Police in Missouri and Illinois are searching for the remains of a missing woman.
Authorities are seeking information to help locate the potential remains of Britney D. Hoffman-Kelly, 32 years old. A 2020 Audi with Illinois registration ET 25911 is considered a vehicle of interest in the search for Kelly.
Britney Kelly was reported missing to the Quincy Police Department recently, as previously covered by CrimeOnline. She was last seen with her husband, Chadwick Kelly, 33 years old.
Chadwick Kelly was released from an Illinois prison in July, having served less than half of a 23-year sentence for home invasion, as reported by Muddy River News.
On December 12, surveillance footage showed Britney and Chadwick Kelly entering a hotel off Highway 370 in St. Charles, Missouri, according to KSDK. Britney was last heard from on December 14, reportedly still in St. Charles.
On December 14, Britney Kelly was last heard from in St. Charles, reportedly with her husband, Chadwick Kelly, as CrimeOnline reported
On December 18, Chadwick Kelly was seen without Britney leaving the hotel they were once seen sharing only 6 days earlier, KSDK reported.
“Yes, I do believe that she was killed in the hotel in St. Charles. Chadwick Kelly was wanted by authorities at the time of this crime and it’s my understanding that he was kind of bouncing around different hotels trying to avoid detections by law enforcement,” said Capt. Floyd.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, on December 20, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office in Missouri said that the Quincy Police Department in Illinois contacted them asking for help finding Kelly, who was wanted on a warrant from the Illinois Department of Corrections and suspected to be in LaBelle. While deputies were looking for Kelly, dispatchers received a hangup 911 call from a home in that town.
The highway patrol brought a SWAT team and negotiators to the scene to try to persuade Kelly to surrender.
Chadwick was killed in a shootout with police following the standoff in Labelle, during which he took another woman hostage before trying to escape while armed.
“During the negotiations, Kelly fired numerous rounds from inside the residence, toward officers,” the state agency said. “Kelly later ran from the residence armed with a gun and members of the Patrol fired their weapons.”
WLDS reports that St. Charles investigators gathered evidence suggesting that Britney Kelly is deceased. The case has been labeled a homicide and her husband is considered a suspect. Her current whereabouts are unknown.
“We found blood evidence in the hotel and in the vehicle Chadwick Kelly was last in. He did leave in that vehicle from our hotel. We were able to track it with the license plate readers so that’s the vehicle he was operating when he checked out the hotel here in St. Charles,” added Capt. Floyd.
If between December 18-20, anyone who has seen or knows information about the 2020 Audi they are encouraged to contact Sgt. Adam Gibson at the Quincy Police Department or the St. Charles, Missouri Police Department at (636) 949-3300
Featured image: Britney Kelly/Quincy Police Department and Chadwick Kelly/Illinois Department of Corrections
