An appeal for the FBI to aid in the investigation and search for Kandi Green Gonzalez

While the FBI will typically assist only at the request of local law enforcement, it’s clear that there’s been a mishandling of Kandi Green Gonzalez’s case from the very beginning.

The first 48 hours after a person disappears are the most crucial, as with every passing hour, the likelihood of finding the person decreases. It took investigator’s 80+ hours to begin searching for Kandi Green Gonzalez following her disappearance.

On June 1st, 2021, 36-year-old Kandi Green Gonzalez disappeared from Prestonsburg, Kentucky. The day of her disappearance, Kandi was thrown out by her boyfriend of ~2 years, Jeff Blackburn. She was last seen on a property on Abbott Creek Road, where she asked for her mother to be called. Unfortunately, the call went to voicemail. Kandi, visibly distressed, was then seen running through the yard and into a creek.

Kandi’s family discovered her shoes in the creek the day following her disappearance. Despite being notified of this finding, the Kentucky State Police (KSP) did not collect the shoes. In fact, the KSP initially instructed the family to retrieve the shoes, disregarding that this could tamper with any potential evidence. It wasn’t until 3 days later, on Saturday, June 5th, that KSP came to gather the shoes. At this time, the KSP would also conduct their first search of the area. The area was searched for 30-45 minutes using a cadaver dog.

Following the search on Saturday, June 5th, Kandi’s family pleaded with the KSP and the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) to continue to search for Kandi. After receiving little aid from law enforcement, the family brought in independent Search and Rescue (SAR) teams and continued searching for Kandi themselves.

On June 19th, 17 days following her disappearance, the FCSO finally assisted in the search for Kandi. Not only was this 6-hour search conducted over 2 weeks after her disappearance, but it was also announced days in advance. After the search did not yield anything, Sheriff John Hunt described Kandi’s disappearance as, “just the weirdest thing in the world.” Hunt went on to mention that members of the community have called to explain that they’ve searched their own barns and homes, “to try to help us rule out places that we don’t have to go back and search.” While any and all community effort in finding Kandi is greatly appreciated, it’s expected that the FCSO thoroughly investigates her disappearance as a public safety agency.

While numerous, independent SAR organizations have offered to help the FCSO and the KSP with Kandi’s disappearance, it has been continually refused, along with aid from neighboring law enforcement. 

Help #bringKandihome