Account
Jul 20, 2009
Mar 10, 2022
Kellie
Brownlee
59
17
67 inches
135 lbs
White / Caucasian
Female
On May 20, 1982, 17-year-old Kellie Marie Brownlee vanished after being last seen at the Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi, Michigan. A student at Walled Lake Western High School, the young female with brown hair and brown eyes had decided to skip school that day. She was focused on getting a head start on finding a summer job before college students returned to the area. That morning, she and her boyfriend took a bus to school, but Kellie didn't go to class. Instead, she hitchhiked to the mall, a distance of about five miles, to fill out job applications. At approximately 11 a.m., a friend's mother saw Kellie at the mall and offered her a ride home. Kellie declined the offer, explaining that she wanted to submit more applications before she left. This interaction was the last confirmed sighting of Kellie. At the time of her disappearance, she was wearing white pants, a halter top with another shirt over it, and high-heeled shoes. In the weeks leading up to her disappearance, Kellie had been facing significant personal challenges. She had recently moved out of her family's home in West Bloomfield and was staying with her boyfriend, Mark Graves, and his family in Walled Lake. Friends reported that Kellie had confided in them that her stepfather, Paul Brownlee, was abusing her, and they had seen bruises on her body. This was not the first instance of such accusations against him; in 1977, Kellie's older sister had accused him of sexual abuse, which resulted in him pleading guilty to fourth-degree criminal sexual misconduct. Following that, her sister moved to California to live with their biological father. Despite the difficult home environment, Kellie maintained a close relationship with her mother, Loretta, and had planned to move back home once her mother separated from her stepfather. When Kellie did not return to her boyfriend's apartment or call him by 9:00 p.m. on the day she was last seen, he reported her missing, prompting the start of an investigation that has now spanned decades. The investigation into Kellie Brownlee's disappearance began with West Bloomfield police, as her permanent residence was in their jurisdiction. Her boyfriend was quickly ruled out as a suspect. Over the years, the case has seen few significant leads. However, in 2018, authorities announced a potential link between Kellie's case and Arthur Ream, a convicted murderer and suspected serial killer. Ream was convicted of the 1986 murder of 13-year-old Cindy Zarzycki and had reportedly told cellmates he had other victims. Police conducted a search for human remains on a property where Zarzycki's body had previously been found, hoping to find evidence related to Kellie and other missing girls, but the search yielded no results. While law enforcement explored this lead, one of Kellie's close friends has publicly stated she does not believe Ream was involved in Kellie's disappearance. The case remains an active investigation, a painful and unresolved mystery for a family and community that has waited over four decades for answers.
May 20, 1982
Novi
Michigan
Oakland County
48377
25873
West Bloomfield Police Department
West Bloomfield Township
Michigan
Oakland County
48323
Kevin Roy
Detective Lieutenant
4530 Walnut Lake Rd, Michigan
2489759200
Local
Law Enforcement
82-6461
West Bloomfield Police Department
7172
Brown
Brown
Brown
05/20/2026
