She Was Stalked & Then Abducted at Target… the Murder of Kelsey Smith

Summary

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True Crime with Kendall Rae — Episode Summary

Episode Title: She Was Stalked & Then Abducted at Target… the Murder of Kelsey Smith

Podcast: True Crime with Kendall Rae
Date: November 13, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Kendall Rae delves deeply into the heartbreaking 2007 abduction and murder of 18-year-old Kelsey Smith from Overland Park, Kansas. Through empathetic storytelling and a focus on the incredible resilience of the Smith family, Kendall details not only the events of Kelsey’s last day, the subsequent investigation, and the pursuit of justice, but also the enduring legacy Kelsey’s family has built through their advocacy and the Kelsey Smith Foundation. The episode highlights the importance of community action, the impact of legislative change, and the enduring quest for safety and justice.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Kelsey's Life and Family

• Background:
  • Kelsey Smith was born on May 3, 1989, in Charleston, SC, the middle of five children, and moved with her family to Overland Park, KS at age nine.
  • Described as endlessly curious and joyful, Kelsey was nicknamed “No No” and “Blueberry.”
  • She excelled academically and socially, was heavily involved in marching band, choir, theater, and track at Shawnee Mission West, and was known for her big heart, humor, and positivity.

    “She was scrubbed in sunshine. That’s how happy of a person she was.” (Kendall Rae, 07:15)

Events Leading Up to the Disappearance

• Final Day (June 2, 2007):
  • Kelsey planned to celebrate her six-month anniversary with her boyfriend, John, after making a quick stop at Target to buy him a gift.
  • Left Target around 7:09pm; John and family became concerned when she didn’t return as scheduled.
  • Her abandoned car was later found at a Macy’s parking lot.

Immediate Search & Investigation

• Family & Community Response:
  • The Smiths rapidly mobilized a massive search effort called "Kelsey's Army," circulating flyers and conducting grid searches with hundreds of volunteers by Monday, June 4.

    “By Monday, there were over 400 volunteers searching for her.” (Kendall Rae, 22:40)

• Law Enforcement's Challenge:
  • Initial delays in accessing cell phone location data from Verizon, despite repeated pleas from both the family and police.

    “Missy says that trying to get them to release these records was one of the most maddening things… They didn’t seem to care.” (Kendall Rae, 17:10)

Security Footage Breakthrough

• Target Surveillance:
  • Footage revealed Kelsey being quietly stalked in Target by a man in a white shirt and dark shorts.
  • The man left before Kelsey, waited for her, then abducted her in the parking lot.

    “He was stalking her, making sure to stay close, but not close enough that she would notice him. And this footage… is just chilling.” (Kendall Rae, 25:30)

• Suspect Identification:
  • Surveillance from Macy’s showed the suspect abandoning Kelsey’s car, which helped investigators focus on a specific vehicle and suspect.
  • The suspect was identified by tips from the public as Edwin Hall (though Kendall avoids saying his name further, respecting the Smith family's wishes).

Apprehension and Interrogation of the Killer

• Suspect Denial and DNA Evidence:
  • The suspect denied involvement but consented to DNA and fingerprint samples.

    “He even tried to explain the cuts and scrapes on his hands as injuries that he got from yard work.” (Kendall Rae, 31:45)

  • His fingerprint matched evidence from Kelsey’s car, leading to his arrest four days after her disappearance.

Discovery of Kelsey and Aftermath

• Finding Kelsey’s Remains:
  • The FBI eventually retrieved location data from Verizon; this led police to Kelsey’s remains at Longview Lake, MO.

    “It only took 45 minutes of searching… for her remains to be found.” (Kendall Rae, 35:35)

  • Kelsey had been sexually assaulted and strangled, with evidence of a violent struggle and attempts to cover up the crime.
• Family’s Grief:
  • Kendall, echoing the Smiths, emphasizes the heartbreak and magnitude of loss for the family, their endurance, and the impossibility of closure.

Justice and the Legal Outcome

• Arrest and Confession:
  • The perpetrator confessed, pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty, and was sentenced to life without parole.
  • Multiple corroborating pieces of evidence, including DNA and surveillance, left no doubt.

Kelsey’s Legacy & The Kelsey Smith Foundation

• Foundation and Advocacy:
  • The Smith family quickly established the Kelsey Smith Foundation, focusing on safety, preparedness, scholarships, and legislative advocacy.
  • Their signature legislative achievement is the Kelsey Smith Act, which requires cell phone providers to supply location data to law enforcement in cases of immediate danger, now law in 31 states.

    “Kelsey’s law makes it so that cell phone providers shall provide a customer’s location to law enforcement without a warrant, when someone’s life is at risk…” (Kendall Rae, 41:45)

  • The Act has helped save lives in various situations, not only abductions.
  • Greg Smith has also served in state legislature to further these causes.
• Commemorating Kelsey:
  • The family and community honor Kelsey at annual events, educational seminars, and by sharing her story across the nation.

