Kelley’s body was found earlier this week not far from Ocastor Ferguson’s house, the man police have accused of killing her.
COLLIN COUNTY, Texas — An arrest warrant for the man suspected of kidnapping and killing Kayla Kelley reveals more about the circumstances surrounding her disappearance.
Kelley, 33, was first reported missing on Jan. 11, 2023, by her friends after they didn’t see her for several days, according to the Collin County Sheriff’s Office. On Jan. 18, her body was found not far from Ocastor Ferguson’s home, the man she had been dating.
Ferguson, 32, was arrested on a kidnapping charge during the investigation. On Friday evening, police further charged him with murder. He was booked into jail on a $1 million bond.
Ferguson also received an arson charge was from the Frisco Police Department.
The affidavit for Ferguson’s arrest revealed he and Kelley had been dating but that he was using a different name, Kevin. According to the affidavit, Kelley recently learned Ferguson was married after finding out his real identity.
As the search began for Kelley, the affidavit stated that on Jan. 12, Frisco police told the sheriff’s office that the 33-year-old’s vehicle was found on a deserted county road.
The affidavit stated that the vehicle was “burned beyond recognition and the incident was not consistent with a natural fire.” There was no physical evidence found in the vehicle that could lead to her location, according to investigators.
Collin County investigators then went to her duplex and found that her dog had been unattended for several days without food or water. According to the affidavit, “family and relatives advised the dog was like Kelley’s child and she would never leave it unattended for an extended period of time.”
The affidavit stated that investigators obtained phone records and learned Kelley had been speaking with Ferguson. After conducting a background check on Ferguson, investigators learned his wife recently reported their vehicle as stolen.
Ferguson’s vehicle was later found near Kelley’s residence, according to the affidavit. Investigators found gloves, duct tape and a blanket inside the vehicle, the affidavit stated.
The affidavit stated that Kelley’s phone was last used on Jan. 10 at 6:59 p.m. near Ferguson’s workplace in Dallas. Records from the NTTA also showed Kelley’s vehicle going north on the Dallas North Tollway in Frisco on Jan. 10 at 1:56 a.m.
Investigators interviewed Ferguson at his workplace on Jan. 13, where he said he knew Kelley and that he last saw her on Jan. 10 when she dropped him off at work around 12 p.m., according to the affidavit.
Ferguson told investigators Kelley was supposed to drop off lunch for him at 6 p.m. on Jan. 10 but that she didn’t show up, the affidavit stated.
According to the affidavit, Ferguson said his vehicle was near Kelley’s residence “because he was hiding it from his wife.”
Investigators looked through Ferguson’s phone and found conversations between him and Kelley. In the conversation, the affidavit stated that Kelley told Ferguson she would tell his wife about their affair if he didn’t answer her.
Ferguson told investigators that he and Kelley met online and started dating in 2022 but that he used a fake name. He said they would go to Kelley’s residence and other locations to meet but never to his home in Grand Prairie. He said Kelley eventually learned his real identity and found out he was married, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit stated the phone records detailed the events that occurred on Jan. 10. The records showed that Ferguson was at work on Jan. 10 but that he left and went to his Grand Prairie home. He then drove up the Dallas North Tollway, went to an area near Kelley’s residence and then went to the area where Kelley’s vehicle was found burned. He then went back to his Grand Prairie home, according to the affidavit.
Investigators spoke with Ferguson again, where he denied being in the area where Kelley’s vehicle was found and claimed to have no knowledge of what happened, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit stated that Ferguson said he was driving during that timeframe and that Kelley was in the backseat. But, he said he did not know what happened to her.
Investigators then searched Ferguson’s home and spoke to his wife. She told investigators that she had received a text from an unknown person on Jan. 4 that said that person needed to speak with her, according to the affidavit. Ferguson’s wife said she didn’t make contact with the person.
The affidavit stated that the wife’s phone was broken at the time of the interview, which meant they couldn’t obtain the phone number that texted her.
Investigators eventually determined that there was enough evidence to arrest Ferguson on a kidnapping charge.
“There is reason to believe that Ocastor Ferguson did then and there intentionally and knowingly abduct Kayla Kelley,” the affidavit stated.