IL IL - Dermot Kelly, 16, Oglesby, Jan 1972

[Savemecastiel]

Bump

 

[Satch]

Update: Dermot's case was reopened!

47 years later: Investigator has hunch in teen's disappearance | The Times

Satch

 

[dotr]

Update: Dermot's case was reopened!

47 years later: Investigator has hunch in teen's disappearance | The Times

Satch

''Czworniak, a retired Chicago police homicide detective, said he believes Dermot killed himself and was swept away by the river, but there are loose threads to the disappearance he wishes he could pull together.

“There are many avenues to explore, but nothing solid to go on. A couple of things are odd about the case,” Czworniak said.''
''At any rate, Czworniak pointed to indicators of suicide.

Dermot was a junior at the then all boys St. Bede Academy between Peru and Spring Valley. He was in class the Friday before he vanished, but had missed several weeks in the fall, while he was receiving medical treatment in the Chicago area, the school’s head said at the time.

Also, in reporting Dermot missing, his parents said Dermot was an introspective boy who had been despondent.''

 

[Satch]

We know tensions were terrible between Dermot and his Dad, but this missing posted attached here, is the first piece of evidence that says, Dermot and his Dad had a fight just before he left the house that day with a shotgun: (January 30, 1972) between 1:00-1:30 pm.

Satch

 

[Ozoner]

'
Also, in reporting Dermot missing, his parents said Dermot was an introspective boy who had been despondent.''

Gee. An introspective boy who had been despondent left his house with a shotgun. I wonder what could have happened.

 

[Satch]

Gee. An introspective boy who had been despondent left his house with a shotgun. I wonder what could have happened.

Yea, the writing of suicide was on the wall to everyone but his parents. I honestly think that his Dad hated Dermot so much for pursing a lifestyle so different than what he demanded Dermot follow, that I really don't think his Dad cared what happened to him. And after all those years, no mention of his son in his own obituary. This was vicious animosity. No doubt in my mind. Several who are close to the case are actually happy that Dermot got out of that hostile environment and found peace. Even if it was suicide. In Dermot's eyes, suicide ended his suffering at home. He did it to end his pain. Now, more than ever, I believe this was a drowning/suicide.

Satch

 

[Iona]

Good to see you back Satch! I was briefly worried when I looked at the dates and saw that you had not responded; I remember well how you felt about this case...

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

Update: Dermot's case was reopened!

47 years later: Investigator has hunch in teen's disappearance | The Times

Satch

Great article. Posting an updated link below:
47 years later: Investigator has hunch in teen's disappearance

 

[dogperson]

I just noticed something in the article that I never noticed before when reading about Dermot's case. It says Dermot's parents reported him missing TWO HOURS after he left the house. He went out to do some target shooting at 1:15pm so that means he was reported missing at around 3:15pm. Even though it was January that's still about three hours before dark. Why did they report him missing so quickly? It sounds as if they had reason to believe he might have harmed himself or come to harm somehow.

Even if he'd been instructed to return within an hour, a two-hour absence doesn't necessarily mean anything is amiss, much less that police needed to be called. I would imagine a lot of teen boys could easily let time get away with them if they were actually out in the woods target shooting. When I was a teenage girl I frequently forgot to watch the clock when I was out somewhere having fun, even outdoors in frigid winter temperatures. When you're young you don't seem to get cold as quickly or pay as much attention to it.

I think one or both of the parents knew he wasn't in a good frame of mind when he left the house. Him not returning within two hours appears to have raised feelings of alarm, so much so that he was reported as a missing person. I'm surprised police would respond so quickly for a teen who was only gone for two hours. If this were a toddler or small child, yes. But the parents must have told police something that indicated Dermot might not be okay.

 

[Satch]

I just noticed something in the article that I never noticed before when reading about Dermot's case. It says Dermot's parents reported him missing TWO HOURS after he left the house. He went out to do some target shooting at 1:15pm so that means he was reported missing at around 3:15pm. Even though it was January that's still about three hours before dark. Why did they report him missing so quickly? It sounds as if they had reason to believe he might have harmed himself or come to harm somehow.

