By Bryant Thigpen
Riverbend News
The Live Oak Police Department is still investigating and searching for a woman who has been missing since Tuesday, July 14. According to police officials, Kelley C. Brannon, a 36-year-old female, was last seen on July 14 with her boyfriend at the Sunshine Inn Hotel in Live Oak.
According to Brannon’s boyfriend, Eddie Emerson, the couple was en route from Micanopy to Detroit, Mich., when their vehicle broke down and was stranded in Suwanneee County. “We were heading to Detroit to purchase a home up there,” he said. “I love her and we were about to start our life together, and then this happened.”
Emerson said the couple was able to make it to the Sunshine Inn Hotel and had planned to stay there for a couple of days while their vehicle was being repaired. On the night of July 14, Emerson said the couple had gotten into a dispute over whether to leave the chickens they had brought with them in the vehicle or to bring them upstairs into the room. Emerson had also noted that she had been drinking downstairs, and he took the keys of the vehicle away from her because she was intoxicated.
“I was in the room laying in bed when she texted me, ‘I’m leaving,’ and I texted her back, ‘Why don’t you come sleep,’ and she replied, ‘No,’ so I went to sleep. I didn’t think she was really going to leave,” he said. “But, when I woke up, she was gone.”
Emerson said around 12:30 a.m., Brannon had sent him a text message saying she was taking her guitar, which is a left-handed Fender Stratocaster with a sunburst finish, the vehicle’s registration and a bag of clothes. Around 1 a.m., she left him a voicemail saying, “I’m hopping into a vehicle, bye.” It is believed that Brannon may have left in an unknown make and model silver four-door sedan.
After she was reported missing, local law enforcement was able to obtain her phone records and Emerson said her phone was pinged around 4:53 a.m., and at that time, she was in the area of Farm Bureau in Live Oak. However, Brannon did not take her phone charger with her and has not reached out to anyone since then.
“She didn’t take her purse or her phone charger, which is very concerning as well,” he said. “She would never go this long without contacting me, her mom or her friends.”
Emerson said it has been reported that she was seen in Lake Park, Ga., on July 21 as well as in Camilla, Ga., between July 24-28, but none of those appearances have been confirmed that it was indeed her. Brannon is a white female with brown eyes and black hair. She is approximately five feet, four inches tall and weighs about 130 pounds. She has a circle A tattoo on her right hand near her thumb.
Emerson said those with information may remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of at least $1,000.
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Brannon is asked to call the Live Oak Police Department Investigations Division at (386) 364-7464 or call the Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch at (386) 362-2222.