JSO: Missing Jacksonville man's body found 6 months after murder

More than six months after a man was reported missing, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office says they’ve now found his remains.

Jamel Lemar Kelly was last seen alive on March 6.

Kelly's mother and girlfriend told police four men chased Kelly away from his house and he hadn't been seen since.

It was later determined that one of the men was Kelly's ex-stepfather Gerod Studemire, according to police.

JSO said Kelly was living with his mother, Stacey Studemire, and they were having domestic issues.

Investigators believe Stacey Studemire called Gerod Studemire to confront Kelly about the issues.

Investigators said they have evidence to prove that, after killing Kelly that night, Gerod Studemire and another person loaded Kelly's body into Gerod Studemire's 1999 Lincoln Continental.

Kelly's mother, Stacey Studemire, was arrested on a charge of accessory after the fact to a murder. JSO said Shaakira Atwater, one of Gerod Studemire's multiple girlfriends, was arrested on a charge of accessory after the fact to a murder.

Gerod Studemire was arrested on charges of murder and evidence tampering.

JSO said information obtained during the investigation led them to two locations: a commercial property in the 7900 block of Pritchard Road and a residential property in the 5900 block of West Moncrief Road.

Police said Kelly's remains were found at the residential property.

JSO said the investigation into his death continues. Officers are asking anyone with information about his death to call 904-630-0500 or email JSOCrimeTips@yaxsheriff.org.

To remain anonymous and receive a possible reward up to $3,000, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.

Timeline of Jamel Lemar Kelly investigation

On Tuesday, March 6, JSO responded to an incident that resulted in the reported disappearance of Jamel Lemar Kelly.

On March 9, Kelly's ex-girlfriend called police to report that Kelly was still missing. She said she hadn't heard from Kelly and he hadn't been on social media and hadn't been seen by anyone else. She said this was completely out of character for Kelly.

Officers searched for Kelly again and did not find him.

On March 10, JSO's missing persons unit was notified. Based on the information those detectives found, they had reason to believe Kelly was dead.

By then, the case had been upgraded to a missing person case and Kelly had been entered into a national database of missing persons.

On March 13, JSO's homicide unit was contacted. After a detailed investigation, JSO said those detectives also had reason to believe Kelly was dead and had been killed by Gerod Studemire.

On May 25, Gerod Studemire was arrested and charged with murder.  Gerod Studemire's girlfriend Shaakira Atwater and Kelly's mother Stacey Studemire were also charged with crimes as a result of the murder investigation.  At the time of the arrests, Kelly's remains had still not been recovered.

On Sept. 25, JSO announced Kelly's remains were found at a residential property located in the 5900 block of West Moncrief Road.

Cox Media Group