    “It’s not the years in your life that count, it’s the life in your years.” (Kelsey’s headstone; Kendall Rae, 38:40)

  • She was buried in her yellow prom dress, inspired by Belle from Beauty and the Beast.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Her absence is still very much felt to this day. But I am grateful to be able to say, at the very least, that justice was swift in her case.”
  — Kendall Rae (36:30)
• “They called themselves Kelsey's army, and for good reason.”
  — Kendall Rae (23:00)
• “Greg even got elected into the Kansas House of Representatives in 2010… to help push for positive change.”
  — Kendall Rae (43:10)
• “Kelsey had already lived so much life and yet still had so much life left to live and was really just getting started.”
  — Kendall Rae (44:50)
• On the power of the Foundation:

  "They know for a fact that this law saves lives, and they wholeheartedly believe… that making this a federal law will only continue to save more."
  — Kendall Rae (42:25)

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Important Timestamps

• 06:00–10:00 – Introduction to Kelsey’s personality, family background, ambitions, and relationships
• 12:50 – The day Kelsey disappeared and timeline of her trip to Target
• 17:40–22:00 – Family’s initial concern, search efforts, and discovery of her abandoned car
• 22:30–24:50 – Community mobilization and “Kelsey’s Army” grid searches
• 25:10–27:40 – Security footage analysis and identification of suspect
• 32:00–36:00 – Suspect’s arrest, confession, and details of the crime
• 36:30–41:00 – Legal outcome and the impact on Kelsey’s family
• 41:20–44:00 – The founding of the Kelsey Smith Foundation, legislative advocacy, and the Kelsey Smith Act
• 44:00–46:00 – Reflections on Kelsey’s legacy and the family’s ongoing work

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Tone & Language

Kendall maintains a tone of empathy, respect, and advocacy throughout, focusing on victim-centered storytelling. She avoids sensationalizing details of the crime, honoring the Smith family’s wishes by refusing to name the perpetrator after initial identification, and instead highlighting the community’s response, the family’s resilience, and the meaningful change birthed from tragedy.

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Summary for Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This episode intimately recounts the abduction and murder of Kelsey Smith, a beloved teenager with a promising future, whose life was stolen by a random predator outside of her local Target. The story underscores the importance of rapid law enforcement response, community solidarity, and the vital role of advocacy—made all the more powerful by the Smith family’s achievements in Kelsey’s memory. Through legislative change and support for other families, Kelsey’s legacy continues to shape a safer world.

For further support or to engage with the Smith family’s ongoing mission, listeners are encouraged to visit and interact with the Kelsey Smith Foundation’s social pages and participate in local events.

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Transcript

[Kendall Rae]

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[Kendall Rae]

