OR OR - Kelly Disney, 17, Newport, 9 March 1984

[Romulus]

Kelly Lynn Disney

Namus https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/39274/10/

Age last seen: 17
Race: White female
Hair color: Blond strawberry
Eyes color: Blue
Height: 64.0
Weight: 110.0
Scars and marks: nothing
Clothing and accessories: unknown
Transportation methods: unknown
Dental: Is not available
DNA: Sample available - not yet submitted
Fingerprints: is not available

Circumstances
Kelly Disney had an argument with her boyfriend the night of March 8, 1984. She had left the apartment they were living in at approximately 0100 on March 9, 1984 and was last seen walking east on Highway 20 in Newport, Oregon around the same time. Kelly's skull was found in 1994 in an abandoned car near Newport, Oregon. The remainder of her body has never been recovered.

 

[CastlesBurning]

Family of murdered teen seeks closure

 

[dotr]

Kelly Disney's sister and other family members distributed signs around Lincoln County.
Oct 10 2020 very lengthy article.
Who killed Kelly Disney? 1984 cold case gets new life
''Angela Dodds doesn’t want her sister to be forgotten.

So in late July, Dodds and family members staked out 200 signs along two major highways in Lincoln County and handed out 2,000 posters.

The message was simple: “Justice for Kelly Disney. 36-year-old murder case.”

The date the signs went up is significant for Dodds and her family. Some 26 years earlier police were handed the only evidence in the March 9, 1984, disappearance of 17-year-old Kelly Disney – her skull.''

''In reconstructing the case, investigators talked to kids who had played in the car the day before the skull was found. The skull was also found just days after investigators had gone to local media to drum up more interest in the case.

“We know absolutely the day before (it was found) the skull was not there,” Snow told YachatsNews. “We know that somebody placed that skull there.”

''While Disney was the first Newport girl to disappear, she was not the last.

On May 3, 1992, Melissa Sanders, 17, and Sheila Swanson, 19, vanished after leaving a family campout at Beverly Beach State Park. Five months later, hunters found their remains 20 miles east of Newport near Eddyville.''

''On Jan. 27, 1995, Jennifer Esson, 15, and Kara Leas, 16, left a friend’s house in north Newport and headed into town. More than two weeks later their bodies were found north of the city near Moolack Beach covered with brush. They had been strangled.
Police began to wonder if there was a serial killer at work.''

''Investigators have a good theory of what happened the night that Disney disappeared.

One or two people Disney knew picked her up along Highway 20.

“My guess is they said ‘We’ll give you a ride home’,” said Snow.

Investigators think there is a strong connection to the Siletz community where Disney grew up.

Investigators believe Disney ended up with a group of men who took her somewhere, sexually assaulted her and then killed her. A number of men have told others they were there when Disney was assaulted and wished they had stepped in to stop it, Snow says.

“We do have this consistent line of stories … that they were there and that she had been killed,” Snow says. “There’s a single path that all these stories fall into.”

Investigators have no idea where the rest of Disney’s remains might be.''

''Ellis, the former boyfriend, refuses to talk to cold case investigators.

“We have never interviewed him. He won’t talk to us,” Snow says. “But my gut, and everything we’ve found, says he didn’t do it.”

“We want the public to know that there are people out there who know what happened. They need to get ahold of us.”
-- --- ---
To reach Lincoln County cold case investigators, call Linda Snow at 541-265-0284 or Ron Benson at 541-265-0271.''

 

[Dylansmom08]

Looks like they have had at least one good suspect in these disappearances but he is now deceased. I hope they are able to generate some new information with fresh eyes on the case and get justice for Kelly and the other girls soon.

 

[Savemecastiel]

Bump

 

[samsmom]

I just saw a TikTok with information about this missing person. There was a car found in a dilapidated barn and some of the identifying items were connected to this case. I know nothing, just bringing this forward.

 

[Belindal1966]

Kelly Disney's sister and other family members distributed signs around Lincoln County.
Oct 10 2020 very lengthy article.
Who killed Kelly Disney? 1984 cold case gets new life
''Angela Dodds doesn’t want her sister to be forgotten.

So in late July, Dodds and family members staked out 200 signs along two major highways in Lincoln County and handed out 2,000 posters.

The message was simple: “Justice for Kelly Disney. 36-year-old murder case.”

The date the signs went up is significant for Dodds and her family. Some 26 years earlier police were handed the only evidence in the March 9, 1984, disappearance of 17-year-old Kelly Disney – her skull.''

