DOUGLAS COUNTY, Mo. — An Ava man’s felony charges have been dropped after being accused of being involved in the death of a woman in 1989.
According to court documents, a Douglas County judge deemed Wiley Belt, 66, no longer faces charges of first-degree kidnapping or forcible rape.
On July 30, 1989, 24-year-old Kelle Workman was abducted from a cemetery where she was working as the groundskeeper. Her decomposed body was found eight days later in Christian County. After the initial investigation, the case went cold 36 years before cold-case detectives reopened the case and uncovered new witness testimony.
“Mr. Belt is grateful to the Prosecuting Attorney for his decision to drop all charges after weighing the evidence” Belt’s attorney, Joseph S. Passanise, Managing Partner of Wampler & Passanise, said. “For close to 40 years, Mr. Belt has been under a cloud of suspicion on this investigation following false identification. He has consistently maintained his innocence and has always been cooperative with law enforcement. Dwight Banks did not know Belt and Belt was unaware of the Banks. We are thankful for the Prosecuting Attorney for doing the right thing.”…