Hello, everyone, and welcome back to another episode of True Crime with Kendall Rae. Thank you so much for joining me today, and if you're new to the show, then welcome. I'm so happy to have you here. So, you guys, today we're getting into a case that happened 18 years ago, but it is just as painful today as it was back then. We're going to be Talking about the 2007 murder of Kelsey Smith. And one of the most upsetting parts about this case is the fact that Kelsey had literally just graduated high school and her future was bright and it was an arm's reach and it was all just ripped from her and her family out of nowhere. But speaking of her family, I just have to say right off the bat, they are such amazing people. And the way that they describe her, the love that they had for her and everything that they have done since she died is what truly inspired me to even talk about her case today. Because I think the work that they have done since and the way that they have kept her memory alive needs to be highlighted. I also just wanted to mention right off the bat, in case Kelsey's family sees the intro of this episode and maybe doesn't watch the entire thing that me and my team over at Higher Hope would love to offer you all a grant. I'll explain, but Kelsey's family also has a foundation and we would love to help support your mission in any way we can. Let's go ahead and get into Kelsey's case and I'm happy that I do have a lot to tell you About Kelsey, there's a lot of information available about the wonderful person that she was. On May 3, 1989, Kelsey Ann Smith was born. Her parents, Greg and Missy, were just over the moon, excited to welcome her into this world. And at the time, she was their youngest, she had two older sisters, and her oldest was actually from her mom's first marriage. And then after she was born, they went on to have two more kids, making Kelsey the middle of five. And growing up, she used to joke that she had middle child syndrome. And it sounds like from the time that she was young, she was always quite the little explorer and very curious. And her parents said that she was also very inquisitive. And she earned herself the nickname no no, which I love, and I'm sure you can guess why. It's because her parents were always telling her no, no. She also got the nickname Blueberry because of how much she loved the color blue. And although she was born in Charleston, South Carolina, their who ended up moving to Overland Park, Kansas when she was nine after Greg got out of the Navy. And her father, Greg was actually originally from there, so he was very excited to move his family back to his home turf, you could say. And he was especially excited because this part of Kansas is known to be very, very safe. I guess it's like 20, 25 minutes south of Kansas City, and it's a, you know, very residential, family friendly community. And a friend of mine, actually who lives in Kansas is familiar with the area, and she said it's known to be very safe. Of course. I feel like this is such a cliche thing to say in true crime, because no area is free of crime. Something can happen anywhere. But generally speaking, if you're raising a family, this would be a great place to do it. In fact, at least from my understanding, it's got some of the best public schools in the entire state. And Kelsey attended one of those schools. She went to Shawnee Mission west, and absolutely thrived there. She was a dedicated member of the marching band where she played clarinet, and she also sang in the choir and was part of the theater program. And she was super talented at all of those things. Plus she also ran track, she kept up good grades, and on top of it all, had a thriving social life. Her dad said that for whatever reason, their house was the one that all of her friends like to come to. So on any given day, there would typically be a group of girls there watching TV or playing games. And it really doesn't surprise me that she had such a great group of Friends. I think Kelsey is a good example of your vibe attracts your tribe. People say that she was funny, she was kind, responsible, always loved exploring, and that she just had the biggest heart. And I love this specifically, they said that she was scrubbed in sunshine. That's how happy of a person she was. Not to mention the fact that she was someone who could turn any stranger into a friend and was never afraid to try something new. I mean, like I've said, she had a very funny side to her and she really liked to grind her mom's gears, tease her a little bit. And I guess her mom, Missy, could not stand when people burped. So Kelsey loved to chug soda and then let out these massive perps just to get on her nerves. But other than that, and obviously that didn't cause actual problems for her parents. But it seems like overall, Kelsey was not the type of child that her parents had to worry about, or not the type of teenager that her parents had to worry about, which is pretty rare for a teenager in general. It was so nice for them that she had done so well in school and that they could trust her. She never caused issues, never really got into trouble. And so they were all really excited about the idea of her going off to college. So. So she graduated from high school on May 24th of 2007, and her plan was to go to Kansas State University, which is only about two hours away, and she was going to study veterinary medicine. She also had plans of joining the marching band alongside her sister. But until then, she had, you know, the final summer at home to look forward to. And this is such a special time in so many people's lives. And that summer she planned on spending a lot of time with her boyfriend John. By June of 2007, Kelsey had been dating her boyfriend John for six months. And it was a very serious six months for them and everyone around them knew it. Kelsey's older sister Stevie said that the two of them were so in love that it was almost annoyingly cute. Her whole family was just convinced that they were going to end up together one day. And you can just tell in these photos how much the two of them truly care for each other, especially this one picture of them smiling. They both just look so happy and comfortable with each other and God, it's just heartbreaking to look at now. And the night of Saturday, June 2, they had plans to go and celebrate their six month anniversary, which of course is a big deal at that age. I remember Josh and I celebrating our six month anniversary in high school and you know, you gotta celebrate these little milestones in young relationships. 