In talking to Mrs. Rothwell, she said that a few years ago Kelly had been given an antique diamond ring that had belonged to her great-grandmother, Nancy Rothwell’s mother. The ring was a thin band of gold with an approximately ½ carat diamond inset into the band, with smaller stones on either side of the diamond. Kelly’s sister Lauren said Kelly would wear it on special occasions; it had great sentimental value to her. And its missing.
“That ring was my grandmother’s and was passed down through my family, first to my mother, then me, then ultimately Kelly, as the oldest daughter ,” Nancy Rothwell told me. “Kelly loved it and always took such good care of it, having it cleaned and always having the diamond checked. The gold was wearing very thin on the underside of it because it was so old. I know she loved that ring.”
When Nancy Rothwell came down to Florida the week that Kelly disappeared, she sadly had to collect her daughter’s possessions from the condo that Kelly and David Perry, the only suspect in her disappearance had shared. The very same condo that in all possibility was where Kelly Rothwell was murdered March 12th when she came home to break up with David Perry, who was becoming increasingly paranoid, jealous and out of control emotionally.
When Nancy Rothwell returned home to Maryland, Kelly’s things, boxes of clothes and other possessions sat in the living room; Nancy was just too overwhelmed to go through them. The smells, the little things that were so Kelly were just too much for the family to handle. So they sat for quite a while until finally Nancy and Kelly’s sister Lauren summoned the courage to open some of the boxes up.
“I think I knew that if or when I opened up those boxes, it would prove that Kelly was really gone, taken from us … and she wouldn’t be coming home,” Nancy Rothwell said. “It’s all just still too much to handle.”
With Lauren’ s help, the boxes are slowly being opened up and Kelly’s other sister Lindsay, Lauren’s fraternal twin is finding great comfort in wearing some of Kelly’s things.
“I feel like it brings me closer to her,” Lindsay said. “There are some things that I recognize that Kelly wore when we were growing up; they bring back good memories for me. But I miss her so much… it just hurts ...” she said, her voice trailing off in obvious sadness and pain.
When Nancy Rothwell was finally able to go through Kelly’s jewelry box, she couldn’t find the family heirloom anywhere… the ring was missing. Nancy was very upset; she wanted to at least have it back so she could have a piece of her daughter back. But the ring is nowhere to be found.
Could Kelly have been wearing it the night she ‘disappeared’ and was probably murdered? If so, is the ring still with her, wherever she is? Or did David Perry steal it or worse yet, use it as the engagement ring for his new wife, Melissa Walker, all the while knowing it was Kelly’s, the self –professed “love of his life”, the one he never went searching for when she went “missing”?. Is Melissa the one wearing it now? Does it sit on her left hand, in some twisted, sick way so Perry can maintain his contact with Kelly? It is now widely believed that Perry was seeing or maintaining contact with Melissa Walker well before his claims that he met her AFTER Kelly’s disappearance. Indeed, remember that two weeks PRIOR to Kelly going missing, he has cancelled his gym membership, telling everyone that he was moving to Hawaii. Could it be coincidence that his then secret girlfriend, now wife, is now stationed in Hawaii at Tripler Army Medical Hospital? I hardly doubt it.
Luana, Perry’s ex-wife, whom Perry abused repeatedly during their marriage, said that Perry likes to keep little mementos, likes to keep something of those he has been involved with in his life. For example, he frequently used Luana’s birthday as his own, making himself a year younger than he was. He had used her name as his middle name as well. There is even speculation that he may have married on Luana’s August birthday. His ex-wife said that he does things like that a lot.. It helps to make him feel in control, something Perry’s narcissistic personality constantly demands.
Could Perry have used Kelly’s ring for his new bride’s engagement band? Perhaps with some story, close to the truth, that it was a family heirloom passed down to him as a way to keep Kelly “close?” Did he say it was his mother’s perhaps? The same mother who refused to have him at her own funeral? In his sick and twisted mind, he may feel justified doing so. After all, she was going to leave him; in his mind, NO ONE leaves him, he does the leaving. If Perry kept the ring, it is his excuse to maintain a connection to a woman he supposedly loved and probably fatally harmed.
