Dale was 5’10” and roughly 165 lbs at the time of his disappearance. He was clean-shaven—never known to have facial hair— with green eyes, shoulder-length brown hair, and a scar on his left knee. According to the Doe Network, Dale Kelley’s teeth were “perfect,” as his father was a dentist. On May 20, he was reportedly wearing a yellow tank top, dark blue Brittania jeans, and a pair of white high-top Converse sneakers, according to the California Office of the Attorney General’s website.
According to The Charley Project, Kelley called his girlfriend at 8 AM, but it’s unclear at when he actually left the Sacramento. What is clear, though, is that Dale Kelley never made it to Los Angeles. His roommate filed a missing persons report when neither Dale’s friends nor family could locate the 21-year-old.
The last confirmed detail of this case is significant: On June 4, 1981, Dale’s Celica was discovered by the New Orleans Police Department in Louisiana. Where exactly was his car found? Who knows?
But here’s what we do know: that Dale has not been seen or heard from since, and foul play is suspected in his disappearance.
* * * * *
If I was a man, I might be described as the “ramblin’” type. I’ve spent most of my life moving from state to state, city to city, school to school. Small talk becomes a bit less small when the answer to Where are you from? is always, Lots of places.
But, if I had to pick one singular place as my hometown, I’d pick Sacramento—or, at least the greater Sacramento area. I hated Suck Town as an angsty preteen, but I’ve developed a newfound appreciation for California’s capital city in adulthood.
Perhaps it’s not coincidence that my interest in true crime just so happened to intensify as I learned more about my hometown’s history. Since the mid-19th century, Sacramento’s been a hotbed for murder, mystery, mayhem, and missing persons.
Things have gotten somewhat better for the City of Trees: the murder rate is down and the city seems to be flourishing. But, ghosts of a darker time are still visible every now and again, most obviously in the form of the region’s unsolved crimes, for which there’s often scant information.
The most frustrating cases are those of missing people; murders tend to get at least a day’s worth of media coverage, and are therefore easier to research using local newspaper archives. But missing persons cases, on the other hand, are rarely covered to the same extent—especially when the vanished is an adult. When cases go so frostily cold, all you usually get is a paragraph-long blurb, unless a friend or relative of the missing is actively searching for their loved one on the internet.
* * * * *
Who was Dale Kelley? What was he like? Was he flighty? Was he mentally well in 1981? Did he have a history of pulling Irish goodbyes, or was this super out of character?
Where did Dale live in Carmichael? Was he a Sacramento native, or was he living in Carmichael to attend college at CSU Sacramento, Sacramento City College, or American River College? Who was his roommate? For how long had he lived with this person? Did he have an alibi? Was he cleared? And who was his girlfriend? When was it determined that he was actually missing and not just delayed in traffic?
When was the missing persons report filed? Where did his father practice dentistry (I’ve tried searching for “Kelley dentist” in old city directories, but it turns out Kelley is a pretty common last name for dentists)? Was there an investigation? Were there any signs of foul play in or near his car? Was there blood? Were his belongings there?
Despite my best efforts—and while I’m a pretty good researcher, I’m now living on the opposite coast and am thus limited to what’s been digitized—the answer to every one of these questions is the same: We don’t know.
* * * * *
Now, I’m not usually one to entertain unsubstantiated theories without good reason. But, because it’s often mentioned in what discussion does exist about Dale Kelley, I’m going to mention the Snake River John Doe.
According to an archived page on the county sheriff’s website, ballistics proved the victim was shot with a .38 caliber Smith and Wesson 36 Centennial Model, which has not been manufactured since 1967.
Based on the condition of the remains, the decedent had likely been deceased for 2-3 weeks, and was likely in his late teenage years or early twenties. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the decedent had black hair approximately 3 to 4″ long. However, according to NamUs, his hair was red or auburn in color and his eyes were brown.
He was roughly 5’11” tall and weighed roughly 145 to 165 lbs. According to the Doe Network, the decedent had no obvious dental work, but had “great teeth with no cavities.” The…quality(?) of both the Doe and Kelley’s teeth paired with the fact that Kelley’s father was a dentist leads some to believe that the two men are one in the same.
The Snake River Doe was found wearing Britannica-brand jeans, California Sun-brand dark blue swim trunks with alternating ½” thick red and white stripes, and one white sock with a red a blue stripes around the top. The decedent had a scar on his lower right leg—according to NamUs, on his right ankle—approximately 2 inches long.
