Crime & Safety
Detectives Seek Clues To Fate Of Police Cadet Missing 8 Years
On the anniversary of her disappearance, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office is seeking information on what happened to Kelly Rothwell.
INDIAN ROCKS BEACH, FL -- On the eighth anniversary of her disappearance, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office is seeking information on what happened to 35-year-old Kelly Rothwell.
On March 12, 2011, Rothwell, a police academy cadet, met a friend at a Chili's restaurant in Clearwater, and said she planned to end a volatile relationship with her longtime boyfriend, David Perry, whom she lived with.
Rothwell left the restaurant and drove home to her residence at 2708 Gulf Boulevard, #201. Detectives say Rothwell was scheduled to meet with friends later that same evening but she never showed. No one has seen Rothwell since.
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Rothwell's 2007 Subaru Outback was found parked in Indian Rocks Beach, about two miles from her home. Her purse and wallet were both missing.When detectives checked Rothwell and Perry's residence, no one was home and the residence had been thoroughly cleaned and sanitized.
Detectives learned that Perry moved out of their Indian Rocks Beach home and drove to New York the night Rothwell disappeared. A downstairs neighbor told detectives he heard banging and vacuuming in Rothwell's residence the night Rothwell went missing.
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Detectives say Perry, who is now 54 and living in Elmira, New York, would not cooperate with the investigation and he is a suspect in the case.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact Detective Chris Lyons of the Cold Case Unit at (727) 582-6207 or by email at clyons1@pcsonet.com. To remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS
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