James Paul Kelly

A Perth man with no known ties to the Goldfields is found murdered and dumped under a tree in the remote mining town of Kambalda, sparking a decades-long mystery.

James Paul Kelly, a 51-year-old Aboriginal man from Perth, was found deceased on Sunday, 26 June 1977, near Emu Rocks, 14 kilometres west of the mining town of Kambalda in Western Australia. His body was discovered lying under a small tree, five metres off a well-worn track. At the time of his discovery, it was estimated that he had been deceased for at least six weeks, placing his death sometime between late April and mid-June 1977.

Mr. Kelly was known to live in Perth and had no fixed address, with his mail being sent to an address in Claremont. He was married and had one son. Police were puzzled by his presence in the Goldfields region, as he had no known connections to the area. The circumstances of his death are considered suspicious, and police believe that he was murdered at another location before his body was transported and left at the Emu Rocks site.

When found, Mr. Kelly was dressed in dark grey trousers rolled up to his knees, a blue belt, a brown jumper, a pink shirt, and a navy blue overcoat. He was barefoot. A search of the surrounding area by police uncovered a 'Leopard Skin' patterned sleeping bag nearby, although it is unknown if this item belonged to Mr. Kelly. The person or persons responsible for his murder have never been identified, and the case remains an unsolved homicide.