HOLLAND (WHTC-AM/FM) — Until this week, Ottawa County Sheriff’s deputies called the woman killed in 1994 “Matilda.”
Hunters found her remains while walking near the dead end of 32nd Avenue, just south of Arthur Street in Wright Township, near Coopersville, on Nov. 6, 1994.
Results of an autopsy indicated she was murdered. Her life and cause of death, as well as her legal name, had been a mystery to detectives since that time.
Until this week. Ottawa County Sheriff’s Capt. Jake Sparks, in an email to area media outlets, noted that DNA tests in 2007 led only to dead ends, but in September, 2021, with the help of genealogy information found by DNA Doe. Police had been working with have consulted with federal, state, and local law
enforcement officers, as well as the DNA Doe Project, which specializes in forensic genealogy. Project Doe research suggested Matilda might be Shelly Rae Kephart, sometimes known at Shelly Rae Christian. She was 29 years old when she disappeared from Minnesota in 1993.
Sheriff’s Detectives Sara Fillman and Allison Anderson traveled to Minnesota to meet the family late last year to get DNA samples for comparison’s sake. On Jan. 18th, 2022, the FBI Crime Laboratory officials confirmed a DNA association. Ottawa County Medical Examiner Dr. Stephen Cohle, who performed the original autopsy, confirmed Shelly Rae Kephart / Shelly Rae Christian’s identity.
Last believed to be in Grand Rapids, as of February, 1994, Shelly Kephart often wore what Sparks called unique glasses, which she may or may not have been wearing near the time of her death.
Sparks indicated Sheriff’s officials are hoping the positive identification gives Shelly Kephart’s family some sense of closure, but this remains an open investigation. No suspects have been identified at this time, and police are hoping someone who knows something will share information either directly with police or via Ottawa County’s Silent Observer program, which offers cash rewards for tips leading to arrests and convictions.
Call the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office at (616) 355-1100 during normal business hours, or the county’s non-emergency line during off hours: (800) 249-0911.
To share anonymous tips with police agencies, call Ottawa County’s Silent Observer (877) 88 SILENT or visit mosotips.com.
