93.3 KWTO Keeping Watch Over the Ozarks
A press conference has been scheduled for this afternoon as spokespeople with the Douglas and Christian County Sheriff’s Office will release new information in a cold case that is nearly 35-years-old.
24-year-old Kelle Workman disappeared from Dogwood Cemetery where she was working on June 30, 1989 following an alleged abduction.
She never returned home, and her family contacted authorities. Investigators arrived at the cemetery and found no sign of Workman, other than her work vehicle. The car still had the keys in the ignition.
One week later, on July 7, 1989, her body was found submerged in a creek at Mark Twain National Forest, some 15 miles from the cemetery where she worked.
The case drudged on for many years, with no apparent end in sight as to the alleged abductors, but that changed recently.
According to court documents, three men, Bobby Lee Banks, Leonard Banks, and Wiley Belt have all been charged in connection with the abduction and subsequent rape and murder of the young woman.
All three men were indicted this week with:
- First-degree murder
- Kidnapping
- Forcible rape
A press conference was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon at 2:00pm, where investigators will release more information and specifics about the case.
Officials said an eyewitness came forward with information that provide the evidence necessary to proceed to trial. They also say several other witnesses prepared to testify once trials begin.