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And for those of you out there who are pregnant like me, they even have some maternity wear options. Really great maternity leggings. So treat yourself to gear. That looks good. It's going to make you feel good and doesn't break the bank with Fabletics. Go to Fabletics.com TCKR and sign up as a VIP and get 80% off everything. That's Fabletics.com TCKR to sign up as a VIP and get eighty percent off everything. Once again, Fabletics.com TCKR so their plan was to meet up around 7:30 and first they were going to go to a friend's pool party and then after that they were just gonna go get dinner. But before all of that, Kelsey wanted to make a quick run over to Target to grab a gift for him. Earlier in the day she had gone to the Old Shawnee Days Summer festival with her dad. And it just so happened that 6:30ish was when she had time to go to Target. Greg says she even left and then came home really quickly because she forgot a CD that she wanted to listen to on her way there. So she grabbed that. She told her dad she loved him and that she'd see him when she came home. And little did Greg know this would actually be the last time he saw his daughter. And I'm just so happy that they at least got to spend that day together doing something fun and memorable. Now as far as her mom goes, she was actually on her way home from a wedding in Iowa. So she wasn't there when Kelsey left. But they did end up talking on the phone, thankfully. So Kelsey arrived at the Target by Oak Park Mall at 6:55pm and within just a minute minute of arriving, she called her mom to ask where she could find the boxes for part of her gift. It sounds like she was planning to make him a scrapbook, but she had gone to Target looking for wrapping paper as well and also a box for him so that he could store his cards and letters, which is a really sweet and thoughtful gift. So Missy was talking her through that while Kelsey walked around and grabbed everything she needed. They eventually hung up and her mom did get the chance to tell her that she loved her and that she would see her when she got home. But Kelsey never made it home that night. Right around 7:30pm, John showed up at her place to pick her up as planned for their six month anniversary. And he had also purchased a gift for her that night. He was planning to give her a promise ring. But when he got there, she wasn't back yet. And at first this wasn't a huge deal. They thought maybe she was running a little late. But then 30 minutes went by and soon Greg and also her sister Lindsay started to get concerned. By this point, Kelsey had been gone for over an hour. And this was not the be at Target for more than an hour kind of trip. This was a quick stop at Target. Not to mention the fact that Greg had this rule where his kids would have to call them whenever they were out and going from place to place. That way someone always knew where you were. And Kelsey was responsible about this. This was very unlike her. And keep in mind, Greg worked in law enforcement for a local community college, so he liked to be extra cautious. And so knowing all of that, they were very concerned when Kelsey didn't come home and wasn't answering their calls, texts. And once Missy heard what was going on from her daughter Lindsay, she told her that they needed to call the police. And that's exactly what Greg did. And since he worked in law enforcement, he was making several calls to a few different departments trying to see if she had gone into an accident or maybe she had been pulled over in some kind of, you know, traffic violation. And her sisters were also calling different emergency rooms trying to see if Kelsey had possibly been brought in, but nothing came out of it. So that's when Lindsay and John just decided to go to Target and see if they could find her. They Thought maybe she was locked out of her car, maybe her phone died or was somehow in the car, she lost her phone, something like that. Or maybe she didn't find what she needed at Target, so she had decided to go to the mall looking for a different gift. But when they pulled into the Target parking lot, neither Kelsey or her car were there. And that's when they, of course, really started panicking. So they continued kind of just driving around the area, hoping they would find her. And Greg's parents also lived in the area, so they started driving, driving around, looking for her, too. And they were actually the ones that found her car. Turns out it had been parked in the Macy's parking lot, which was on the other side of the mall. The scary part, though, was that Kelsey was still nowhere to be found. And as soon as Greg got the call from Lindsay that it was found, he remembers very sternly telling her that absolutely no one could touch it. I guess John wanted to look inside, understandably, but Greg was like, I don't care what you have to do, I don't care if you have to tackle him. Do not let him go near it. He knew that this was a crime scene, and he immediately called 911 to report what they had found. And by 11 o' clock that night, that Macy's parking lot became the launching point for the investigation into Kelsey's disappearance. So as soon as law enforcement arrived, they started processing her vehicle right away. And there were several things that just jumped out at them off the bat. And one of those things was that there was something, possibly a piece of clothing or fabric that was hanging out of the trunk. And of course, Kelsey is a teenager. She didn't keep her car super clean. But Greg said that she would have never left something just hanging out like that. And of course, he and Missy worried that maybe she was in the trunk, maybe it was a piece of her clothing hanging out. Missy was back in town by this point, so she was with them at the scene, and they had to open up the trunk. And Greg said that he had his hands over his eyes and both of them just held their breath as it was being opened, but it was empty. There were, however, some frightening clues in the passenger side of her car. That's where they found her keys, her purse, as well as the items that she had just purchased at Target. But what they didn't find was her cell phone or any signs of a struggle, which made this that much more confusing. And for her parents, it made it that much more terrifying, because, as I mentioned, Kelsey had just graduated from high school literally nine days earlier, and for her graduation present, her parents had gotten her a coach bag. This was a big deal. Normally, they didn't give out big gifts, so she was super excited and grateful to have this. This coach purse was a prized possession of hers, so to see it just left in the car was even more proof that something terrible had to have happened. And it is absolutely gut wrenching to hear Greg talk about his daughter's case in general in any interviews that he's done, because he talks about how, as all of this was happening, he almost had to go into cop mode