Kellie Marie Brownlee

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

West Bloomfield Police Department Mi (MI)

Missing From:

Novi, Michigan

Summary:

Kellie Marie Brownlee was a 17-year-old living with her boyfriend in Walled Lake, Michigan after moving out of her West Bloomfield home where her stepfather, Paul Brownlee, had abused her. She disappeared on May 20, 1982, after skipping school and hitchhiking to Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi, Michigan to apply for summer jobs; she was last confirmed seen at the mall at approximately 11:00 a.m. when she declined a ride from a friend's mother. Foul play is suspected in Kellie's disappearance. In 2018, authorities announced Arthur Ream was a possible suspect in Kellie's case; Ream was convicted of sexual assault in the 1970s and murdered Cindy Zarzycki, a 13-year-old girl in 1986, whose body was buried in a shallow grave 30 miles from Detroit.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Disappearance:

Kellie was staying with her boyfriend Mark Graves and his family in their apartment in Walled Lake, Michigan in May 1982 after moving out of her West Bloomfield home, where she had told friends her stepfather Paul Brownlee abused her. On May 20, 1982, Kellie and Graves took the bus together to their high school, but Kellie skipped classes that day and hitchhiked to Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi, Michigan to apply for jobs at several stores, listing the Brownlees' residence as her address on all applications. At approximately 11:00 a.m., a friend's mother saw her at the mall and offered her a ride, but Kellie declined, saying she planned to place more applications before going home; it was unclear whether she was returning to the Graves' or Brownlees' residence, and this was the last confirmed sighting of Kellie. Graves reported that Kellie was missing when she did not return to his family's apartment or call him by 9:00 p.m., and a search was initiated soon after, but little evidence was located.

Additional Details:

Kellie's friends stated they had seen bruises on her body before she vanished; her stepfather Paul had pleaded guilty to fourth-degree criminal sexual misconduct in 1977 when Kellie's older sister Kim filed charges against him, after which Kim moved to California where their biological father resided; Kellie had a good relationship with their mother Loretta and had occasionally moved out after problems with Paul came to the forefront; Loretta stated Kellie was planning to move back to West Bloomfield once Paul left the residence, though Loretta did not divorce Paul until 1985, three years after Kellie disappeared. Graves was ruled out as a suspect early on in the investigation. Speculation began to center around Paul Brownlee, who claimed he was visiting his father-in-law's grave and going to the gym on the day Kellie disappeared; Paul agreed to a police interview in July 1982 and again stated he was innocent, then retained an attorney and refused to submit to a polygraph test the same month. Paul placed a $1,000 reward for information about his stepdaughter's disappearance in June of 1982. Having little evidence to implicate Paul other than rumors of abuse towards Kellie, investigators began looking elsewhere and suspected counterfeiting operator James Mitchell DeBardeleben may have had a connection to Kellie's case; DeBardeleben's residence was searched by United States Secret Service agents in November 1983 in northern Virginia where investigators located numerous journals, audio tapes and photos of various women in sadomasochistic activities against their will; DeBardeleben was suspected of attacking and murdering many women and liked brunette females and hitchhikers, both fitting Kellie's profile; photos were given to Loretta to identify Kellie, but there was no connection, and DeBardeleben has since been ruled out as a suspect. Paul continues to maintain his innocence and occasionally hands what he considers to be leads over to authorities in West Bloomfield, who still want to re-interview Paul about the case, but he continues to refuse their requests. In 2018, authorities announced Arthur Ream was a possible suspect in Kellie's case and in the disappearances of Cynthia Coon, Kimberly King, Kim Larrow and Nadine O'Dell. While serving his life sentence for Zarzycki's murder, Ream boasted to fellow prisoners about killing four to six other people, leading police in 2018 to excavate a wooded area in search for up to seven other girls; other possible victims include Kellie Brownlee, who was 17 when she vanished in 1982. While in prison, Ream reportedly told cellmates he was serial killer with four to six victims. Arthur Ream, 75, died August 15 of cancer at a prison hospital in Jackson, Michigan. Authorities still haven't been able to close her case.

Case Last Updated:

Apr 26, 2026