As this Christmas evening winds down, Kelly Rothwell is not with her family and friends, she is not celebrating the holiday season with loved ones. She is missing and presumed dead. Now her precious family heirloom ring, inherited from her great-grandmother is missing as well.
Someone should check Melissa Walker Perry’s left hand……
Your investigative writing is very informative and thankfully you continue to pay attention to this case. Considering Perry's history and behavior it is not hard to see why he is the only suspect. And you are probably correct in wondering if Perry's new wife is wearing that lost diamond. My guess is that the stones are now in a new setting and on the hand of his new wife. I hope Melissa gets to read this blog. Maybe someone should send her a copy.
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ReplyDeleteWow! This makes me sick to my stomach. I hope Melissa is wearing it and reads this and FINALLY sees what kind of monster she really has married . Lets hope Melissa has the decency to send it back to Mrs. Rothwell!
ReplyDeleteI Was going to suggest that they check his new wife's jewelry box; it would be like him to give her someone else's belongings and say that it was from him? You can bet that he was seeing his new wife before Kelly went missing;these kind of men always have "an ace in the hole"! In time, Kelly will lead us in finding out the truth--her family deserves to know the truth--she would have wanted that!!
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ReplyDeleteThis keeps getting stranger and stranger. Why can't all these pieces of the puzzle be put together to bring this FREAKING BASTARD in for questioning! Lets see if this new "craigslist" wife can keep THIS secret!
ReplyDeleteI feel so sorry for the Rothwells. The pain that this MONSTER has brought on this family is horrible. One day this will catch up to him!
ReplyDeleteThe comment from someone about "checking the wife's jewelry box" and that " you can bet he was seeing his new wife before Kelly went missing" was supposedly written as a Kelly supporter and there was a Kelly supporter's name attached. But I have been informed that the supporter in question did NOT write this post. It was in all likelihood written by David Perry himself as he has a history of using other people's names, including my own, to spew his hateful views and profess his so-called innocence, even though he is the only suspect in Kelly's disappearance. He has done this on other blogs and continues to do so even today.
ReplyDeleteCould it be that the comment is a compelling and possible perhaps crucial admission of his guilt? The wording about the "ace in the hole" was a comment made to me by Luana, Perry's ex-wife in an interview and was posted several blog posts ago. The information seems very specific and detailed. I guess time will tell.
He gave me his ex girlfriends engagment ring for my engagment ring. He does it because he is cheap and he thinks he still has a hold on you.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds a lot like the Boston "Craigslist Killer"! He kept his victims underwear as mementos. David Perry needs to talk to the police. If he would, he could clear his name. But David Perry's refusal to talk to the police and giving his own timeline in his own words (not one fabricated by his suck a rock attorney)... shows a hell of a lot of guilt! Leigh, I sure hope this ring is a missing link! Thanks for your posts and keeping Kelly's name out there!
ReplyDeleteBesides the missing ring, I am wondering what happened to the missing geodes that I had read about months ago. Were the geodes ever found --or are they still missing? Are there photos of the missing items to check out to see if they were taken to a pawn shop or sold elsewhere on line? I am sure that someone in the Perry family knows what happened to Kelly. The truth will be known eventually.
ReplyDeleteAs usual very informative blog Leigh. It really doesn't surprise me that he or his brother would comment using someone else's name. I hope as well that the missing ring is the key, however, because Kelly obviously loved her grandmother she may have had that ring on to feel close to her family member and for strength as Kelly seemed like the type of person that could gather the strength needed to end a relationship with a very disturbed and controlling individual. I hope and pray that someone else will come forward with any information even if they feel it is nothing it could help with a timeline leading up to Kelly's disappearance and ultimately the location of Kelly so she can be brought home and justice can finally be served. My love, thoughts and prayers go out to each and everyone of Kelly's family and friends. Keep up the good work Leigh. NLR
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