as opposed to dad mode, because it was just too emotional to think about this. So personally, as an officer, he knew all of the signs were pointing to something bad having happened. So looking at it like a cop allowed him to keep it together in a way that he knew he had to and he knew he couldn't if he looked at it through the lens of Kelsey's dad. And as some of us can only thankfully imagine, that night and every day following was truly a living nightmare, just torture for all of them. And they, you know, through all of that, stayed as strong as they could, and they were just determined to do whatever they possibly could to try and find her. So while investigators brought the car in to be forensically processed, Missy and Greg agreed to go into the station for questioning. And they, of course, wanted to get this over as quickly as possible so that investigators can move on to finding the true person responsible. And it did not take long at all for the two of them to be cleared. So next, investigators turn their attention to John, who they definitely didn't go easy on. They asked him a series of very hard questions, often rephrasing the same question in different ways to see if he changed his answers. But just like with her parents, it did not take long for them to realize he had absolutely nothing to do with this either. Plus, he also had an alibi for the time that she was missing, so he was free to go. And with a million questions still looming at this point, this is when everyone turned their attention to Kelsey's cell phone. Because she was missing and her phone was also missing, her family and law enforcement thought it was possible she had it with her. And John had actually mentioned that his uncle worked for Sprint and that these companies can ping cell phones in order to get an estimate of their location. So that night, Missy and Greg start calling Verizon and asking if they could ping the location of Kelsey's phone. And Verizon said no. And I kid you not. Missy was on the phone with different associates at Verizon for a long time, just pleading with them to help because her child is missing. And it didn't matter who she spoke to, the answer was still the same. No, all they told her over and over was that she could go online onto their website and pull up her call activity, her call log. But they didn't need her call activity. They needed her location history. And Missy says that trying to get them to release these records was one of the most maddening things that she has ever experienced in her life. And I can absolutely see why. To be dealing with something like that during one of the worst moments of your life, probably the worst is just torture. Her daughter is missing and these people hold the key to potentially being able to find her and they just won't do it. They don't seem to care. Honestly, I would just be beyond myself, livid. My blood is boiling just thinking about what they put her through. And what's outrageous too is the Overland Park Police Department also had been calling Verizon asking for the location data of her cell phone pings and they wouldn't give it to them either. They needed a court order. But of course that's not something that you can just obtain at the drop of a hat. These days I am barely carrying around a wallet. Honestly, most days I am not. Now I have my license on my phone and I have all the ways to pay on my phone and I'm constantly sending money to my friends over my ph and receiving money from my friends over my phone. And of course my first choice when it comes to doing that and has been four years, far longer than they've been sponsoring me, is Cash App. Because Cash App is the best. And you know what else is always on my phone? Scams, scam calls, scam text messages. It feels like it's constant. But when you get the Cash App card, not only do you get access to tons of perks and benefits like exclusive early access to nationwide concert pre sales or discounts on popular brands, but you also have extra security with power to instantly lock or unlock your card from your phone with just a tap. And if a suspicious transaction pops up on your card, Cash App has your back by automatically declining the purchase and sending you a heads up to confirm if it's you or not. 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And the best part is all of Merit's products are clean, they're vegan, they're cruelty free, and they're made nourishing skin care ingredients that leave your skin looking better long after taking off your makeup. Right now you can get early access to Merit's only sale of the year when you go to meritbeauty.com and use code EATCKR. From November 21st through the 23rd, you'll get 20% off site wide plus a gift with purchase while supplies last. That's M E r I t beauty.com enter promo code e a t c kr that's meritbeauty.com promo code e space a space tckr. But anyway, while they were waiting for that, Kelsey's family's efforts really became focused on the search. And by the morning of Sunday, June 3, their house practically had turned into its own mini command center. Between her parents, her siblings, her friends, and community members, there was a big group of people absolutely determined to bring her home. And with Greg's knowledge, he helped strategize how they were going to find her. It started off with getting flyers printed, and then hundreds of people started passing them out and performing their very own grid search. And by Monday, there were over 400 volunteers searching for her. And Greg was told after the fact that by the time that the police started their search, there was not a single person that they spoke to that hadn't already heard what was going on. That's how thorough they were. They called themselves Kelsey's army, and for good reason. And meanwhile, Greg and Missy gave as many media interviews as they possibly could, knowing that it would also help spread the word. And during this time, Missy says that they weren't sleeping or eating because of the agony they felt, wondering if their child was sleeping or eating. And Greg said that it physically hurt to breathe because he was in so much pain. But nothing was going to stop them from finding her or at least getting answers. And I'm grateful to say that the entire investigative team that was led by Bob Miller were just as determined. The morning after Kelsey went missing, a team of law enforcement officers went over to Target to see if they could obtain any security camera footage. And. And thankfully, I feel like I rarely get to say this in cases, but they had hours of footage from over 40 different cameras. And someone from Target's National Investigation center even came in to try and help them get everything that they needed. And when they watched it, they were able to piece her movements