Left Images: Cox, circa 1997 Bottom Left Images : Progressed to age 27 by Bethany Crooks, SC Law Enforcement
Bottom Right Image :Progressed to age 29

Kelli Ann Cox
Missing since July 15, 1997 from Denton, Denton County, Texas
Classification: Endangered Missing

Vital Statistics

• Date Of Birth: November 12, 1976
• Age at Time of Disappearance: 20 years old
• Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'3" (160 cm); 125 lbs (57 kg).
• Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Long brown hair; blue eyes. Her ears are pierced.
• Marks, Scars: She has a tattoo of a rose and the name "Francisco" on the palm of her right hand, and a tattoo of a scorpion on her right shoulder.
• Clothing: Black velvet shirt, blue jeans, blue closed-toe sandals.
• Jewelry: 14k gold rope bracelet, 1/4 carat diamond stud earrings.

Circumstances of Disappearance
Cox was last seen at a Conoco gas station at the intersection of East McKinney Street and Railroad Avenue in Denton, Texas on July 15, 1997.
Kelli was a student at the University Of North Texas in Denton, Texas. On July 15, 1997, she attended her morning classes and took a field trip with her criminal justice class to the Denton Police Department. She drove her 1989 Nissan 240-SX to the facility and parked her car in a nearby lot. Cox was not allowed to bring her purse or keys into the facility and she locked her belongings inside of her vehicle. She planned to use a spare key hidden under the vehicle's fender to open the car after the tour.
Kelli discovered that her spare key did not work after the tour dismissed. She walked back to the police department and attempted to call her boyfriend, Lawrence Harris III. Cox was unable to reach him for unclear reasons and officers directed her to a pay phone two blocks away. She reached Harris from the telephone outside of the Conoco gas station and convenience store near East McKinney Street and Railroad Avenue.
Harris arrived at the police department between 12:30 PM - 12:45 PM. He discovered Cox's car abandoned inside the parking lot. There was no indication of her in the area and she has never been heard from again. No witnesses observed her departure from outside the Conoco station.
Cox left all of her personal belongings behind at her family's residence, including $200 in cash. There has not been any activity within her bank account since July 1997. She was devoted to the daughter she was raising and would never leave her behind willingly.

Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

Denton Police Department
Detective Mike Leverton
940-349-7948
940-349-8181
or
Texas Department of Public Safety
1-800-346-3243

Agency Case Number: 97-043747 (DPD)
Agency Case Number: M9708010 (TXDPS)

NCMEC #: NCMB1018707

NCIC Number: M-042088208
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Source Information:
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
National Center for Missing Adults
Texas Department of Public Safety
Rinokids.com
dallasobserver.com - 6/7/01
City of Denton, Texas
CBS11
DRC