DC DC - Eileen Kelly, 18, Washington DC, 14 Dec 1974

Eileen Kelly, 18 years old, disappeared on 14 December 1974. Nine days later, on 22 December 1974, her body was found in the 17 block of R Street Northeast, Washington DC.

The Coroner stated that she had been dead between 24 and 36 hours when she was found. This would mean that someone had held her captive for several days prior to her murder.

Eileen's killer has never been identified and the case is unsolved. The case is under investigation by the Metropolitan Police.

If you have any information concerning this case, please call:

Detective James Trainum 202-727-5037

Or the Metropolitan Police Operations Center at 202-727-9099

Or e-mail them at: unsolved.murder@dc.gov

Source:

District of Columbia: Metropolitan Police Department


LINK:

http://mpdc.dc.gov/mpdc/frames.asp?...ved/pdf/1971_1990/kelly_eileen.pdf&group=1533

Cold Case: Eileen Kelly

Joe Krebs Reporting

It has been 35 years since 18 year old Eileen Kelly disppeared. She was eventually found dead. Police can use your help in solving the case.

The below link is to a News4 (NBC TV in Washington DC) story which aired on March 4, 2010.

LINK:

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local-beat/Cold_Case__Eileen_Kelly_Washington_DC.html

I wonder if this case might be connected with a series of disappearances (probable abduction cases) which occurred in Maryland and Pennsylvania in 1975? See featured case on the missing Lyon Sisters for more details.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/l...disappears-on-way-home-1072600-104180543.html

October 1, 2010

Authorities are looking into the possibility she knew her killer and that her death was the result of consensual sex gone wrong.

Click to expand...

More at link.

So I wonder if the perpetrater was a boyfriend or someone she dated? Also, when they say "consensual sex gone wrong", what does that mean? Startin with consent, then something changes, or that at one time she had consensual sexual relations, but this time she had no choice? Am I the only one confused by this statement?

SunnieRN said:

So I wonder if the perpetrater was a boyfriend or someone she dated? Also, when they say "consensual sex gone wrong", what does that mean? Startin with consent, then something changes, or that at one time she had consensual sexual relations, but this time she had no choice? Am I the only one confused by this statement?

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Was there a cause of death released? I know it was a long time ago and we've only recently begun hearing about autoerotic asphyxiation (sp), but that may be what they're alluding to. I know of a person who enjoys being choked almost to the point of losing conciousness during intercourse. Really freaked out the guy I knew who dated her. He'd never heard of anything like that. I'm not saying that's what happened, but it's my only thought off the top of my head.

I have a couple of thoughts on the latest article.

First, rape does not always produce physical trauma in the victim. She may have thought that cooperation would keep her alive.

Second, if someone were to admit that they had consensual sex, then, well, it would be a move forward, wouldn't it?

Even if she enjoyed autoerotic asphyxiation, there is still the question of the number of days she was missing prior to her body being found. I hope they will find answers, for her friends and family.

This month marks 36 years since Eileen Kelly went missing and was found dead. Her murder is still unsolved.

Eileen Kelly has was murdered almost 38 years ago. No one has been identified as a suspect and the case remains unsolved.

I wonder if the murder of this 18 year-old girl might be related to the disappearance of Sheila and Katherine Lyon of Wheaton, Maryland on 25 March 1975 - only three months later.

It might also be related to the murder of Kathy Lynn Beatty in Aspen Hill, MD in July of 1975.

Bumping case up. This month marks 39 years since Eileen Kelly was murdered.

This map shows where Eileen's body was found.

http://www.communitywalk.com/dc_anc_5c_unsolved_homicides#00044E6<

Still hopeful the truth will be known, will never stop searching.

I had just started working as a secretary at the Justice Department in 1974 (where Eileen also worked). I remember seeing fliers posted on the doors when she was missing. They also had someone come and talk to the female employees about safety and self-defense. I still remember some of things he told us. This one really hit home for me and my co-workers. We felt it really could have been any one of us. I hope for the sake of her family, if not the rest of the community, that LE is able to solve this case.

