Updated Photos Released in Severed Leg, Missing Women Case

Detectives seek the public’s help in determining what happened to a Plant City woman and her girlfriend, whose severed leg was discovered washed ashore Dec. 27 in St. Petersburg, with updated photographs released today to help aid the search.

The search is on for Kelly Moriarty, 39, who reportedly was last seen by the daughter of Doris Carter, 62, who also has been reported missing.

According to a report issued by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Moriarty and Carter have been romantically involved for two years and were last seen by Carter’s daughter, who lived with her mother in their Plant City home, on Dec. 16.

When the daughter woke up the next morning, “both women were gone and so was Kelly Moriarty’s car,” reads the sheriff’s report.

Here’s a timeline of developments in the case, as reported by the sheriff’s office”

• Dec. 20 — The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office reports spotting Moriarty’s car, abandoned on the side of State Road 62 in Parrish. A red tag is placed in the window, a plea to the owner to move the car. The car is impounded nine days later.
  
  
• Jan. 27 — Moriarty’s brother, listed on her lease as an emergency contact, is contacted by his sister’s apartment manager looking for unpaid rent. He visits the apartment and finds a Christmas tree still standing, with unopened Christmas packages. Moriarty is reported missing to the Bradenton Police Department.
  
  
• Jan. 28 — Bradenton Police Department officers talk with Carter’s daughter at their Plant City home. The daughter recounts her mother’s  and Moriarty’s relationship and says it is not uncommon for them to be away for extended periods of time.
  
  
• Jan. 29 — Carter’s daughter reports her mother missing to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. Detectives learn of the involvement of the Bradenton Police Department. Soon, too, they learn of the car impounded in Manatee County. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office issues a search warrant for the car. No evidence of a crime is found. Subsequently, during an unrelated death investigation, detectives with the St. Petersburg Police Department contact their Hillsborough counterparts to determine if there is a connection to the severed leg found washed ashore at 6990 4^th St. in St. Petersburg. DNA samples are obtained from both Moriarty’s and Carter’s families.
  
  
• March 23 — The Pinellas County Medical Examiner’s Office notifies the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office that, based on DNA evidence, the leg was Moriarty’s. Where the leg had been severed has not been determined.

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To Report A Tip In Missing Women Case:

• Anyone with information concerning the case is asked to call the Hillsborugh County Sheriff’s Office at 813-247-8200.
• To be eligible for a cash reward, with information leading to an arrest, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS (8477). To report anonymously, visit www.crimestopperstb.com or text “CSTB (plus your tip)” to C-R-I-M-E-S (274637).

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