Crime Junkie is investigating a 40-year-old murder mystery with the strange disappearance and murder of teenager Kelly Disney in Newport, Oregon.
In the early hours of March 9, 1984, 17-year-old Kelly left her boyfriend’s apartment during a party and seemingly began wandering the streets of Newport. There were several sightings of her that night, including by law enforcement.
Unfortunately, she soon vanished, never to be seen again. Ten years later, Kelly’s skull was found, but the rest of her remains have never been recovered. The police are still unsure about what happened to the teenager, and no one has been arrested.
In 1984, Kelly insisted on moving from her hometown of Siletz, OR, to Newport to be with her 20-year-old boyfriend, Robert Ellis. Her family was unhappy about the move, but Kelly promised to finish school at Newport High.
On March 8, there was a low-key party at Kelly and Ellis’s apartment. The youngsters had a tumultuous affair and often argued, and it appears there was some tension that night. At one point, Ellis left the party, leaving his girlfriend behind. After midnight, Kelly also left.
When Ellis returned home, his pals told him Kelly had left, so he went to look for her. According to friends, this was a regular occurrence. Ellis found Kelly standing alongside Highway 20, but she refused to get in the car, so he drove off.
A short time later, two men spotted Kelly on the side of the road as they traveled to their night jobs; they asked if she wanted a lift, but she refused. The men bumped into a Newport police officer at a convenience store and expressed their concern about Kelly.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelKelly Disney disappeared from Newport street in a 15 to 20 minute window
The Newport cops contacted Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office who sent a deputy to look for Kelly. At about 1 a.m., the deputy located Kelly, but again, she refused the offer of a ride. She claimed she was a short distance from a girlfriend’s house; that was a lie.
The police believe that in the next 15 or 20 minutes, a group of men, possibly from her hometown of Siletz, forced her into a vehicle. They then took her somewhere secluded, where she was sexually assaulted and killed.
It is, of course, also possible that Kelly didn’t know her attacker, but her family members are adamant that she would have resisted getting into a vehicle with a stranger.
Kelly Disney skull recovered at reservoir ten years after rmurder
The police could find no clues as to what happened. Ten years later, a man was driving his ATV near the Big Creek Reservoir east of Newport when he stopped by an abandoned car at a well-known party spot for locals. He stumbled upon Kelly’s skull wrapped in a carpet or similar material.
The man actually took the skull home, cleaned it with detergent, and put it on his TV. The man’s girlfriend suggested he bring it to the police. Dental records proved the skull belonged to Kelly, and the skull showed signs of trauma injuries.
The police interviewed kids who had been partying in the area, and they believe the skull was placed there the day before it was found. In 2020, cold case investigator Linda Snow told the press, “We know absolutely the day before [it was found] the skull was not there. We know that somebody placed that skull there.”
Unfortunately, there has been no further progress in the case. In 2020, a cold case unit teamed up with the Disney family to put up posters in the hope of jogging someone’s memory. However, as of writing, the case remains a mystery.
MURDERED: Kelly Disney is available to download now on Crime Junkie.