Kelsey Smith Briggs

Kathie Briggs

Kathie's Role

Kathie J. Briggs 

 
 

Dirty Little Secret by All American Rejects
Wayward Son by Kansas


Kathie Briggs is the paternal grandmother of Kelsey Smith Briggs. Although we have made attempts not to even mention the name, Kathie Briggs in our fight for Raye Dawn's freedom, it's impossible because many of us see Kathie Briggs as the main reason Raye Dawn is now in prison.

Kathie Briggs is the one who corresponded via email with Mike Porter (the man charged as the only suspect for who killed Kelsey), ignoring the fact that the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and district attorney, Richard Smothermon had already pressed charges against who killed Kelsey, Mike Porter.

Kathie Briggs started Kelsey's Purpose and used it as a tool to gain support and harass and threaten the district attorney, Richard Smothermon, and other public officials until Raye Dawn was charged with a crime. Kathie Briggs wanted "that little hussy in jail" and she wanted her in jail "for MURDER" and that's obvious from not only her words to Mike Porter but also her actions since Kelsey's death.

Kathie Briggs got what she wanted when Raye Dawn was sentenced and then she went after Gayla, Raye Dawn's mother, by passing out flyers around Gayla's neighborhood that accused Gayla of not taking proper care of Raye Dawn's dad when he was dying of cancer and accused Gayla of neglecting Kelsey. Kathie Briggs said on her forum that she wanted Gayla in prison, and she has her followers trying to put Gayla in prison to this day with bogus stories. I believe she has stated "one down, many more to go."


Our belief is that Kathie Briggs is the one who belongs in jail for neglecting Kelsey when Kelsey broke her legs at Kathie's home and she crawled for days with no medical attention and her weight and hair loss while in Kathie's care; for her conspiracy with Mike Porter to have Raye Dawn put in jail; her perjury on the stand during Raye Dawn's trial; and for making political and personal threats via her website.

No, we can't leave Kathie Briggs out of the mix because she IS THE REASON Raye Dawn is in prison and not grieving her child. Mike Porter, the one charged as who killed Kelsey, should have gone to trial and he should have been charged with sexual assault and at a minimum, homicide. It's my opinion that Kelsey died as a result of the sexual assault. Instead, Mike Porter is in prison for enabling child abuse, a prison somewhere protected and probably under a false identity and with a much lesser crime for his protection. He's under the protection of the district attorney as part of his plea, in our opinion. The district attorney protecting Mike Porter is the same district attorney that Kathie threatened if he didn't charge Raye Dawn with something. The excuse for the plea was that "Lance couldn't handle the trial" so they worked a plea deal for Mike. But what about Raye Dawn? Lance was certainly strong enough to handle her trial.

On 3-5-2006 Kathie said: "Our DA has already stated on camera his case against Mike Porter is strong."
 
 After Mike's plea a paper quoted: "If it wasn't for the Briggs family's desire to accept the agreement, Smothermon said he would have taken this case to trial."
 
 Kathie stated 3-5-2006: "We heard another rumor today that a deal could be made for the mother. This is not justice for Kelsey if that happens. It sends a very bad message for all who witness abuse and do nothing..."
 
 The only protecting I see being done is the protection of Mike Porter, the trashing of Raye Dawn, and the opportunity for Mike Porter to abuse more children. Anyone else see that?

Because of the plea, Mike Porter, the man charged with who killed Kelsey, will be out of prison when he's in his 50s and he'll be young enough to prey on other children and other single moms. Very few things have been said about him in Kathie Briggs' quest. We know very little about Mike Porter. We've been accused of not talking about him, but what's to say about a man who didn't go to trial and whose crime has been minimized by Kathie? We know nothing of him. Kathie put the focus completely on Raye Dawn while communicating with, offering rides to, and joking with the man who murdered Kelsey. She even sent at least 43 pictures of Kelsey to the man who sexually assaulted Kelsey for the billboard that he presumably purchased for Kathie's site, Kelsey's Purpose.

Mike Porter said to Lance Briggs' sister, Shirica in an email when he was pretending to be his sister, "If it wasn't for the picture of Kelsey on your site, I don't know what he would do." Creepy, sick, twisted, and disgusting! Then the Briggs sent him at least 43 more pictures! Come on!!!

Read Kathie Briggs SWORN deposition from August, 2009. Click on the following pdf files to open. They will pop up in a new window so allow the pop up.

