The Woman on the Train: Kelly L Allen

In this episode of Hunting 4 Answers: In March 2007, 20-year-old nursing student Kelly L. Allen disappeared without a trace after wrapping a successful job interview. The interview went so well that Kelly was actually scheduled for a follow-up interview later that day. However, she never showed. She left behind all of her belongings—and a $2,000 check. Years later, her cousin spots a woman who looks just like her on a train. Is it Kelly… or just a cruel coincidence? Anyone with information about Kelly's whereabouts should contact the Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department at 314-444-5338. Her agency case number is 07-018933. 

This is the story of Kelly L. Allen. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect
Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. Welcome to Hunting for Answers, a
true crime podcast. I'm your host Hunter, and today we're
discussing a case from Berkeley, Missouri. It happened back in
March two thousand and seven, when a twenty year old
nursing student had just wrapped a successful job interview for

(00:23):
a telemarketing position. She was even scheduled for a follow
up interview later that day, but she never showed up.
What happened to her in those final hours would baffle
investigators for years, and a photograph taken on a train
five years later would only deepen the mystery.

Speaker 2 (00:46):
This is the story of Kelly L. Allen. Kelly was
born on.

Speaker 1 (00:55):
December fourth, nineteen eighty six. By March two thousand and seven,
she was a twenty year old nursing student with big
dreams and an even bigger heart. At the time of
her disappearance, Kelly stood five feet five inches tall with
brown hair and hazel eyes. She also had a flower
tattooed on her left shoulder and a half moon behind

(01:18):
her left ear. She worked at a nursing home while
pursuing her education, balancing her studies with her compassion for
caring for others. Kelly was described by those who knew
her as responsible, reliable, and someone who would never just
disappear without a word. But in March two thousand and seven,

(01:43):
Kelly found herself staying at a friend's apartment located on
the eighty six hundred block of Frost Avenue in Berkeley, Missouri,
a decision that would change everything. She had been staying
there for days. She was job hunting, looking for work
closer to Saint Louis, and just trying to build a

(02:04):
better life for herself. The Frost apartments weren't the most glamorous,
but they were a temporary solution while Kelly searched for
more opportunities, jet plans, goals, and a bright future ahead
of her. On the morning of March thirteenth, two thousand

(02:25):
and seven, her friend saw her briefly before leaving out
for work. They even spoke on the phone at some
point later that day. It would be the last time
any friends or family would hear Kelly's voice. That day,
Kelly had a job interview at the telemarketing company located

(02:46):
on Watson Road and It went.

Speaker 2 (02:49):
Well, really well, so well.

Speaker 1 (02:53):
In fact, that they had scheduled the follow up interview.
Finally things were starting to look up. But Kelly never
made it to that second interview. When her friend returned
home from work that evening, Kelly was gone. But here's
the thing. Kelly hadn't packed, She hadn't taken her belongings.

(03:17):
She had left everything behind, including a two thousand dollars
tax refund check. When Kelly's friend called police, they immediately
classified her as missing under suspicious circumstances. The authorities stated
that Kelly might be in danger. It was completely uncharacteristic

(03:41):
for Kelly to leave without warning. She wasn't the type
to just vanish into thin air, but vanish she did.
The investigation into Kelly's disappearance began immediately. Police searched the
Frost department's, interviewed residents, and followed every lead they could.

(04:06):
They traced Kelly's movements on March thirteenth, from the apartment
to the job.

Speaker 2 (04:11):
Interview and back.

Speaker 1 (04:14):
But somewhere between that interview and the evening hours Kelly disappeared.
Had someone been watching her, had she encountered danger on
her way back from the apartment, or had something happened
inside the apartment building itself. The questions were endless, but

(04:36):
answers were nowhere to be found. The days eventually turned
into years, but Kelly's family never stopped searching. They held
on to hope that someone somewhere had seen Kelly and
would come forward. The National Center for Missing and Exploited

(04:59):
Children created an age progressed photo showing what Kelly might
look like at twenty five years old. Her case was
added to multiple missing persons databases, including the Charlie Project
and NamUs, but Kelly remained missing. Five years later, something

(05:22):
extraordinary happened.

