beaten path, people whom have been there have a hard time finding it. No way Evans was just out driving through Morning View. He was looking for publicity and deep down he knew he was safer outside of jail instead of in it. In the end, he was right about that.

 

[Richard]

bumping case up...

 

[imamaze]

The Charley Project: Randy Lee Sellers

America's Most Wanted: Randy Sellers

Current Age
46
Missing Since
8/16/80


Search Continues Nearly 30 Years Later
After nearly three decades of searching and hoping, there are still no clues as to what happened to Randy Sellers. His mother has become an advocate for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and works to counsel parents of missing children, but she hopes that someday she will know what happened to her own son.
>>The Full Story...



National Center for Missing & Exploited Children


Case Type: Non Family Abduction
DOB: Sep 6, 1962 Sex: Male
Missing Date: Aug 16, 1980 Race: White
Age Now: 46 Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
Missing City: MORNING VIEW Weight: 149 lbs (68 kg)
Missing State : KY Hair Color: Brown
Missing Country: United States Eye Color: Hazel
Case Number: NCMC601897
Circumstances: Randy's photo is shown age-progressed to 43 years. The police department dropped Randy off a couple of miles from his home and he has not been seen since.

 

[Kat]

Welcome RexMorgan, I was just reading Randy's charley page yesterday. I had been looking up something else and recognized his face from seeing that he had been missing many years ago.

I did not know Randy, but I kept an eye on his case because I am originally from KY.

What has been my take on it all these years? He was murdered by a cop.

Now that is a very strong statement to make, but I stand by it.

I didn't hesitate to type it either. JMHO.

 

[amber1]

It's a possibility that this is a cop cover up, but at the same time it deems unlikely. Odd that he dropped him off a mile away from where he lived though. Has this officer been investigated?
How populated was this road Randy was dropped off on?
Is it possible he hitched hiked or had some beef with someone who happened to be driving down the street and saw it as an opportune moment to strike?
This case seems so bizarre to me,

 

[Kat]

Randy has been missing 30 years today. Come home soon.