Kelly Bergh Dove

Status:

Open

Missing From:

Harrisonburg, Virginia

Summary:

20-year-old Kelly Bergh Dove was working the third shift at the Imperial gas station in Harrisonburg, Virginia on June 18, 1982, when she vanished while working alone. She made three 911 calls reporting a harassing man, with the final call ending on the haunting note of "Please hurry, he's come back". She was declared legally dead in 1989, and the case remains unsolved.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Disappearance:

In the early morning hours of June 18, 1982, Kelly Bergh Dove was working third shift at the Imperial gas station in Harrisonburg, Virginia. She had traded shifts with one of her sisters that night. Around 2:27 a.m. on June 18, 1982, Kelly made the first of two 911 calls, saying she had received an obscene phone call after a man had come in dressed improperly and asked the police to keep an eye on her. In the second call just two minutes later she described the vehicle the man was driving as a silver Ford. She made three 911 calls to report the individual's disturbing behavior, with the final call ending on the note of "Please hurry, he's come back". Police arrived at 2:31 a.m. and Dove had vanished, her belongings untouched. The gas station was found empty, with Kelly's purse and money sitting on the counter.

Additional Details:

Harrisonburg Police Department investigated Kelly's disappearance in 1982 and classified it as an abduction. One factor that may have contributed to the case going unsolved was the way the initial investigation in 1982 was handled; when investigators walked into the gas station there was no police tape and they weren't even doing fingerprints, with customers still coming in thinking it was open. Kelly was declared legally dead in 1989. HPD reopened the investigation into the case in 2020 and over the last few years have narrowed their suspect list down to one person. Kelly's parents believe a man she went to high school with was responsible for her disappearance; this individual, who has not been named publicly, had a record for indecent exposure and making obscene telephone calls and has never been charged in connection with her case. Kelly's sisters stated obscene calls and gestures were very common when women were working at the gas station alone at night; however, the calls stopped almost entirely after Dove disappeared, with the station getting only one such call in the six weeks following her apparent abduction. Kelly had a daughter named Tami born in 1977; although the couple's marriage was not perfect, Kelly and Dale were married for five years and lived under the same roof with their four-year-old daughter at the time of her disappearance. Kelly's younger sister Elaine was closest with Kelly, who was two years older; Elaine said Kelly made her feel fearless. Kelly loved animals even from the time she was little.

Case Last Updated:

Sep 14, 2026