together quite easily. They could see her entering the store at 6:55pm and then she proceeded to walk through the aisles. They then watched as she went to the register at 7:05, and by 7:09, she was seen leaving. Now, when it came to the parking lot, that footage, unfortunately, was especially low quality, not only because we're talking about 2007 technology, but also Kelsey's car wasn't parked close to the camera, but based on what they could see, it looked like she put her items in the passenger side of the car and walked to the driver's side, where she got in and drove away. Which honestly kind of stunned everyone because at first pass, they didn't see anything to indicate that she was ever in danger. And Detective Miller even said that he was expecting to see an abduction happened right there on tape, but that was not what they were looking at. So that left everyone wondering, where was Kelsey and why was her car left in The Macy's parking lot. And to answer that question, they reached out to Macy's, hoping that they might have some surveillance footage as well. Before they managed to get that, though, they happened to get a tip saying that someone resembling Kelsey had just been spotted at a nearby restaurant. And everyone immediately turned their attention to this lead. And Greg and Missy were even brought there to see if it was her. And unfortunately, by the time they had gotten there, the girl was gone. And after they watched the surveillance footage at the restaurant, they realized that it was not even her. But after that, they refocused their attention back to Macy's because they did have security footage. And that footage ended up being very, very useful. It was dark, and it wasn't the best quality, but they could see that at 9:17pm, Kelsey's car was driven into the parking lot. And then a man wearing a white shirt and dark shorts could be seen ex the car and walking away from the camera. And even though it was clearly not Kelsey, it wasn't obvious who it was. But investigators figured there had to be some sort of explanation for this person bringing her car back to the mall area. I mean, what had happened here? So that's when they decided they needed to give the target footage a closer look. And I mean, closer look, because the first time they had viewed it, they were watching it on like a 15 inch screen. This time, though, they brought it into the command center and they projected it on a massive wall so they could really a good look at it. And they brought in a ton more people, so there were, you know, a greater number of eyes, and that would guarantee that nothing would be missed. And when they watched it back again, they finally saw it. As Kelsey was in the parking lot about to get into the driver's side of her Buick, a flash ran across the top part of the video. And you guys, it is so subtle and quick that you would definitely miss it if you blinked. It is hard to see at first, but that flash was a person wearing a white shirt and dark shorts, just like the guy seen in the Macy's footage. And they say that you could have heard a pin drop in the room because it was so silent. When everyone realized what they were actually seeing. And that wasn't the end of it either. When they began going through the footage from the inside of the store, they realized that a man matching the same description could be seen following Kelsey from aisle to aisle. It was very clear that he wasn't shopping for anything. He was stalking her, making sure to stay close, but not close enough. That she would notice him. And this footage, oh, man, it is just chilling. He just seems so calm, and somehow they just didn't notice this the first time around. And that's likely because the two of them never had interacted. He left the store before she did. And they were able to see that when Kelsey started approaching the register, this strange man just beelined it out of Target. And thankfully, the camera that faces the exit was able to get a pretty clear shot of his face. And on top of that, they were able to go back through the additional parking lot footage, and they managed to find a guy matching his description driving into the parking lot only a minute after Kelsey first arrived. He was in a dark blue Chevy, which had also been captured driving around the backside of the store. They'd even captured footage of him driving out of the Target parking lot later that night, not long after, the guy matching his description was seen dropping off Kelce's car at Macy's. So of course, they've pieced together at this point that this is all likely the same person. And now they not only know what he looks like, but they know what kind of car he drives. And after Greg and Missy reviewed these tapes and confirmed they didn't recognize who he was, his photo and description were released to the media. And right away there were tons of tips. I read that over 2,000 people called in, and luckily three of those tips pointed them in the right direction. And these tips came from Overland park residents who said that they thought thought the guy on their TV screen was their neighbor, 26 year old Edwin Hall. And just FYI, that is the last time that I'm going to say his name in this episode. Kelsey's parents have chosen not to acknowledge this monster, and I'm going to follow their lead on that. I think that's awesome. I will of course tell you what you need to know about him, but I'm not going to get into his whole history. It's not worth our time or breath. So anyway, investigators looked his ass up and they realized that he she both matched the physical description, and he also drove a blue Chevy. So all this information was good enough for them to take a closer look at him. And they even sent Kelsey's computer to a Missouri crime lab to see if there was any evidence that the two of them knew each other. But he was a complete stranger. And before investigators were even able to send a team out to talk to him, they got a phone call from a lawyer saying that he was representing this guy and that he wanted to talk so they ended up sending a few officers to his house to go get eyes on him. Come to find out he, his wife and their kid were packing boxes into his truck. Now, I don't think their initial plan was to talk to him, but once they saw him clearly trying to leave, they knew they had to intervene. And ultimately he was asked to come into the station. Right away, though, they realized that he wasn't going to tell them anything. He and his lawyer sat there for quite a while and the whole time he sits there, quite literally with his nose up at them. And you can tell he just thinks he's the smartest person in the room. And apparently he even wanted them to tell him what evidence they found, which obviously that's not the way these things work, buddy.

