ALLEGHANY COUNTY, Va. – The Alleghany County Sheriff’s Office is still investigating the circumstances surrounding a man’s disappearance nearly a year later.
Donald Wayne Kelley was last seen on March 31, 2022, in Alleghany County, and his family said it is unusual for him to go this long without contacting another family member. He was believed to be driving a red Kia Sportage.
On Monday, Alleghany County Sheriff Kevin Hall provided an update on the investigation, saying they are treating this as more than just a missing persons case.
“This is still considered an active homicide-missing person investigation. This has been and will continue to be a top priority with our agency til the person or persons involved in Mr. Donald Kelly’s disappearance has been brought to justice,” Hall said.
Many of the people in attendance for the update included Kelley’s friends and family. His daughter, Kristina Wilhelm, has been searching for answers as well.
[MORE: Alleghany County deputies provide update on man who’s been missing for nearly a year]
“It’s nerve-racking. It’s frustrating. Somebody knows something. There’s been rumors galore but we don’t have any solid evidence to go on. We need somebody who will come forward to actually tell the truth about what happened. Until somebody does that and steps up, we’re not going to get closure,” Wilhelm said.
10 News was able to obtain a copy of the search warrant used to search a property in Botetourt County.
According to the warrant, multiple things were seized including two license plates with numbers matching those registered to the red Kia Sportage.
However, according to the documents, neither Kelley’s body nor the car was found on the premise.
Now the Alleghany County Sheriff’s Office is turning the entire case file over to the Commonwealth’s Attorney to determine the next steps. Sheriff Hall believes his team has a person of interest.
“We have a person of interest. We feel like we do but like I said there is a lot of legal things that that office over there feels like they’re required to prosecution,” Hall said.
As far as Kelley’s family, they said they won’t rest until they know what happened to him. Kelley’s son, Brandon, called on someone to come forward with something.
“If you was in my shoes, what would you want? That’s pretty much all I got as far as that because I’d do the right thing, so I hope someone else would,” Kelley said.
If anyone has any information on the whereabouts of Donald Wayne Kelley or the 2002 Red Kia Sportage he was reported to have been driving, please contact Captain Scott Fischer at 540-965-1770 ext 106Lt. or Richard Shull at 540-965-1770 ext 107.