Inmate ‘of Interest’ in Case of Missing Woman

Redlands police have found a “person of interest” who they say may be involved in the disappearance and possible murder of Kelly Laurel Bullwinkle, the 18-year-old college student who has been missing since leaving work more than three weeks ago.

Capt. Tom Fitzmaurice said the man, who is jailed in San Bernardino County, made a comment days after Bullwinkle’s disappearance that he was “involved.” He was not in custody when Bullwinkle disappeared. Police did not identify the man, who was arrested days later on a “completely unrelated issue.”

Today, police officials are expected to announce that the body of a young woman found buried in a shallow grave in San Timoteo Canyon over the weekend is Bullwinkle’s.

The San Bernardino County coroner’s office spent Tuesday comparing Bullwinkle’s dental records to the dead woman’s, said Robert Shaw, lead supervising deputy coroner. Also Tuesday, an estimated 50 officers from Redlands, Ontario and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department searched San Timoteo Canyon for evidence. Fitzmaurice declined to say what, if anything, was found or to provide any more details.

“We want the facts of the investigation to remain confidential, so a suspect can possibly corroborate them in interrogations,” Fitzmaurice said.

Bullwinkle was last seen alive the afternoon of Sept. 13, when her shift ended at Baker’s Burgers in Redlands. A day later, her Mazda Protege was found parked and locked at Ontario Mills mall. On Saturday, two paintball players in San Timoteo Canyon discovered a body buried in a shallow grave, only a few miles from Bullwinkle’s residence.