Kelli was a senior at the University Of North Texas in Denton, Texas in 1997, majoring psychology with a minor in criminal justice. She was a very good student who resided with her parents and her nineteen-month-old daughter, Alexis, in Farmers Branch, Texas. She was on target to graduate in May 1998 and planned to then seek a master's degree. Kelli attended her morning classes on July 15, 1997, and took a field trip with her criminal justice class to the Denton City Jail. She drove her 1989 Nissan 240-SX to the facility and parked her car in a nearby parking lot. Kelli was not allowed to bring her purse or keys into the facility and she locked her belongings inside of her vehicle. She planned to use a spare key hidden under the vehicle's fender to open the car after the tour.

After the tour dismissed, Kelli discovered that her spare key didn't work. She walked back to the jail and attempted to call her boyfriend, Lawrence Harris III, but a clerk refused to let her use the phone and directed her to a pay phone a block away. She reached Harris from the telephone outside of the Conoco gas station and convenience store near east McKinney Street and Railroad Avenue. A photo of the business is posted below this case summary. Harris arrived at the police department between 12:30 and 12:45 p.m. He discovered Kelli's car abandoned inside the parking lot. There was no indication of her in the area and she has never been heard from again. No witnesses observed her departure from outside the Conoco station.

Kelli left all of her personal belongings behind at her family's residence, including $200 in cash. There has not been any activity within her bank account, which held approximately $1000 in July 1997. Kelli's mother said that her daughter was devoted to Alexis and would never leave her behind willingly. Kelli was raising the child on her own after ending her relationship with Alexis's father. Kelli's parents have since taken custody of the child.

Authorities initially suspected Harris was involved in Kelli's case. He took four polygraph tests and submitted to numerous interviews before he was ruled out as a suspect. He and Kelli dated for nine months at the time of her disappearance. Her family members never believed Harris was involved in her case. Kelli's mother said that authorities failed to check for fingerprints on her daughter's vehicle after she was reported missing. Her mother was critical of the official investigation.

Foul play is suspected in Kelli's case, which remains unsolved.

Above: Conoco gas station/convenience store in Denton, Texas