''In reconstructing the case, investigators talked to kids who had played in the car the day before the skull was found. The skull was also found just days after investigators had gone to local media to drum up more interest in the case.

“We know absolutely the day before (it was found) the skull was not there,” Snow told YachatsNews. “We know that somebody placed that skull there.”

''While Disney was the first Newport girl to disappear, she was not the last.

On May 3, 1992, Melissa Sanders, 17, and Sheila Swanson, 19, vanished after leaving a family campout at Beverly Beach State Park. Five months later, hunters found their remains 20 miles east of Newport near Eddyville.''

''On Jan. 27, 1995, Jennifer Esson, 15, and Kara Leas, 16, left a friend’s house in north Newport and headed into town. More than two weeks later their bodies were found north of the city near Moolack Beach covered with brush. They had been strangled.
Police began to wonder if there was a serial killer at work.''

''Investigators have a good theory of what happened the night that Disney disappeared.

One or two people Disney knew picked her up along Highway 20.

“My guess is they said ‘We’ll give you a ride home’,” said Snow.

Investigators think there is a strong connection to the Siletz community where Disney grew up.

Investigators believe Disney ended up with a group of men who took her somewhere, sexually assaulted her and then killed her. A number of men have told others they were there when Disney was assaulted and wished they had stepped in to stop it, Snow says.

“We do have this consistent line of stories … that they were there and that she had been killed,” Snow says. “There’s a single path that all these stories fall into.”

Investigators have no idea where the rest of Disney’s remains might be.''

''Ellis, the former boyfriend, refuses to talk to cold case investigators.

“We have never interviewed him. He won’t talk to us,” Snow says. “But my gut, and everything we’ve found, says he didn’t do it.”

“We want the public to know that there are people out there who know what happened. They need to get ahold of us.”
-- --- ---
To reach Lincoln County cold case investigators, call Linda Snow at 541-265-0284 or Ron Benson at 541-265-0271.''

I knew sheila Swanson since we were children, we attended the same church, I pray this case gets solved.

 

[Beccalicious]

Bumping

 

[Spicygirl829]

I knew sheila Swanson since we were children, we attended the same church, I pray this case gets solved.

I knew sheila Swanson since we were children, we attended the same church, I pray this case gets solved.

 

[Spicygirl829]

I'm glad Kelly's case was posted on here. She was my babysitter and my sister's as well. I grew up in Siletz and I really would like this cold case solved. The below link cleared up some things that I thought were true. If interested, please listen to this podcast. If you know anything about this case, please report it.

Crime Junkie

If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people.

link.chtbl.com

 

[dotr]

Authorities seek help solving 1984 disappearance, murder of Oregon teen

The Lincoln County District Attorney’s Office is asking for help solving a cold case murder out of Newport.

www.kptv.com

Mar. 14, 2025 rbbm.
''Kelly Disney, 17, was last seen in the early morning hours on March 9, 1984, walking on Highway 20 near U.S. 101 in Newport. Disney was seen by several witnesses before disappearing.

Then, 10 years later, her skull was found in an abandoned car near Big Creek Reservoir outside of Newport. The district attorney’s office says it appeared her skull had been recently placed there.''

 

[dotr]

Mar. 22, 2025
''In the last month, the unit has received two key boosts that they say has them on the verge of solving this decades old crime.

First, the FBI has joined the investigation, adding their expertise and additional funding.

Then, three weeks ago, Disney’s then fiancé, Robert Ellis, provided investigators with possible new clues and potential vital leads.

“Could be one person that would push us over that edge, where we could say we have enough here to bring this case to a grand jury,” said Snow. “We have enough here to go forward on that case and hopefully find Kelly’s body.”

Mar 22, 2025
Kelly Disney was just 17-years-old when she disappeared during the early morning hours of March 9, 1984.

 

[dotr]

March 26 2025

New focus on decades old murder case

Forty-one years ago, on March 9, 1984, 17-year-old Kelly Disney went missing. According to several witnesses, she was last seen in the early morning hours walking east on Highway 20

www.thenewsguard.com

''Forty-one years ago, on March 9, 1984, 17-year-old Kelly Disney went missing. According to several witnesses, she was last seen in the early morning hours walking east on Highway 20 near Highway 101 in Newport. She was never seen alive again.

Kelly Disney
'Ten years later, in July 1994, Disney’s skull was found in an abandoned vehicle near Newport’s Big Creek Reservoir. It appeared her skull had recently been placed at that location, and her death was ruled a homicide.''