The ongoing search for a missing Quincy, Illinois, woman has taken a grim turn, as officials have now opened a homicide investigation. Britney D. Hoffman-Kelly, 32, was first reported missing after she was last contacted on December 14 in St. Charles. The investigation has ramped up following the death of her husband, Chadwick Kelly, who was involved in a fatal clash with law enforcement in La Belle, Missouri, last Friday.
According to FOX2now, St. Charles police alongside the Quincy Police Department are investigating the case, which took a turn based on evidence suggesting that Hoffman-Kelly may no longer be alive. This evidence has not only come from the scene but also from her vehicle, a 2020 Audi with Illinois registration ET-25911. The Quincy Police Department continues to request the public's assistance, asking anyone who might have seen the vehicle between December 18 and December 20 to come forward with any information they may have.
The St. Charles Police Department received corroborative evidence, leading them to reclassify the disappearance as homicide, as the location of Hoffman-Kelly's remains is still a mystery. "Evidence has been obtained in St. Charles, as well as from the vehicle that has led us to believe that Ms. Hoffman-Kelly is deceased," Sgt. Adam Gibson of the Quincy Police Department mentioned in a statement obtained by WGEM.
Chadwick Kelly, who was 33 years old at the time of his death,, is considered a suspect in Hoffman-Kelly's death. The standoff with police ended violently when Kelly took a hostage and eventually attempted to flee while armed. "Kelly later ran from the residence armed with a gun and members of the Patrol fired their weapons," as stated in a report by CrimeOnline. The police confrontation ensued after Kelly had fired several shots from inside the hostage location.
As the authorities work to piece together the events surrounding the disappearance and death of Britney D. Hoffman-Kelly, they continue to analyze evidence, including cellphone records and computer equipment to establish Chad Kelly's movements post his departure from the hotel in St. Charles. "We’re still in the process of analyzing some of that evidence as well as cellphone records, and different kinds of computer equipment to basically pinpoint Chad Kelly’s locations after he left the hotel in St. Charles," Capt. Raymond Floyd of the St. Charles Police Department explained in an interview with WGEM.
