13-year-old vanished in 1984, Michigan cops say. Now stepdad arrested in Florida
A 13-year-old girl vanished in Michigan in 1984, and a prison confession from her stepfather in Florida has led to a murder charge 40 years later, prosecutors said.
Records show 74-year-old Leonard Hugall was released from prison in 2024, and now he’s been arrested and charged in connection with the death of his stepdaughter, Kelly Harris, according to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.
He’s facing charges of first-degree felony murder and second-degree murder, the sheriff’s office and prosecutors said in a joint statement released Aug. 14. He was booked in DeSoto County jail in Florida on Aug. 12.
In August 1984, Kelly Harris disappeared from her home in Summit Township and was never seen again, authorities said. The case went cold.
Hugall was sentenced to serve 50 years in Alachua County, Florida, after he was convicted in 1993 of multiple counts of sexual battery by use of a deadly weapon, attempted capital sexual battery, armed burglary and grand theft, records show.
But while he was in prison, he confessed to killing his stepdaughter, authorities said.
Cold case detectives considered the case solved in 2006 without bringing forth charges at the time. But they said when Hugall finished serving his prison sentence in Florida, he would head back to Michigan to face prosecution in the 1984 incident.
Authorities said they learned Hugall sexually assaulted his stepdaughter before killing her and burying her body, The Gainesville Sun reported in 2007.
“Kelly Jean was like my friend, my buddy,” her mother, Carol Hugall, told MLive.com in 2009. “Kelly Jean and I were always together. I miss that. Where she was, I was.”
Records show the couple stayed married after the disappearance of the 13-year-old girl, but the mom said she eventually asked her husband what happened.
“I looked Len straight in the face and asked, ‘What did you do to her?’” she told the outlet. “All he did was bend down and tie his shoe. He got in the car and drove off like a bat out of hell.”
Their divorce was finalized in 1994, records show.
“This arrest demonstrates that time does not diminish our resolve,” Jackson County Sheriff Gary Schuette said. “Detective Sergeant Kelly Ebersole and Detective Mark Easter have shown relentless dedication on this case. Holding Hugall accountable after all these years is a testament to their commitment and to the fact that we never quit, no matter how long it takes.”
Jackson County is about an 80-mile drive west from Detroit.
This story was originally published August 15, 2025 at 6:18 PM with the headline "13-year-old vanished in 1984, Michigan cops say. Now stepdad arrested in Florida."