Kelly Sistrunk missing Memphis woman found dead along 1-22 in Marshall County, Mississippi with multiple gunshots to the head. Had told sister she was seeing new man before failing to return phonecalls after last seen sitting in driveway of family home late January.
A search for a missing Memphis woman has ended in heartbreak after she was found by the side of a freeway in another state with multiple gunshot wounds to the head.
Kelly Sistrunk, 30, was reported missing on January 30th, two days after leaving the family home in Southwest Memphis with an unknown person only to not return any of her mother’s phone calls.
Investigators with Marshall County confirmed the discovery of the missing woman’s body alongside I-22 Sunday in Mississippi morning around 9am about 50 miles from Memphis.
Found 50 feet by her pinging phone on I-22 in wooded area
The missing woman’s body was discovered after Sistrunk’s family contacted Marshall County authorities to say that her cellphone was pinging in the area, WMC reported.
Sistrunk’s body was found about 50 feet off the pavement on Interstate 22 in a wooded area.
The sheriff said she appeared to have multiple gunshot wounds to the head.
‘It’s terrible, of course, I’ve been in the business over 50 years. Any death is tragic under any circumstances and this certainly is no exception, but it’s one of the most horrendous scenes I’ve seen in my many years of investigation,’ said Marshall County Sheriff Kenny Dickerson according to WMC.
Investigators believe the woman may have been dead for a number of days before her body was discovered.
Authorities are awaiting the return of an autopsy report to identify the official cause of death.
Had started seeing new man
Kelly was last seen sitting in her vehicle in the driveway at home on Sunday, January 28th around 11pm that night. About a half-hour later, she was gone, but her vehicle remained, WREG reported.
Her mother said this was something she’s never done before, adding that all calls thereafter went straight to Sistrunk’s voicemail.
The mother previously told Memphis police it was unlike her daughter, the mother of a 2 year old boy – to not keep in touch with her family or check in with her young son.
Police say that Sistrunk, did however tell her sister that she was seeing ‘a new man’ in East Memphis, but did not give her a name or address.
Sistrunk’s mother also told police that her daughter’s ex-boyfriend may have known something about her disappearance, but the ex-couple is also known to get into ‘big fights.’
Days after Sistrunk’s disappearance, the Memphis Police Dept. issued a ‘missing and endangered person’ alert on Saturday, February 3, 2024.
Authorities have since said there is a person of interest in the case. To date no arrests or charges have been made.
