Buried remains found of Jacksonville man missing since March, stepfather charged with murder

Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said they've found buried remains Tuesday of a man who went missing in March. The man's stepfather was arrested and charged with his murder in May.

Police said the body has been identified as Jamel Kelly, 24. He was buried on a residential lot in the 5900 block of West Moncrief Road on Jacksonville's Northside.

There was a heavy police presence and search crews in this part of town last week, but authorities would not indicate who they were looking for.

In March, Kelly was reported missing. In May, his stepfather, Gerod Studemire, was arrested and charged with his murder, however, police were still missing Kelly's body and the car he was allegedly transported in.

The car was eventually found completely burned. It is believed to be the car that Kelly's body was loaded into.

Kelly's mother and his stepfather's girlfriend were also arrested and charged with crimes as a result of the murder investigation.

RELATED | Jacksonville man allegedly murdered by stepdad, mother and dad's girlfriend arrested

TIME LINE

• 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.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