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So they finally got him to talk a little. And in his explanation, he said, sure, he was at Target on the surveillance video, but he denied having anything to do with Kelsey's disappearance. And this is disgusting, but he even told them that he remembered seeing her because he thought she had nice legs. He even tried to explain the cuts and scrapes on his hands as injuries that he got from doing yard work. And honestly, it sounds like he was sort of just mocking them the whole time, like, not taking it seriously at all, making a joke out of the whole thing. And investigators sort of use that to their advantage. They were like, okay, hey, if you're so confident that you didn't do this, if you're so certain that you are innocent, let's just get some samples of your DNA. You know, let's rule you out. And he agreed. He gave them fingerprints and DNA swabs, which were immediately sent to the crime lab for testing. And I also learned that his wife brought in a bag that contained the clothes he was wearing that day and that also got sent out for testing. And within only a few hours, they got a hit. His thumbprint was a match to the thumbprint that they'd already found on the seatbelt buckle in her car. And because of that, four days after Kelsey went missing, an arrest was finally made. And I should probably specify, too, that he was arrested for murder, because just about an hour before he was brought in for questioning, Kelsey's remains were found. Like I explained earlier, this entire time, everyone had been trying to get Verizon to turn over her cell records, including half a dozen police officers. But for days, Verizon wouldn't comply because of privacy concerns. And they later said that it was something to do with the fact that they were saying ping instead of locate, and that had something to do with it, which, in my opinion, doesn't make any sense to me. I don't really understand cell phone company cell phone data and how all of that works, but ping location seems like a stupid detail to have have not given this crucial data to law enforcement into a family who needs it anyway, though, finally, the FBI steps in, and of course, they were able to retrieve those records from Verizon, which showed the movements of Kelsey's phone after she left Target. And they were able to trace her driving along Highway 435 with a final ping 20 miles away at Longview Lake in Missouri. Now, sources vary on whether this information came in late at night on June 5th or early morning on June 6th. But bottom line is it only took 45 minutes of searching that area for her remains to be found. And I'll warn you, this is very graphic and very upsetting, but Kelsey was found about 150ft deep into the woods, and she was naked under some sticks and leaves with her own belt around her neck. The shorts and pink tank top that she was wearing were found not far from her body, and there were bleach stains on them, suggesting that her killer attempted to hide traces of his DNA. An autopsy later confirmed that she had been strangled and that her killer sexually assaulted her. She also had defensive wounds on her hands, which tells us that she likely put up one hell of a fight. And when it came to notifying her family, Greg and Missy knew that bad news was coming. They had received a call from the police captain saying that he needed to meet with them in person to give them some news. Greg even asked him if they needed to brace for what he was about to say, and he said, yes, they needed to brace. So they sat at the end of their driveway, which was where they learned the news that Kelsey had not been found alive. Missy remembers yelling out, not my Kels. And Greg said that he had to physically hold her up. They then had to break the horrific news to Stevie and Lindsay, who had just pulled up to the house, and they were hit just as deeply by their sister's death. And what's horrible is their younger siblings were inside the house, and they actually saw it on the news on tv. And as for John, he was on his way to Longview Lake that morning to help search for her. Her. But he was turned away when he got there, only to learn about her death on the radio. Kelsey's murder was clearly a loss that everyone felt, and her absence is still very much felt to this day. But I am grateful to be able to say, at the very least, that justice was swift in her case. And once her killer was arrested, he was ultimately charged with kidnapping, rape, sodomy, and capital murder. And then the following year, he pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty. And part of that plea included confessing to everything he did and the details. You guys are nothing short of gut wrenching. I mean, it's just horrible. He is truly a sick, disgusting, foul, worthless, monster, waste of a human life. And also, this freak had a history of violence. Turns out he went to juvie as a kid for trying to stab his adopted sister with a knife. And at one point, he'd also been charged for having a sexual relationship with a 14 year old. But this plea agreement also said that those charges would be dropped. But anyway, back to to Kelsey's case. We learned a lot about what happened. He ended up explaining that after spending the morning at home, he went out that afternoon and dined alone at a Mexican restaurant close to the mall. He confirmed he ate there without paying the bill, and then went to Dillard's to shop for gifts for his wife. Then he decided to go to Target, where his intention was to look for a victim. And Kelsey just so happened to cross his path. He said that he thought she had nice legs and looked like a 12 year old. And once he noticed that she was alone, he knew that she was the one. So, like a predator stalking his prey, he followed her around the store until she finally started walking towards the checkout line. And that's when he says he went to his car to grab his BB gun, which looked a lot like a real firearm. And then as she was getting into her car, he said he ran up on her, threatened that he would shoot her unless she started driving. So Kelsey complied, and he made her drive to Longview Lake, where he committed acts against her that truly I don't think think need to be said. I mean, you can tell what happened from his charges. And then afterwards, he drove her car to the Macy's parking lot where he dumped it. And then he proceeded to go back to his car and drive home. And apparently there was even a couple who saw him the next day emerging from the woods carrying a blue duffel bag. And they said that he was acting super paranoid, probably because he had just poured bleach on her clothes to try and conceal evidence with or without his confession, though evidence doesn't lie. And apparently they had 119 pieces evidence that linked him to her murder, including additional DNA of his on her steering wheel, as well as on the muzzle of his BB gun. And her DNA was also found on his clothing as well. And I am really happy to say that this monster was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. So he will rot there for the rest of his miserable life where he belongs. But that's enough about him and what he did to her. That's not what her family wants people to remember. They want people to remember that the 18 incredible years of life that Kelsey lived and the impact that she made in such a short amount of time. Greg says that a quote that they have really lived by has been it's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years. And that was even put on her headstone. And I think it's a really amazing way for them to describe the 18 years of life that she had. And I just loved hearing about how much their community really came together to support them after she passed. Her funeral was held at the Church of Resurrection in Overland park park, and hundreds of people showed up to pay