First, the couple camped out for several nights in the area. However, by July 14, 2020, the repairs were still not finished, and Kelley and Eddie opted to rent a room at a motel in Live Oak known as the Sunshine Inn.
They reportedly got into an argument during check-in regarding where to keep their chickens, and the fight continued into the evening.
At 10:30 p.m., Kelley was reportedly crying and drinking outside of the motel; meanwhile, Eddie went to check on her. He also took the keys to her Toyota Camry.
“She was crying. She was miserable. She was drunk. I didn’t comfort her. I just took her keys off her waist, and I said, ‘You can’t drive right now, alright?'” Eddie recalled.
He returned to their motel room afterward, and he and Kelley’s argument moved to text. They exchanged heated messages for hours.
“She’s texting me and calling me, and I’m answering and hanging up because it’s just mean stuff. She’s getting drunker and drunker. I’m just trying to sleep,” he said.
Shortly before 1:00 a.m., Kelley left a final voicemail on Eddie’s phone.
“You know, I’m sick of your abuse…Oh, I’m getting in a car right now. Bye,” she reportedly stated.
According to Captain Jason Rountree of the Live Oak Police Department, those were Kelley’s last known words. She never went back to the motel and has remained missing ever since.
Kelley vanished without her purse, identification, or credit card. Her vehicle was left at the motel, unlocked, with some of her personal items still inside. She also disappeared with her cell phone, but it has been powered off.
Eddie reportedly woke up at 9:30 a.m. the following day, checked out of the motel, and began searching for Kelley. When he couldn’t get in touch with her, he reported her missing to the Live Oak Police Department.
