Kelsey Shelton Smith-Briggs

Kelsey Shelton Smith-Briggs

December 28, 2002 - October 11, 2005

Kelsey Shelton Smith-Briggs was born on December 28, 2002. Her parents were Raye Dawn Smith and Lance Briggs. They were already divorced. It was said that they were divorced because of domestic abuse. Lance reportedly punched Raye Dawn Smith so hard in the stomach that she suffered a miscarriage in 2000.

Kelsey lived with her mother and Lance Briggs didn't know that he was her father until three months after she was born. After he found that she was his daughter, he and his family began spending time with her as well, although she still lived with her mother.

In January of 2005 when Kelsey was two years old, her mother began seeing a man named Michael Porter. Eventually, Michael Porter moved in with Kelsey and Raye Dawn. It was around this time signs of child abuse were noticed by Kelsey's day care provider and her family. Kelsey was bounced back and forth between the custody of her mother, paternal grandparents, and the state of Oklahoma (where she lived.) Finally, Judge Craig Key stated that Kelsey's abuser was 'unknown' and he placed her back with her mother and stepfather, Mike Porter, who she called 'Daddy Mike'.

On October 11, 2005, Kelsey's mother left Kelsey in Mike Porter's care while she went to pick his seven year old daughter up from school. When Raye Dawn left, Kelsey was taking a nap. She was only wearing a T-shirt because they didn't have very many pull-ups left. By the time Raye Dawn came back, Kelsey was being loaded into an ambulance. Raye Dawn noticed that Kelsey was wearing a pull-up and when she asked Mike about it, he told her that he didn't want people thinking 'things' about him.

Kelsey passed away on the way to the hospital. Her cause of death was listed as 'blunt force trauma to the abdomen' this means that someone hit or kicked her so hard in the stomach, it killed her. There were bruises all over her small body, and evidence that she had been sexually assaulted. Child pornography was later found on her stepfather's computer. In court, Mike Porter was charged with sexual assault and first degree murder. However, in February of 2007, he pleaded guilty to enabling child abuse and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Kelsey's mother Raye Dawn Smith was charged with enabling child abuse. She was sentenced to 27 years in prison. Many people believe that Raye Dawn Smith was wrongfully convicted. To learn more about this, go to 'freekelseysmom.com'. 

Facts About Kelsey:

• Kelsey attended baby pageants and was once crowned 'Miss Personality'.
• When Lance Briggs married Kelsey's stepmother (Ashley) Kelsey attended the wedding and was called the 'mini-bride'.
• Kelsey's favorite movies were Brother Bear, The Fox and the Hound, and Shrek.
• Kelsey couldn't pronounce the word 'Fox' very well, and when she said it, it sounded like the 'f-word'.
• Kelsey had cabbage patch dolls, and she would twirl her fingers in their hair to help her go to sleep.
•  Kelsey was a very independent little girl. When people would try to help her do something, she'd say "No, I do it."
• Kelsey was known as a biter. One of her victims was sometimes a puppy named Mandy. She would proudly go up to her parents and grandparents and say "I bite!"
• When Kelsey needed to get somewhere and someone was in her way, she'd say " 'Scuse me." (Excuse me).
• Kelsey's favorite foods were pizza, and pickles.

•  The day before she was killed, Kelsey counted all the way to fourteen. She had never counted that high before.
• If something didn't go the way it was supposed to, she would hit her hand against her forehead and say "Oh man!"
• She knew how to use the phone very well. She would have conversations on the phone with her daddy. Sometimes she would talk to him even if he wasn't on the other line.
• She loved sitting with people while they read to her. It was her Grandpa Briggs' favorite thing to do.
• Kelsey didn't like nap time, but one day, when her grandma, Kathie Briggs needed her to take a nap, she had saw on 'Super Nanny' the best way to put a child to sleep. She figured she'd try it on Kelsey. She put Kelsey in her bed, told her 'goodnight' and gave her a kiss. When she left, Kelsey kept peeking around the corner and looking at her. On the seventh time her grandmother tried to put her back to bed, she took her hand and said "No, I do it. I walk." and then she put herself to sleep!
• Kelsey called her stepfather, Michael Porter 'Daddy Mike' and her stepmother, Ashley, 'Mommy Ashley'

 

•   In May of 2005, Kelsey was interviewed about who hurt her legs. She was asked if someone hurt her and she nodded her head 'yes'. When they asked who, she wouldn't answer. When they asked if she knew what 'hurt' meant, she nodded 'yes' again and pointed to her casts.
•  Kelsey's full name was originally Kelsey Shelton Smith, but Lance wanted her to also have his last name, so her name was changed to Kelsey Shelton Smith-Briggs.
• Mike Porter's seven year old daughter said that she saw her father abuse Kelsey until she threw up. She said that Mike was nice to her when other people were around.
• When someone had something Kelsey wanted, she would say "Can I 'hab' (have) it?"

• Kelsey loved playing in water, eating, playing outside, and going to the zoo.

Clips of Kelsey talking.