"Could you, you know, have somebody kinda keep an eye out on me?" Those were some of the last words anyone heard from Kelly Dove.
On June 18, 1982, 20-year-old Kelly Bergh Dove vanished while working an overnight shift at the Imperial gas station in Harrisonburg, Virginia. More than four decades later, her case remains unsolved — but it's no longer sitting untouched.
An Ordinary Shift, Traded
Kelly had graduated high school a year early and was set to start at Blue Ridge Community College that fall. She worked alongside three of her sisters at the Imperial station, an isolated building about a mile south of James Madison University. On June 17, she agreed to trade shifts with her sister Rose, taking the overnight shift instead.
The Calls for Help
Just after 2:27 a.m., Kelly called police to report that a man who'd come into the store earlier, dressed inappropriately, had made an obscene phone call to the station. She asked officers to come check on her. A short time later, she called again, reporting the same man had driven back into the parking lot. Police didn't respond until after her final call — by the time they arrived, just minutes later, Kelly was gone.
Her purse and a magazine were found on the counter; a cigarette had burned out in an ashtray. There was no sign of a struggle or robbery.
An Investigation That Started Late
Police faced criticism for their delayed response and for failing to secure the scene afterward — the station wasn't taped off, and customers reportedly kept coming in as if it were still open. Investigators pursued hundreds of tips in the following weeks, all of which led nowhere. Kelly's family has long believed a former high school acquaintance of hers, with a prior record for indecent exposure and obscene phone calls, may have been involved, though he was never charged and no evidence has ever definitively tied him to her disappearance.
Kelly was legally declared dead in 1989, seven years after she vanished. Her body has never been found.
Reopened, With Fresh Eyes
In 2020, on the case's 38th anniversary, the Harrisonburg Police Department formally reopened the investigation, working with Virginia State Police cold case analysts to retest old evidence using modern forensic methods. As part of that renewed effort, police publicly released audio of Kelly's original 911 call for the first time.
By 2022, using that fresh analysis, detectives had narrowed their suspect list from four people down to one. Investigators have said the suspect may have known Kelly personally and drove a vehicle matching the one she described in her final call, but police have not publicly named him, citing the ongoing investigation.
Where the Case Stands Now
As of the most recent reporting, the investigation remains active, with detectives continuing to pursue leads tied to that single remaining suspect. Kelly's family, including her mother Rachel and sister Elaine, have continued to publicly advocate for the case and hold annual remembrance events in her memory.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Harrisonburg Police Department at 540-432-7788, or Crime Solvers anonymously at 540-574-5050.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has Kelly Bergh Dove ever been found?
No. She has never been located, and her body has never been recovered.
Is the case still being actively investigated?
Yes. It was formally reopened in 2020, and as of 2022, police had narrowed their suspect list down to a single person.
Has anyone ever been charged in her disappearance?
No. Despite a long-suspected person of interest identified by her family, no one has ever been charged.
Was her disappearance officially classified as an abduction?
Yes, from the earliest days of the investigation in 1982, based on the circumstances of her final 911 calls and the evidence left behind.