Even if he'd been instructed to return within an hour, a two-hour absence doesn't necessarily mean anything is amiss, much less that police needed to be called. I would imagine a lot of teen boys could easily let time get away with them if they were actually out in the woods target shooting. When I was a teenage girl I frequently forgot to watch the clock when I was out somewhere having fun, even outdoors in frigid winter temperatures. When you're young you don't seem to get cold as quickly or pay as much attention to it.

I think one or both of the parents knew he wasn't in a good frame of mind when he left the house. Him not returning within two hours appears to have raised feelings of alarm, so much so that he was reported as a missing person. I'm surprised police would respond so quickly for a teen who was only gone for two hours. If this were a toddler or small child, yes. But the parents must have told police something that indicated Dermot might not be okay.

My feeling is the following,

The animosity and friction between Dermot's dad and he was so strong, after the fight, that his Dad really didn't care what happened to him. Possibly Dermot's Mother came home, and his other siblings and she pleaded with Mr. Kelly to call the authorities. Dad was in complete charge of that household, and may have even had demands similar to boot camp with his bad temper and Army background.

Empathy directed by Mrs. Kelly and/or Dermot's siblings convinced his Dad to call authorities. If Dermot's Dad really cared about his mental state at this late stage, he should have controlled his temper, and never should have let Dermot in a despondent state, leave the house with a shotgun. I also feel the target shooting was a ploy by Dermot to prevent being followed. There was no going back for Dermot. He couldn't take his father's wrath for one more day. When he left the house that day, January 30, 1072 between 1:00-1:30pm he was leaving home..... to die.

Satch

 

[theshadow45]

Bumping for Dermot, today is his birthday.

 

[theshadow45]

Dermot has been missing for 50 years today.

 

[TheHauntedOne]

If he did take his life and was swept in currents under the ice, where should we look for does found in the river?

 

[Satch]

If he did take his life and was swept in currents under the ice, where should we look for does found in the river?

This is a great question!

I believe that there are thousands of people and vehicles that are in water, either due to accidental drownings or suicides. Sadly, jumping into water and forcing a drowning is probably the easiest way to a suicide/drowning to avoid being found. In Dermot's case, I believe that he wanted to kill himself and make sure that his body never resurfaced. See previous posts from me as to why.

It is a very expensive and tremendous undertaking to do underwater searches for the missing. Funding is hard, unless it is somebody famous, or a very wealthy who can work with LE and other resources, investigating rivers and lakes does not happen nearly as often as it should.

Of several cases that I have studied I believe that the remains of Dermot Kelly, Claude and Sue Shelton, and Farren Stanberry are all in bodies of water. (See these other two cases for my details and comments.) It is a painfully sad ending, but for most people who want to die and not be found, jump into a body of water can avoid detection in an investigation. Heartbreaking to think about, let alone to say. However, I think that so many people missing for years, their remains would be found, if more waterways were searched. You can't begin unless a family member wants to do it, and has the funds to make it happen. Legal and environmental resources and red tape can delay these operations for years.

Satch

 

[TheHauntedOne]

This is a great question!

I believe that there are thousands of people and vehicles that are in water, either due to accidental drownings or suicides. Sadly, jumping into water and forcing a drowning is probably the easiest way to a suicide/drowning to avoid being found. In Dermot's case, I believe that he wanted to kill himself and make sure that his body never resurfaced. See previous posts from me as to why.

It is a very expensive and tremendous undertaking to do underwater searches for the missing. Funding is hard, unless it is somebody famous, or a very wealthy who can work with LE and other resources, investigating rivers and lakes does not happen nearly as often as it should.

Of several cases that I have studied I believe that the remains of Dermot Kelly, Claude and Sue Shelton, and Farren Stanberry are all in bodies of water. (See these other two cases for my details and comments.) It is a painfully sad ending, but for most people who want to die and not be found, jump into a body of water can avoid detection in an investigation. Heartbreaking to think about, let alone to say. However, I think that so many people missing for years, their remains would be found, if more waterways were searched. You can't begin unless a family member wants to do it, and has the funds to make it happen. Legal and environmental resources and red tape can delay these operations for years.

