BLACKMONT, Ky. — On April 29, 2009, James C. “Jamie” Kelly, age 42 of Tazewell, Tenn., was found dead. His lifeless body had been wrapped in a blanket and abandoned near the Tackett Hill Cemetery. The cause of death was an apparent drug overdose.

Kentucky State Police (KSP) Detective Doyle Halcomb investigated the case, and have not been able to find out the specific circumstances surrounding Kelly’s death. The Kelly family has met with Detective Halcomb on several different occasions, and he has yet to hear anything new about the tragic situation.

Georgia Rush, the oldest sister of Jamie C. Kelly, spoke out about her brother’s death and the affect it has had on her family.

“The horrible situation that our family has had to deal with — is that we do not know the circumstances surrounding my brother’s death,” said Rush. “To this day, we do not know who my brother was with, where he died, or who put his lifeless body on the cemetery like a piece of trash.”

She explained that her family has yet to receive any additional information involving her brother’s death.

“Our family has been tormented by the unknown... There is a void inside our hearts that cannot be filled until we find out what happened to Jamie,” stated Rush. “I can no longer protect my brother, but I would like to find justice, if there is any left in the world, for my brother. Our family cannot rest until we find out what happened to our loved one.”

The Kelly family will be holding a memorial on the evening of Thursday, October 29th. The event will be held directly across the bridge that runs into the Blackmont community in Bell County — less than a mile away from where the body of Jamie Kelly was found.

Friends, family and supporters will be wearing special shirts that say “Justice for Jamie.” Posters that say “Justice for Jamie” will be positioned alongside the road coming into Blackmont, from Pineville and from Harlan.

The family will also be handing out flyers with important phone numbers on them. Therefore, if anyone has any new information surrounding Kelly’s death, they will know who to contact. And then, when the night settles, the family will light candles in his memory.

“This has been the hardest thing that our family has ever had to deal with. I am the oldest of the four children in our family, and I was always the one who took care of my three siblings,” said Rush. “I know that if this had happened to me, that Jamie would be fighting to find out what happened to me. He would not just let it die away. We want justice for Jamie and we won't give up until we find out what happened to him.”

Adam Young is a Staff Writer for the Middlesboro Daily News. He can be contacted by e-mail at ayoung@middlesborodailynews.com.