Kelsey Lynn Smith was 17 and living in Anthony, Florida when she was fatally shot in the head on January 8, 2021. The shooting happened inside a mobile home in the 1600 block of Northeast 97th Street Road. The firearm was found beside her body.

Her 17-year-old boyfriend said the gun discharged while he was cleaning it and playing with it by spinning it around his finger; Kelsey was lying on the bed. He called 911 and then went to Kelsey’s parents’ home to report what had happened. Deputies from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office arrested him and charged him with manslaughter and possession of a firearm by a minor; he was booked at a juvenile assessment center.

Because of the severity of the case and his age, the State Attorney’s Office sought to try him as an adult. At a bail hearing prosecutors and the victim’s family objected to release, citing his prior record and the violent nature of the incident, and the judge denied bail. This was recorded as Marion County’s first domestic violence homicide of 2021.

Did anyone in the area know Kelsey or have information about what happened that night?