A source close to the Elmira Prison in Elmira, New York,
where David Perry used to work, said that the detectives from Pinellas County
who have been working Kelly Rothwell’s disappearance, Mike Bailey and Amy
Plourde Booth were in town last Monday. They stopped by the reception area of
the prison and met with law enforcement and possibly inmates that may have had
some contact with Perry. Whether they were in town to question those inmates
about Perry is unknown, but one could assume so. However, they supposedly also
had an unrelated case that they were following in the area.
But it sounds a little far-fetched that two Pinellas County
detectives who have worked Kelly’s case for almost three years now would travel
to Elmira, New York and visit the very prison that David Perry worked in for an
unrelated case, doesn’t it? Elmira is also the reception area for all of the
state prisons; any inmate comes there first to be processed and then either
stays there or is sent to one of the other detention facilities. Perry was
moved from the Broome County Jail after his conviction to the Downstate Correctional Facility in Fishkill, New York…
Perhaps he was running his mouth about what he did to Kelly
and the Florida detectives are hoping that someone will come forward… maybe
someone already has…
As the three year mark of Kelly’s disappearance looms near,
I wonder if the Florida detectives’ presence in New York is a positive sign.
But any attempt at a search in a nature preserve or a compost heap this late in
the game and in the dead of winter in upstate New York would seem a bit like
shutting the barn door after the horse ran out almost three years ago.
Perry is serving a 4-12 year sentence for stealing from Work
Comp. So far he already has about two years of time served. According to law
enforcement he still must serve another two (to complete the minimum required
by the sentence of 4 years) and then he will be on parole after that. When the time
comes, wouldn’t it be great if the Parole Board was inundated with letters from
concerned citizens who wanted his parole denied. LOTS of letters…
Meanwhile Kelly’s birthday has come and gone….She would have
been 38 years old on January 10th.
Kelly’s mother Nancy, speaking through tears, told me on Kelly’s
birthday that she is at least grateful that Perry is in jail. “We miss her
every day, but we know she is at peace and that no one can hurt her anymore.”
New billboards spaces with Kelly’s’ face and information
have been donated and are up on RT. 19. Although Kelly’s family had no idea
they were being put up, Kelly’s sister Lindsay say she hopes that it will
generate new interest in Kelly’s case. The billboards made the local news here
as well as the local news in the Twin Tiers/Elmira area in New York. It’s a
longshot that someone may remember something from almost three years ago based
on a billboard however. It’s a shame they didn’t go up right after she went
missing. But hope is still alive that someone may step forward and help solve
the mystery of Kelly’s disappearance.
In
my opinion, there is no mystery… her killer sits in a New York State jail cell.
Let’s hope he breaks from the pressure and tells her family
where he put her body so they can bring her home.