their respects. People literally waited in line for hours and stayed well past midnight. And surprisingly, Kelsey had actually talked to John about what she wanted her funeral to be like one day. Obviously not knowing it would be so soon, of course, but she said she wanted it to focus on who she was and for people to not be sad about her passing. And this detail is so heart shattering but also so beautiful at the same time. But they buried her her in her prom dress. And this dress was inspired by Belle from Beauty and the Beast, which she starred in as Belle in the school production. And of course, I cannot leave here today without telling you more about the outstanding work that her parents have done in Kelsey's memory, which starts with the Kelsey Smith Foundation. On July 7, 2007, less than five weeks after losing their daughter, Greg and Missy founded this foundation not only to honor her memory, but to empower other people to protect society's youth and young adults. Kelsey was someone who often made a difference in the lives of others, so this foundation is their way of carrying on her legacy. And if any of you guys are from the Kansas City area or really anywhere, you may have actually had the pleasure of hearing Kelsey's parents speak. They have done speaking engagements all over the country to educate people on personal safety, awareness and preparedness. Now, we're often taught what to do in a situation where we need to fight back against an attacker, but their goal is to help people avoid being in those situations to begin with. Not only do they offer educational opportunities, but they also give out whistles to attendees. And they've avoided awarded scholarships too. Plus, there's an annual golf tournament every year in the Overland park area, so if you're local, maybe you can check out their Facebook page and learn more. Maybe you can go the 2025 tournament is already over, but it's never too early to show your support and interest for 2026. Their Facebook page and website both have a lot of information on them and they are posting updates pretty frequently if you want to learn more, so I'll be sure to have those linked for you guys also, it would be awesome. And you guys are so good about this, this. But if you went the extra mile, went to their Facebook page and engaged with it in some way, whether you like it or leave a comment, that's really the best if you can do that. Because that just lets their family know that Kelsey's case has reached new people and that you are in supportive of them. And I've had so many families that we've worked with or families that, you know, we've covered their case here. Just tell me how much this support means from you guys. I mean, it really does make a huge difference. So thank you. But everything that I have just gone over is not where their efforts end. And this is so beyond impressive, you guys. But obviously when Greg and Missy were reflecting on what happened to Kelsey, there was one thing that made this already horrific situation a thousand times worse and that was how long it took Verizon to release that cell phone location data. I mean, it was just torture for them. So they decided that they wanted to get a law passed so that other people could avoid being put in the same situation. Now, they don't blame Verizon for what happened to her. They know that nothing would have changed as far as final outcome goes if they had turned over that data sooner, but it would have saved them four days of agony. So in April of 2009, they got the Kelsey Smith act passed in the state of Kansas. And since then, you guys, they have got it passed in a total of 31 states. And odds are you may have already heard of it. So according to a federal law known as the Electronic Communications Privacy act, if law enforcement reaches out to a cell phone provider, that provider may release certain customer information if they, the provider believe someone's life is in danger. But her parents and so many others out there see this as extremely limiting. First of all, why should it be up to a cell phone provider if someone's life is in danger? That makes actually no sense. And second of all, why wouldn't they just be required to release potentially life saving information? Saying that they may do it is just not enough. And that's where the Kelsey Smith act comes into play. Kelsey's law makes it so that cell phone providers shall provide customers location to law enforcement without a warrant when someone's life is at risk of death or serious physical harm. And under this law, it's up to law enforcement if that individual's life is in danger. And if you've listened to true crime for any amount of time, time definitely in the cases that I've covered, I almost guarantee you that this law has likely played a role in those cases without you even knowing it. And Kelsey's parents are on a mission. They are not going to stop advocating for this law until it is passed in all 50 states and passed as federal law as well. There have been a number of setbacks over the years, but never once has it stopped them from pushing forward. They know for a fact that this law saves lives, and they wholeheartedly believe, and I do, too, that making this a federal law law will only continue to save more. And what's been so beautiful is it's helped people in many different ways and scenarios that they didn't even expect. Like, for example, there was a man who had a stroke, and he wasn't able to communicate about where he was, but because of the Kelsey Smith act, they were able to locate him before it was too late. In another instance, a car was stolen with a baby inside, and the baby was able to be recovered because of the Kelsey Smith Act. And there are countless other stories, too, and this is all thanks to their parents, and their efforts just cannot be understated. Greg even got elected into the Kansas House of representatives in 2010 and then elected as a member of the Kansas Senate from 2013 to 2017 to help push for positive change. And both he and Missy have just done outstanding work over these last 18 years. And Kelsey is the inspiration behind it all. And it's crazy to say this, but Kelsey has now been gone longer than she was alive, which is been really hard on their entire family. And there are just so many milestones that they, of course, wish she got to be a part of her whole family, is pretty confident that she probably would have gotten married to John by now and likely would have gone on to have kids of her own. In fact, on her 16th birthday, Greg had given her this box of sentimental items. And in that box was a letter to her future husband. And after she died, he gave that letter to John, which I think just says so much about how seriously he took his daughter's relationship, how much he cares for John. It's really devastatingly beautiful. At 18 years old, Kelsey had already lived so much life and yet still had so much life left to live and was really just getting started. And I do believe that she's, you know, able to live on through her parents and their work, and they truly have have honored her memory. As I said at the beginning of the episode, I am, of course, just amazed by Missy and Greg. I would love to connect with them. I would love to connect with you all if you happen to see this. Like I said and we will be reaching out to see how we can show our support through the Higher Hope Foundation. That is going to be it for me today. Guys. Thank you for joining me for another episode and make sure you follow the show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. It really does help me out. If you want to watch the video version of this show you can find it on my YouTube channel which will be linked or you can just search Kendall Ray. I will be back with another episode soon, but until then stay safe out there.

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