$50K reward stands for Janna Kelly info

HASTINGS, Mich. (WOOD) - Janna Kelly was last seen alive Dec. 4, 2007. Two years later, a $50,000 reward still is being offered for information in her homicide case, police announced Thursday.

The Grand Rapids woman's purse and wallet were found Dec. 5, 2007 at a car wash on Burton Street SE. On Dec. 6, her car was located on the 2100 block of Plymouth Avenue SE. Kelly's body was found March 13, 2008 in a Grand Haven Township wooded area.

The reward is being offered through Silent Observer by Kelly's family and her former employer, Burr & Company Insurance.

Kelly's only daughter and child, Dana Isola, said this time of year is the hardest to be without her mother.

"The holidays are really the hardest part," she told 24 Hour News 8. "We still try really hard to get together, but there is just a huge void. It's the not the time of year we ever look forward to. (We talked about) anything, issues, things going on, whatever. Happy things, sad things, advice. She was my best friend and my mom."

The family needs closure, Isola said, and more importantly, the truth about what happened to Kelly.

"We just need to know what happened," she said. "Why? And how could this happen? I mean, this has made a big difference not just to us and our family, but to the community.

"Our lives have changed. Our lives are different. Every day is going to be different, and she's been taken from us. And yet, whoever's responsible for this, their life just goes on."

Anyone who has information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for Kelly's death is eligible for the reward. So far, police have received about 100 tips, but none have helped to crack the case.

Her family hopes the money entices someone with information to step forward, Isola said.

"It's coming up again on two years since my mom's been murdered," Isola said. "(We're) still kind of stuck without answers. So, it's pretty much just us hoping, hoping something happens.

"It's that not knowing who did this (that hurts). Or why this was done. Or was it just some crazy mistake or something someone planned out? And (then there's) the fact that somebody is still living their life every day. And we don't have her."

People with information are asked to call the Ottawa County Sheriff's Department at (888) 731-1001, ext. 4687, Grand Rapids police at (616) 456-3604 or Silent Observer at (866) 774-2345.