In case you’re wondering, Nez Perce County, ID is not on the way from Carmichael to Los Angeles, nor is it on the way to New Orleans. In fact, it’s in the completely opposite direction.
Does that make it impossible for Dale Kelley to have disappeared from Northern California in May 1981, dumped his car across the country in New Orleans in June 1981, and then dicked around for a year until he was shot and murdered in June 1982? It’s not impossible, but it seems improbable. Similarly improbable seems to be the idea that someone with malicious intent he held Dale Kelley captive and dragged him across the country for an entire year before finally ending it—although stranger things have happened.
* * * * *
While I will continue to scour the internet for information on Dale Kelley, I’m not holding my breath.
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Hello: I put in my cousin, Dale Kelley’s name in Google because he has been missing for many years.I was very surprised to see this article. I was thinking about him because of the recent arrest of the Golden State Killer and it brought up memories. Dale was one of the five children from my Aunt and Uncle. We did not see them much because my family was in the military as was Dale’s. My mother has wondered all these years as to what happened to him as well. Thank you for this information — I was almost the same age of Dale when he went missing.
Sandra Shumaker
Hi Sandra. I saw Dale not long before his disappearance. We did our best to look for him and the letter received from the City of New Orleans that his car was towed weeks earlier and about to go up for auction was quite shocking. There is something here in Sacramento that should go to family, so please contact me so that I can give you the information. I wrote the Sac Sheriff tip line a few years ago, but nobody replied to me.
Hello, I am the Aunt of Dale Kelley – Sandra Shumaker who commented on 5-4-18 – is my niece.
Dale’s sister submitted DNA in the hopes of finding her brother. She is on Facebook – I am not sure where
she submitted her DNA but she and I correspond on FB –
Hi Cindy! If you want to tell me more about Dale, you can email me at prettydeathseller@gmail.com. Hope to hear from you!
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Hi Dale was my older brother and me and my other siblings gave DNA A few years back to Sacramento Detective that was handling the case I was told it’s still an open case.
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@Lynn Hey, I’m putting Dale’s case info regarding his disappearance in all the missing groups and he’s getting a lot of shares and coverage. Hopefully, a match will be made soon since there is good DNA to compare with. I’m curious as to what you have tho?
The confidential information was shared with Dale’s family.
@Michelle and family of Dale,
Hello, Lynn who posted above is my older sister and how I knew about your brother. I was barely 13 at the time but will never forget this happened. I’m sorry your family have had to go through this. I hope I can provide enough coverage to be shared so Dale can be found and brought home and your all have closure. I’m focusing on a serial killer who was in the area near Dale’s destination. Several victims have been recovered and remain unidentified to this date, but they were victims prior to Dale’s disappearance by a year to three. But they all shared a certain common in that they were same age, builds and general good looks. What caught my attention was a composite I first thought was Dale, it wasn’t based on the year found. Just know that there are many out here in Internet world who are going full time in helping bring all missing home and all unidentified their name back.
Thank you so much,I hope one day his remains can be found and be put to rest next to our Mother.
Not sure why that posted as anonymous,I’m Michelle Dale is my older brother
Hi Michelle, it’s a real long shot, but a skeleton was found in a barrel in Sun Valley, CA near highway 5 in 2017.
They estimate the height at 5’ 10” inches and believe that the PMI is a minimum of 10 years ago ( and could be as long ago as 1958). It is a male skeleton and they believe it was a young adult with defined muscles (based on muscle attachment markings on the bones)
https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/17212?nav
Because the height is an exact match I believe it might be worth having a DNA analysis done just to see.
Thank you and my condolences.
Thank you so much for the info I will get in touch with the detective that handles his case,DNA was given years back so I’m not sure if it’s been compared to this or not.Thank you again
Hi! I grew up in Tachikawa as well and knew Dale at Yokota High school (he was closer in age to my older sister). We all were and are still saddened that Dale went missing. He was such a great guy! I sure hope that detectives can solve this missing persons case, even, after all these years.
I know how hard it is on family members when their loved ones are missing. Sending you all special prayers that soon Dale will be resting peacefully next to your mom.
My sister was best friend’s with LeeAnn when we lived on Tachikawa together. I was a cheerleader for the Marauders football team, Dale was on that team and we knew his family well. I heard this story about 5 years ago and was very saddened. Always thought of the Kelley’s. I really loved Mom Kelley, God rest her soul❤️ Prayers and peace for you and your family. 🙏
Thank you so much ❤️
By
Michelle Kelley-Wood
I also had Dale’s information added to ‘Uncoverd.com’, a Missing Persons database that my good friend is involved with as a volinteer.