Account
Oct 14, 2013
Nov 17, 2021
Kathleen
Kelly
55
12
62 inches
100 lbs
White / Caucasian
Female
In the late spring of 1981, a 12-year-old girl named Kathleen "Kathy" Kelly vanished from the small borough of Springdale, Pennsylvania. On May 22nd, a date that marked the beginning of Memorial Day weekend, Kathleen, a young girl with brown hair and brown eyes, was last seen walking home. Earlier that day, she had been at the Ches-A-Rena skating rink in the neighboring town of Cheswick with her brother-in-law and her nieces and nephews, who were close to her in age. Feeling bored, Kathleen decided to leave the rink and walk the short distance to her older sister Judy Stanko's house. It was not unusual for Kathleen, described as an independent child, to walk by herself in the familiar neighborhoods. After spending about an hour with her sister, Kathleen set out for the six-block walk to her own home in Springdale. Despite her sister's inquiry if she was sure she wanted to walk, Kathleen insisted she would be fine and departed. She never made it home. From the outset, Kathleen's disappearance was treated by law enforcement as a runaway case, a factor that significantly impacted the initial investigation. Her family, particularly her niece Kimberly Robertson, who was close in age and a good friend to Kathleen, also believed she may have left intentionally. Robertson cited unspecified problems within Kathleen's home as a possible reason for her to run away, a sentiment that led to a sense of relief when she first learned her aunt was gone. This belief, shared by her family, meant that there were no immediate, large-scale searches organized for the young girl. The lack of an intensive early investigation has left many questions unanswered and has been a point of frustration for those who now look back on the case. Some family members have even questioned the exact date of her disappearance, with her niece suggesting it might have been in 1980, a year before the official report was taken seriously. Years turned into decades with no sign of Kathleen Kelly. The mystery of her disappearance was compounded by a series of strange phone calls received by her niece, Kimberly, about nine or ten years after she went missing. In one call, an unknown person simply said, "You know who I am and I'm fine," before hanging up. Other calls were silent, with the caller hanging up when asked if they were Kathleen. These cryptic calls offered a glimmer of hope that Kathleen might still be alive, but they ultimately provided no concrete answers. The case grew cold, receiving little media attention over the years, a stark contrast to other missing children cases in the same region during that time. Kathleen's mother, Annabelle, passed away in 2009 without ever knowing what happened to her daughter, though she always held out hope for her return. The disappearance of Kathleen Kelly remains an unsolved case, a quiet but persistent mystery in the small Pennsylvania town, leaving her family to wonder if she fell victim to foul play or if she is still out there, living another life.
May 22, 1981
Springdale
Pennsylvania
Allegheny County
15144
No
5395
Springdale Borough Police Department
Springdale
Pennsylvania
Allegheny County
15144
325 School Street, Pennsylvania
7242749022
Local
Law Enforcement
E81337
Springdale Borough Police Department
Brown
Brown
Brown
05/26/2026
