"We want closure:" In announcing new search for Kelly Dwyer, father says "we'll never give up"
MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Search efforts will start once again for Kelly Dwyer -- missing since October 2013. Kelly Dwyer's father says this case is far from cold, and it will soon be heating up in a big way.
Kelly Dwyer's father Tony was joined by a private investigator and Milwaukee police captain for a press conference Wednesday afternoon, April 29th. They announced a new, massive, highly-coordinated search for Dwyer.
"We're not able to give her the proper kind of burial, or the opportunity to say goodbye the way we`d like to and therefore the search will continue," Tony Dwyer said.
The search is expected to get underway within a week.
Kelly Dwyer
40-year-old Kris Zocco was the last person to been seen with Kelly Dwyer.
Surveillance video from Zocco's East Side apartment building shows Dwyer entering the building on October 10th, 2013. Dwyer and Zocco leave the building and re-enter twice -- but Dwyer is never seen leaving again.
Kelly Dwyer
A Milwaukee police detective testified that Dwyer and Zocco were partying that night.
“He said she partied with him. Those are the words he used. That consisted of doing lines of cocaine. He said they may have smoked a bong, which meant marijuana — in a pipe used to smoke marijuana and that they were going to have drinks,” the detective said in court.
Dwyer’s mother has said Zocco told her he last saw Dwyer on the morning of October 11th — when she was leaving his East Side apartment. But the apartment building's surveillance video never shows Dwyer leaving.
Zocco was arrested on drug and child pornography charges that came to light as police were investigating Dwyer's disappearance.
He was convicted of 16 counts of possession of child pornography and the following drug charges: maintaining a drug trafficking place, possession of THC and possession of cocaine. He was sentenced to serve 19 years in prison on January 30th, 2015.
Zocco has never been charged in connection with Dwyer's disappearance.
"Mr. Kris Zocco is a person of interest. He remains a person of interest in this death investigation," Milwaukee Police Captain Aaron Rapp said.
The new search for Kelly Dwyer will encompass three areas outside the city of Milwaukee -- on land and in water. The family's private investigator Pablo Valesquez won't say exactly where the search will take place, but he says he's hopeful something will turn up as Dwyer's family seeks closure.
"Our investigation has uncovered some information that has led us to the possibility of finding Kelly. There is an organized search team that has been assembled and are preparing to search in the immediate future," Valesquez said.
Milwaukee police won't be actively involved in the search, but they are supporting it.
"They are not searching areas law enforcement wasn`t already aware of. However, we believe this could not possibly hurt to do it some more," Captain Rapp said.
"We want closure. As a family -- we'll never give up," Tony Dwyer said.
Kelly Dwyer