The Disappearance of Heather Mae Kelley

On the evening of December 10, 2022, Heather Kelley left her home in Portage, Michigan. She was in a relationship with Carlos Vance Watts Jr., who was at the time serving out the end of a federal prison sentence at the Kalamazoo Probation Enhancement Program, known as KPEP, a halfway house in Kalamazoo. As a condition of his federal parole, Watts was required to wear a GPS tracking device at all times. That evening, Watts was working a shift as a busboy at The Park Club, a private dinner club in downtown Kalamazoo.

Cellphone records and surveillance video established that Heather was outside the club when Watts clocked out at approximately 10:30 p.m. Surveillance footage shows a man believed to be Watts getting into Heather's truck shortly after leaving work. The two were on the phone together for more than an hour before he entered her vehicle. At approximately 10:20 p.m., a message was sent from Heather's phone to one of her children saying she would be home soon. That was the last contact anyone had with Heather Mae Kelley. Watts's GPS tether went dark around 9:30 p.m. that evening and remained offline for approximately eight hours.

On December 11, 2022, Heather's cousin discovered her burned pickup truck near the intersection of North Sprinkle Road and East Michigan Avenue in Comstock Township, approximately three miles from where she was last seen. The cousin reported watching a red vehicle speed away from the scene. Investigators found Heather's blood on the front and back seats of the truck. The driver's seat had been partially burned with trace evidence of gasoline. A small hole had been punched through the driver's side window. In a wooded area on Pickard Street, approximately half a mile away, police found clothing including women's underwear, jeans, boots, and a durag. DNA testing later confirmed that both the jeans and the durag contained DNA from Heather and from Watts.

Watts returned to KPEP at approximately 2:45 a.m. on December 11. Staff and witnesses observed deep scratches on his chest and back. He was questioned by police that day. The following morning he was captured on surveillance video using a pair of scissors to cut off his GPS tether before fleeing the facility through an emergency exit. He was arrested in Battle Creek four days after Heather's disappearance. Kalamazoo County authorities and the FBI have classified the case as a homicide investigation. Heather's remains have never been found.