Eileen Kelly was murdered 39 years ago. Only a few months later, in March 1975, one of the most publicized cases began - that of the missing Lyon sisters from Kensington, MD. In July, another young girl, Kathleen Beatty was murdered in Wheaton, MD. Could these cases be connected?

Unfortunately many of the links in this thread have expired. Does anyone have a good case summary or a good link to include here? The one below works, but does not have a lot of information about Eileen's case.

http://www.communitywalk.com/dc_anc_5c_unsolved_homicides#00044E6%3C

Some info here (last article on the page):

http://www.dematha.org/news/express.aspx?StartDate=12/3/2009

Talks about Michael McQuillan, a Prince George's County police officer whose sister was a friend of Eileen's. DeMatha is a well known Catholic school in the D.C. area and this piece is about alumnus McQuilllan and his search for Eileen's killer.

The 2010 report from Channel 4 still works (I'm just reposting it here):

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Cold_Case__Eileen_Kelly_Washington_DC.html

I notice the report says DNA was "recently" found. I'm surprised nothing came of that.

One thing that struck me: Eileen was reported to be heading for the bus. Just outside the DOJ building on 10th Street (between DOJ and the IRS) was a sort of hub for buses -- not much chance of somebody grabbing her there, I would think. Plus the Channel 4 report says the bus driver identified her as "being alive." Sounds like she got on the bus? I'm wondering if she kidnapped when she got off the bus in Hyattsville. I haven't seen anything about where exactly in Hyattsville she was going.

It's quite frustrating how little information there is out there. The article from the DeMatha alumni report says that Michael McQuillan became a private detective. We need to invite him here to see if he has any info he can give us!

ETA: This looks like him? http://www.linkedin.com/pub/mike-mcquillan/38/778/84b

Eileen's body was found some distance from where the bus terminal, her work place, or her home. And several days passed in which she was kept alive somewhere before being murdered.

This leads me to believe that the perpetrator had both a vehicle and a place to hold her.

At the time of Eileen's disappearance in 1974, I thought she had disappeared from downtown DC, from the Justice Department building. My thought was reinforced by her being found in DC. On 10th Street, in between the DOJ and the IRS was an area that was a hub for buses starting their routes. This section of the street was clogged with buses at certain times of the day (my office window overlooked it and we never opened the window or the fumes would have killed us all!). I was always confused how someone could have snatched her in such a busy place. But she is said to have left the office "early" and was seen on the bus, so that makes things quite different. Also, without knowing what route she was taking, I can't say for sure that she was getting on a bus from that location.

When I saw that Lloyd Lee Welch, the announced POI in the Lyon sisters case earlier this year, had lived on Rte. 1 in Hyattsville in April of 1975, that seemed pretty significant to me. I also noted that he is said to be in Austin, TX in January of 1975 -- sounds like he got out of town after the murder? The fact that he was possibly as young as 18 doesn't really disqualify him IMO. However, the thing that DOES make him pretty unlikely is his history of homelessness and living in shelters, etc. Since Eileen appears to have been kept for several days while still alive, I can't see Welch fitting that bill.

In fact, the fact that Eileen was kept for several days before being murdered is problematic for a lot of potential suspects. I know Fred Howard Coffey, Jr. is one possible suspect, but wouldn't he have to have transported her from wherever he grabbed her to his hotel room in Gaithersburg and then into DC? Richard would know more about his various living situations. And how well did he know the Maryland area outside of northern Montgomery County?

According to Google maps, the 1700 block of R Street connects with old Rte. 1 (called Bladensburg Rd. at that location). It is across from a cemetery and next to a large area that possibly belongs to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, including the National Arboretum. Can't say for sure if a suspect would need to know the location well.

Not sure where I'm going with all of this, just wanted to throw some of my thoughts out there. In some ways, this case reminds me of Marcia Trimble who was murdered in Nashville, TN in 1975. Not that I think the cases are related, but in that case it was shown by DNA thirty years later that her murderer had committed a series of rapes at a college about a mile away. DNA also connected him to the murder of a female student a couple of weeks before Marcia's murder. At the time, local LE just didn't make the connection. I doubt if that's the case here, seems like LE has followed up on most possibilities. Just hit me, somehow.