Satch

I completely agree, was just curious if maybe does were found in the past but never identified, that had been found down stream, in an area he wasn't being looked for. Being the temp of the water, curious how long remains would be recoverable.

 

[theshadow45]

Bumping, today is Dermot’s birthday.

 

[John/Jane Doe]

Dermot Faulkner Kelly – The Charley Project

 

[Rgina]

I am new here. But I had discovered a namus person who could possibly be Dermot. I sent an email a year ago to namus. I received an automated response. I really think it could be him. In 1972 in WV a hitchhiker was killed near Beckley WV. He is concidered an unknown male. He stated he grew up in the Chicago area. His parents were dead. And he was heading to Bluefield to try to obtain a copy of a Birth certificate to join the army. He was wearing boots and no identification on him. Since Dermot said he was leaving and would make it on his own, this could be how to do that. He could have said his parents were dead because maybe he was angry and felt they were dead to him. The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

3121UMWV

 

[Rgina]

Update: Dermot's case was reopened!

47 years later: Investigator has hunch in teen's disappearance | The Times

Satch

Please see my post. (About the hitchhikers in WV 1972).

 

[Satch]

Thank you for your post, Rgina! Here are some issues with the observations:

We have the gun found under the ice, missing its scope sight. and Dermot's boots found on a partially frozen river bank along with his jacket. The footprints in the snow leading to the river, and the gun impression in the snow, still indicate to me that Dermot removed his boots and jacket to sink as rapidly as possible into the river. To minimize the pain of frost bitten feet and to make sure that no one found his body, I believe Dermot shot himself at or near the edge of the river, and than dove into the river to sink to the bottom after firing the gun.

The UID wanting to join the Army? No way would Dermot want that. Tensions between his Dad and he reached the boiling point and boiled over that day. The last thing an introspective peace-seeking hippie movement follow like Dermot would ever do in his life, would be joining the Army. He would not want anything to do with what his Dad had done in his life. Further research showed that Kevin Kelly was ultra-conservative, and ruled his home with high expectations and at times abusive behaviors. Kevin Kelly was not a man that you would not want to mess with, because he had a very short fuse.

Mr. Kelly even admits that "The values being taught at his home and Saint Bede Academy was compared to the life Dermot wanted was difficult for Dermot." I say it was far worse than "difficult" it was terrifying conflict. Dermot was extremely intelligent and knew that with his Dad's legal influence and demanding conservative views that as a 16-year old minor, he would have no rights or chances to be free from his father's impending wrath. Not wanting to worry the rest of the family, he fabricated the "I want to live life on my own" story and even used the "target shooting" story so that he could carry out his suicide plan, (which I believe,) without a lot of questions. Dermot wanted to kill himself to find peace, and he wanted to do it near water and with a gun to make sure that his body never turned up, Dermot wanting the family to believe that he had run away. The Kelly's had already suffered the death of an infant daughter in 1946, and his Mother's side of the family, never accepted the horror of another child dead. His father's side cared much less about Dermot and IMO saw Dermot leaving as a "defiance to his Dad's authority." Dermot was "dead" to his father, probably for many years, because their value system clashed like gasoline igniting a bomb.

We finally know that Dermot left the house after fighting with his Dad. But his Dad was the authoritarian, many times establishing connections with rules and expectations that were to followed and not questioned. Dermot's Dad did not want the outside world and his legal and political connections learning about his abuse in the home. So he put on a false hat of concern supposedly looking for his son, to please the other family members, but in reality, searching for him (or so he claims at three years later.) would be a lost cause. No way that Dermot, by than 19 years old and a legal adult would want to ever come back to his father's demands. And no way could Dermot live in that house from 16-18, with two more years of abuse and tension.

Due to the abuse in the home, I actually support Dermot for getting out of that environment, He had to do that. His sister Laura-Jean also suffered from emotional issues throughout her life, There were many painful moments in that home.

I tell people that Dermot could not be saved because the personality of his father, was much too demanding, and at times violent, for Dermot to survive. Dermot just got stuck with a terribly bad Dad, which ultimately lead to his demise.

Satch