Eileen Kelly was a pretty, friendly 18-year-old woman when she disappeared days before Christmas.
Kelly was last seen on Dec. 13, 1974. She left her secretarial job at the Justice Department early that day and boarded a bus to go to her parents’ home in Hyattsville to buy a car, an AMC Gremlin. She never showed up.
Nine days later her body was found dumped in an alley near R Street Northeast. Kelly was found blindfolded, with part of her stockings wrapped around her neck. The D.C. medical examiner estimated that she had died within 48 hours of her discovery, meaning that she was alive for seven of the days that she had been missing.
Authorities assumed that she was kidnapped, tortured and raped by a sexual predator.
Now, they aren’t so sure. Investigators believe they may be a new explanation that had been hidden in plain sight.
Her body didn’t have any signs of serious trauma, police said. There were no indications that she fought back. Authorities are looking into the possibility she knew her killer and that her death was the result of consensual sex gone wrong.
The new theory has refocused investigators’ attention on Kelly’s circle of friends. Authorities have fanned out to interview some of those old friends.
It’s possible the suspect would feel very guilty and might finally be willing to come clean, police said.
Authorities also submitted for DNA testing microscope slides of evidence from the crime scene. The slides had been stored and forgotten at the medical examiner’s office and were recovered recently. Police are asking for anyone with any information on Kelly’s death to call 202-727-5037 or the Metropolitan Police Department’s Command Information Center at 202 727-9099.
Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call 888-919-CRIME (2746). Anonymous information may also be forwarded to the department’s TEXT TIP LINE by text messaging 50411.
