Jamel Kelly was allegedly murdered by his stepfather but police don't have his body or the car his body was allegedly transported in.
On March 6, officers were dispatched to the 6800 block of Langford Road in response to suspicious people running in the area. They spoke with Stacey Studemire, Kelly's mother, and Kelly's current girlfriend who told police that Kelly was chased out of the home by three men and they had not seen him since.
Stacey Studemire "downplayed" the incident, according to police. At the time there was no evidence that a crime had occurred so police took a report and left the scene.
On March 9, Kelly's ex-girlfriend called police to make them aware that he had still not been seen and had not been on social media which was unlike him.
On March 10, Kelly was considered a missing person, however, the missing person unit at JSO found out information that led them to believe Kelly was dead.
On March 13, the JSO homicide unit began investigating. After a detailed investigation, police believe that Kelly was killed on March 9 by Gerod Studemire who used to be married to Kelly's mother.
Gerod Studemire was arrested for murder and tampering with evidence. Police believe that Studemire and others were involved in Kelly's murder and put his body into a Lincoln Continental believed to be owned by Studemire. However, the car has been burned.
Police have pictures of the vehicle badly damaged by what appears to be fire damage, but they do not have the car in their custody. They also have no located Kelly's body.
Kelly's mother, Stacey Studemire was arrested and charged with accessory to murder after the fact. A third person, Shaakira Atwater, has also been arrested and charged with accessory to murder after the fact. She is believed to be a girlfriend of Gerod Studemire who is married to someone else.
The police are asking that anyone with any information regarding the car or Kelly please contact them by calling 904-630-0500 or you can remain completely anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.
