Kelly's school canceled classes on February 13, 1982 due to a heavy snowstorm. He stayed at home with his mother, Judy Moore, in their residence on Larks Lane in Pine Tree Hollow in Knotts County, Kentucky. Kelly went outside to play in the family's front yard at approximately 11:00 a.m. Moore stated she told him he was not to leave the yard. She last checked on him at approximately 4:00 p.m. At this point, Moore went to a neighbor's home to answer a phone call; she didn't have a phone of her own. When she returned, Kelly was no longer in the yard and he was not seen again. Kelly was born with a cleft palate and has a speech impediment as a result.