The Justice Files: The disappearance of Baby Acacia Pt. 3

*STOP: This is part 3. Scroll down to watch parts 1 and 2 before watching this piece.*

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 Utah) – It doesn’t appear Kelly Lodmell will be released from a mental facility any time soon.

In 2003, she faced murder charges for the death of her grand-daughter Acacia Bishop. But after several evaluations, a federal judge dismissed the murder charge and found her not guilty by reason of insanity.

In 2005, she was ordered to serve an undetermined time at a mental facility within a Texas prison.

Linda Lodmell the great-grandmother of Acacia and mother of Kelly still holds out hope that she will one day learn the truth.

“I want to go before I leave this earth because I want some answers that I know Kelly will give them to me,” said Linda Lodmell.

Specifically, what did her daughter do to the 18-month old? Kelly also happened to be Acacia’s grandmother.

In 2003, Kelly was staying at her mother’s home near Murray when baby Acacia disappeared.
The two were later seen at a hydroelectric plant in Idaho.

RELATED: Where is baby Acacia?

Authorities said Kelly plunged into the water with baby Acacia. She survived but Acacia was never founnd.
Back then Idaho police told reporters what they learned of the incident.

“We have information and reason to believe that she intentionally jumped into the river in an attempt to commit suicide and kill the baby as well,” the officer told reporters.

Kelly Lodmell who had a history of mental illness was arrested and charged with Acacia’s murder.
But family members believed that. They were puzzled why the grates never stopped Acacia from floating into the Snake River. Linda Lodmell as well as Acacia’s parents believed Kelly sold Acacia to a man who some witnesses claimed was with Kelly. But police never confirmed that information.

In some circles, Acacia’s listed as missing and even created an age progression image of what shemay look like today.

Kelly is still at the medical facility inside a Texas prison. The judge did not set a time as to when she would be released.

A medical evaluation in 2004 found her “psycotic and shizophrenic.”

Her mother doesn’t agree with those findings.

“She was competent because she had a memory, she had a good memory, she was smart in school but she was a loner,” said Linda Lodmell.

She blamed Kelly’s problems with the trauma she faced growing up. She lost two brothers and Kelly took one of the deaths very had, according to her mother.
The mental evaluation also noted that she never overcame the fact that her own mother took away one of Kelly’s infants. The report also stated Kelly was sexually abused by a family members and her own father was schizophrenic and an alcoholic.

In that same report, doctors said Kelly is dangerous without her medication which she habitually refused to take.
In 1999, she shot at a neighbor but doctors said she had no memory of it.

The most recent evaluation filed with the court in 2017 remains sealed.
Her attorney, Fred Metos said nothing’s changed with Kelly. He said he could not disclose what the evaluation found but indicated Kelly is not being released.

“She was clearly having command verbal hallucinations and my experience in dealing with people that are mentally ill … those are the people that present the greatest danger,” said Metos. “They think they’ve got somebody telling them what to do.”

Over the years, Kelly wrote letter after letter to her mother. She adds detailed artwork to every letter and envelope. Kelly mainly focuses on life back home.

“(This is) another chance to say how blessed I am especially to have you in my life,” wrote Kelly. “I pray for Cody (brother) every night and I am sorry for the way things have happened.”

That is as close as Kelly gets to writing about baby Acacia.

“And when she says that well I know who she is relating to,” said her mother.

For nearly 11-years, mother and daughter didn’t communicate. Linda Lodmell has never visited her daughter since Kelly was taken away in 2005.

But she said time heals.

“I basically forgave her because again, you don’t know how long you’re down here,” Linda Lodmell said. “I got to forgive her even though I love that baby so, so much.”

Linda Lodmell said she wants to visit Kelly in Texas but money for the flight is an issue.
She said she truly believes Kelly will tell her the truth if only she can get to Texas.

“The mystery is what did you do Kelly?” said her mother. “Did you drown that baby? Did you sell it to someone to take that baby?”