Speaker 2 (05:24):
In twenty twelve.

Speaker 1 (05:26):
Kelly's cousin, Cody, was riding a train when he saw
something that made his heart stop. Across the aisle, he
spotted a woman who looked strikingly similar to Kelly. She
was with an unknown man, and Cody couldn't believe what
he was seeing. Thinking quickly, he managed to snap a

(05:49):
photograph of the woman right before she got off the train.
When Cody showed the photo to authorities, they were intrigued,
but cautious could this really be Kelly Allen? After five years,
the photograph became a focal point of the investigation. TV

(06:11):
one featured Kelly's case, asking viewers to share their theories
about whether the woman in the train photo was indeed Kelly.
The case gained more national attention. People studied the photograph,
comparing it to images of Kelly from two thousand and seven.
Some believed it was her, others weren't so sure. Authorities

(06:38):
needed help determining the truth. Was this a breakthrough in
Kelly's case or just a cruel coincidence. The woman in
the photograph looked like Kelly, but five years can change
a person, and the quality of the photo made it

(06:59):
more difficult to be certain. As the investigation continued, questions mounted.

Speaker 2 (07:07):
If the woman in.

Speaker 1 (07:08):
The photograph was Kelly, why hadn't she contacted her family,
had she been held against her will for five years?

Speaker 2 (07:16):
Had she lost her memory?

Speaker 1 (07:19):
Or was the woman simply someone who had a strikingly similar.

Speaker 2 (07:23):
Resemblance to Kelly. The unknown man.

Speaker 1 (07:27):
In the photograph also raised questions who was he, what
was his relationship to the woman, and why were they
traveling together. Despite extensive investigation, authorities never were able to
definitively identify the woman in the train photograph. Meanwhile, Kelly's

(07:49):
family continued their search. Ten years after her disappearance in
twenty seventeen, they were still holding out hope that she
was still alive somewhere. They never stopped believing that Kelly
would come home, and they never stopped searching for answers.

(08:12):
The case received periodic media coverage, with local news stations
featuring Kelly's story on anniversaries of her disappearance. But despite
all of the attention, all of the searches, and all
of the hope, Kelly Allen remained missing. Today, over eighteen

(08:37):
years after Kelly L. Allen disappeared from that apartment in Berkeley, Missouri,
her case remains unsolved. The Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department
continues to investigate her disappearance. Kelly's case is classified as
endangered missing an authorities believe she may still be in danger.

(09:04):
The mystery of what happened to Kelly on March thirteenth,
two thousand and seven continues to haunt her family and investigators.

Speaker 2 (09:14):
There's just so many.

Speaker 1 (09:16):
Questions that still remain surrounding her case. Was she the
victim of foul play? Did she disappear voluntarily? And was
the woman in the train photograph really Kelly. At the
end of the day, Kelly was a young woman with
her whole life ahead of her, full of dreams, ambitions,

(09:39):
and surrounded by people who really loved her. My thoughts
and prayers are with the family and friends of Kelly Allen.
Anyone with information about her whereabouts to contact the Saint
Louis Metropolitan Police Department. You can find their number along
with her case number in the description box below.

Speaker 2 (10:02):
As we close out this episode, don't forget to.

Speaker 1 (10:04):
Click the follow button to stay updated on Kelly's case
and others like it. Be sure to subscribe to Hunting
for Answers on YouTube and follow us on Instagram and.

Speaker 2 (10:15):
TikTok from our true crime updates.

Speaker 1 (10:18):
Thank you so much for joining us on another episode.
Until next time. Hunting for Answers is a production of
the Black Effect Podcast Network. For more podcasts from the

(10:41):
Black Effect Podcast Network, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.