Cold Case Victim from 1988 Would Have Been 48 Years Old on Monday

SAN ANGELO, TX — A 1988 cold case of two murdered San Angelo teens is remembered each year on March 26.  

Sally McNelly would have been 48 years old today if she did not meet her unexpected end of her life on July 4, 1988. Sally Ann McNelly and Shane Paul Stewart were murdered that day in a double homicide. On her birthday every year, Sally’s family and friends place flowers on her grave and release balloons in memory of the young women who was gone to soon.

Bridy Joiner, a friend of Sally McNelly, brought flowers to the gravesite and said her prayers for the friend she lost. “I have already forgiven whoever it was, but I will never forget,” said Bridy.

Sally’s cousin Ralph Jones was there also. “We all just want to know why, many people in my family have died without any closure, just Why?” asked Jones.

Lieutenant Terry Lowe with the Tom Green County Sheriff’s Office is the lead investigator on this cold case. “We get one shot to get someone in the court room, so we are gathering everything necessary so all parties are held accountable for this horrible act,” said Lowe. “This case is a big reason I am still doing what I do. I want to see this come to an end for the family of these two kids. Thirty years is too long.”   

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Above: Lieutenant Terry Lowe with the Tom Green County Sheriff’s Office

Sally McKelly and Shane Stewart were last seen watching a fireworks display at Lake Nasworthy in San Angelo. Lake Rangers discovered Stewart’s 1980 Chevrolet Camaro parked by O.C. Fisher Reservoir several miles away from Lake Nasworthy. 

Stewart and KcNelly’s bodies were discovered in close proximity to one another near Twin Buttes Reservoir in November 1988. DPS officials later revealed that both had died of gunshot wounds.

“I believe the person who did this could be reading or watching this right now,” said Bridy. “Or someone who knows something about what happened that night.”

For more stories on the cold case, follow this link.

If you believe to have any information on this case you are encouraged to contact Terry Lowe at the Tom Green County Sheriff’s Office at (325) 655-8111.