Kelly Wilson

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Gilmer Police Department Tx (TX)

Missing From:

Gilmer, Texas

Summary:

Kelly Dae Wilson was a 17-year-old who went missing on January 5, 1992, from Gilmer, Texas after leaving her workplace to deposit her paycheck at a nearby bank. Kelly Wilson is presumed dead, though her body has never been found. Law enforcement in Upshur County is revisiting old leads, though there is nothing new being investigated, just more follow-up.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Disappearance:

Wilson was last seen at about 8:30 p.m. on January 5, 1992, as she was leaving her workplace to go to a nearby bank to deposit her paycheck, but she never returned home. She was last seen after finishing her shift at the Northeast Texas video store. She stopped by the bank to make a deposit, and the money made it into the account, but Kelly never made it home. Her car was found the next morning outside the store with one tire slashed, and her purse was inside. An unidentified individual was captured on CCTV making the deposit, but it was unclear if this person was actually Kelly. Her car was discovered in her employer's parking lot later that evening with one of the tires slashed and her possessions still inside but the keys missing.

Additional Details:

Investigators initially treated the case as a typical missing person's report, but crucial early missteps hindered the investigation. They treated it like a missing person's case, and probable crime scene things weren't protected, with very little, if any, physical evidence collected. In January 1994, two years after Kelly's disappearance, eight people including sergeant James York Brown were indicted for her abduction and presumed murder. Prosecutors claimed that Kelly had been abducted by Brown and the other individuals who then held her captive for a week. However, it later became apparent that the cult never actually existed. All murder charges were dropped two months after they were filed. Only one arrest was ever made in connection to Kelly Wilson's disappearance. Michael Biby was convicted of slashing Kelly's tire, but investigators later determined he was not involved in her vanishing. In 2004, Joe David Henry, Kelly's employer and the last person to see her, was arrested for charges relating to child pornography. Despite this, he isn't considered a serious suspect in her case. Kelly's boyfriend, Chris Denton, was initially investigated but nothing was found to suggest he was involved in her disappearance. Denton was never charged and died of cancer in 2004. Recently, interest in the case has grown thanks to a number of podcasts and renewed media attention.

Case Last Updated:

Apr 24, 2026