SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN 43 TODAY. 8 YEARS LATER STILL NO ANSWERS

On January 10th,  1976, a beautiful young woman was born to Nancy and Tom Rothwell, a lovely family in suburban Overlea Maryland. The oldest of four daughters, Kelly Lundy Rothwell grew up a normal kid, roller skating with girlfriends like Erin Hansel (ne Smith) who went to school with Kelly 1st through 12th grade and Marie Bossert, a neighbor who attended a different Catholic school. Kelly went sailing with her father and sisters Kristen, twins Lauren and Lindsay, she loved going to the beach, giggling over boys and having sleepovers with her close friends.  Kelly remained close to her tight group of friends, which also included Kelly's long-time beau Sean Greenwood and his friends Brent and Leah. Accordingly, Kelly had many friends who loved and admired her. She graduated from Overlea High School and was in the top 5 of her graduating class.

 According to Nancy Rothwell, Kelly's mom, Kelly had been enrolled in Honors classes at Overlea High and was "always going to school"...Nancy said Kelly loved learning and was constantly looking for new things to learn about.

"She was always curious, even when she was really little, " Nancy said.

 Kelly's curiosity took her first to Essex Community College for two years, then on to Adams State College in Alamosa, Colorado, where she finished her undergrad and then went on to a Masters in Geology. She and Sean Greenwood had moved out west together, but grew apart as they both pursued other interests. Kelly met Doug, a ski instructor, got married and settled into married life; she in the hospitality business and he in the mountain ski life. They raised two Golden Retrievers in lieu of kids. Sadly, one was hit by a car , but Lucy, the female stayed with Kelly until she and Doug decided to call it quits. Kelly wanted to move back east and picked Florida as her home base. Lucy stayed behind with friends. A few years after Kelly's disappearance/murder at the hands of David Perry, her sister Lauren arranged for Lucy to come east, to live with her.... a piece of Kelly that was all that was left of her life in Colorado. Lucy passed away in August of 2016, much loved and well-cared for.

Since Kelly's "disappearance/murder" in 2011, a LOT has changed .. Kelly's sister Lauren has a new little boy, Garcia Lundy. She works as a nurse and is happily ensconced with her beau Christian in a house Lauren bought a few years ago. Lindsay, Lauren's fraternal twin, says she mostly feels anger now, instead of the acute pain she once felt. Lindsay has been living on her own and working, sharing parenting duties with Nancy, who has taken Lindsay's two children into her home. The sound of little feet and noisy children's repartee once again fills Nancy's home, long after her own children have  grown up and moved out.

Kelly's middle sister Kristen, has become a success story.  For years she battled her own demons and is now happily and healthily headed for an Bachelor's degree in Addiction Counseling,  headed towards a Master's degree in the future.

Kristen still keenly feels Kelly's absence.

"If I had to say just one thing today", she said, " it would be if only she could just see me now! We   were estranged for the last couple of years because of my lifestyle and the things that I was into.And I've turned myself around and I've got to say that through it all I believe shes been with me and rooting for me and she's been on  my side. I miss her dearly and  I wish I could share this experience that I'm going through, this whole life-renewing experience.  You know she always had so many great things to say. Today I sang Happy Birthday to her... I do it every year. Its something small but it's from me. It doesn't get any easier with her gone."

Kelly Rothwell in front of her Dad's sailboat.

So tonight, on what's left of Kelly's Birthday, I want people to understand that what happened to Kelly didn't JUST happen to her... it happened to her whole family. It happened to her friends and her co-workers.  Each person has their own type of pain they've experienced since David Perry killed their daughter, sister, friend. But nothing seems more acute than the pain and the loss Kelly's family feels. And for what? Perry could and SHOULD have just walked away. He should have just let her go. Instead he chose to break up a family, kill the woman he professed to love and deprived the world of a beautiful soul, a soul that only wanted to help people.

Said Nancy Rothwell, " The pain never goes away, but now we accept that it is what it is. We miss her all the time and especially on her birthday. But I know she will always be forever in our hearts."

Blessings to the entire Rothwell family on this day and every day since March 12, 2011, the day their daughter, Kelly Rothwell, was murdered by David Perry
.
Justice is coming , but AGAIN we ask...

DAVID PERRY,  WHERE IS KELLY ROTHWELL?