G&AMom said:

At the time of Eileen's disappearance in 1974, I thought she had disappeared from downtown DC, from the Justice Department building. ...

When I saw that Lloyd Lee Welch, the announced POI in the Lyon sisters case earlier this year, had lived on Rte. 1 in Hyattsville in April of 1975, that seemed pretty significant to me. I also noted that he is said to be in Austin, TX in January of 1975 -- sounds like he got out of town after the murder? The fact that he was possibly as young as 18 doesn't really disqualify him IMO. However, the thing that DOES make him pretty unlikely is his history of homelessness and living in shelters, etc. Since Eileen appears to have been kept for several days while still alive, I can't see Welch fitting that bill.

In fact, the fact that Eileen was kept for several days before being murdered is problematic for a lot of potential suspects. I know Fred Howard Coffey, Jr. is one possible suspect, but wouldn't he have to have transported her from wherever he grabbed her to his hotel room in Gaithersburg and then into DC? Richard would know more about his various living situations. And how well did he know the Maryland area outside of northern Montgomery County?...

...

Click to expand...

You mention only two of many potential suspects discussed in the Lyon Sisters Topic. But interestingly they are the only two ever named by MCP in press conferences as potential "persons of interest" in the 1975 case of the missing Lyon Sisters, Sheila and Kate.

Unfortunately not a lot is known about the specific haunts of either Lloyd Welch or Fred Coffey in early 1975. Each had an "official" address, but each could have had other lodging situations as well.

As you point out, Lloyd Welch was somewhat of a homeless individual who hitch hiked or walked almost everywhere he went. He may have stayed with friends, at shelters, in abandoned buildings, etc in his roamings. His mother lived in a house on Route 1, just east of the Bladensburg Peace Cross, and just inside the city limits of Hyattsville. He is known to have given that address to police on or about 1 April 1975 when he may have called in a "tip" to police regarding the Lyon sisters' disappearance.

Welch may have been in the area when Eileen Kelly was abducted and murdered. He is known to have worked or lived in DC as well as in Maryland. Mass transit (ie busses and trains) would have been his choice next to walking and hitch hiking. He did not have a drivers license.

Welch is currently in a Delaware Prison, convicted of molesting a young girl. He had other charges over the years such as assult with a deadly weapon, driving without a license, and burglary.

Fred Coffey is a bit more elusive regarding his travels, homes, etc. He was discharged from the US Navy on 17 September 1974 in Norfolk, VA. This followed his conviction on charges that he raped a 13 year old girl in Virginia Beach some time prior. Coffey lived in Virginia Beach, but his mother lived in Bristol, VA. He was known to also have ties to Kentucky and North Carolina, with relatives or friends in all places.

Fred Coffey was known to be in Aspen Hill/Wheaton/Rockville Maryland as early as 1 April 1975 when he interviewed at VITRO Laboratories. By 23 April 1975, he started full time work with VITRO. He owned several motor vehicles and did a lot of traveling in them.

Where he was between 17 September 1974 and 1 April 1975 has not been established, but he could have been in the Maryland area earlier than April 1975, since he subsequently got hired by Vitro.

Coffey listed the Holiday Motel (NOT associated with the Holiday Inn), a small motel in Rockville as his address when applying to VITRO, but it is also possible that he later found lodgings closer to his job.

Coffey left the area very suddenly on or about 28 July 1975 without notifying his employer. This was in the wake of a violent attack on a 15 year old girl named Kathy Lynn Beatty in Aspen Hill, MD very close to the Vitro Laboratories buildings. She was left for dead, but actually clung to life in a coma for 12 days before succombing to her injuries.

Coffey is serving a life sentence in North Carolina (since 1986) for the 1979 murder of 10-year-old Amanda Ray. He has also had numerous convictions involving molestation of children at various times and places.

More can be seen on these individuals in the Lyon Sisters Topic in the Missing Forums.