Kathie Briggs deposition August 2009     Kathie Briggs deposition August 2009    Kathie Briggs Deposition August 2009

To our regret, we can't forget about Kathie in our quest to free Raye Dawn. (The first picture in the frame below has a long top so scroll down.)

 

kjbriggs
Kelsey's Grandma

elsey's Grandma
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RE: Where Was The Family During All Of This?

I can certainly understand why so many have questions about what did happen or what should have happened in this case. This story is so long and complicated it was very difficult to summarize it in my speech in front of the Capitol. Rarely did a day go by that someone in our large family was not contacting someone in our state for help. I also contacted people in positions to help all over the United States. I used many angles trying to get enough attention to get help. You mention the Governor, yes, he was contacted many times. One would think that he would have made an attempt to at least contact one of us with more than a form letter. His wife is the first cousin to Kelsey's paternal step-Grandpa. He contacted her several times begging for help. Our Governor is from the same home town as most of my family, and because this situation was not important to him he has lost many votes. You mention money, let me assure you we are just an average family. Yes, the media is covering a story and it is a business, but what would you suggest we do to get the story out there? It was not a dream of ours to put our family in the spot light of the media, but that is what we must do to focus attention on child abuse. As you follow this story I think you will find more answers to your questions and hopefully some changes can be made. We cannot get Kelsey back.  Our family could grieve in private and mourn her death and go back to our own lives, but our lives have forever been changed. We cannot go back, we can only go forward and we have chosen to take the road of change for the hundreds of other children in Kelsey's position. If we need to sit in front of cameras or write letters and answer questions we do so proudly. We fought for months for Kelsey and just because she is gone does not mean the fight for Kelsey is over. We might not be understood by all and we might get criticized from some, but we will still do what we feel is in our hearts is the only thing we can do. We appreciate all of the messages pro and con to our cause. We are happy to answer any questions and like you we are still looking for answers. I would much rather be swinging Kelsey on her swing set, but I cannot do that. I do not want to wait for another story like this one and wish I would have spoken out for change, one was too many for me. Thanks to all who take the time to read and respond, this is why we have this site. Please feel free to respond often.
Thank you,
Kathie Briggs

This post was last modified: 06-13-2006 05:47 PM by kjbriggs.

11-26-2005 08:46 AM

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Allow me to again remind everyone that Kathie GAVE UP her supervised visits with Kelsey in June, 2005 because she "didn't like what DHS was saying about her." She didn't see Kelsey again until the end of August after the car accident when she went to Ashley's and took pictures and video of Kelsey's injuries. Then Kathie and none of the rest of the Briggs family bothered to show up for the hearing on September 8th. Does it sound like Kathie and her family fought and did everything they could for Kelsey?

Kathie Briggs Kelsey's Purpose Foundation Who killed Kelsey

Kathie Briggs Kelsey's Purpose Foundation Who killed Kelsey

On December 5, 2005 Kathie stated, "I have heard nothing but good things from those who know Mike Porter. We were excited that Raye Dawn was dating someone that appeared stable. We wanted Kelsey to have two homes where she felt loved and secure. I did not know him, but I knew he had two children that he loved, so I never thought Kelsey would be in danger. "

 

In Kathie's speech at the Capitol in December, 2005 she stated, "We were also concerned with the new boyfriend and asked that he not be present during these visits." This was an untrue statement. The court order asked Mike Porter not be present, but clearly from Kathie's statement above she was excited about Raye Dawn dating Mike and she knowingly allowed Kelsey to visit Raye Dawn with Mike present. Why has nobody clued in on her constantly changing stories?

 

The confidential OCCY report states:

"The worker also documented concerns that the paternal grandmother was allowing visitation with the mother that was in violation of the court order, both in duration of the visits and Mr. Porter was living in the home with the mother.  The worker recommended that Kelsey remains in DHS custody and be placed outside the paternal grandmother’s home and in the mother’s home."

Kathie Briggs to Mike Porter in their January 20, 2006 email: "Once again let me say, you are young, you don’t have the guidance of your parents, and I am trying not to take advantage of that. Part of me has compassion for you and your situation and part of me thinks of how Kelsey lost because of actions you were either aware of or part of. I am not here to make you feel worse, I just know I want accountability. I don’t want my feelings for Raye and her family to overshadow my willingness to accept the fact that maybe they did nothing wrong."

Kathie Briggs to Mike Porter in their January 24, 2006 email: "First of all, I want Raye Dawn in jail and I want her charged with murder."

 

This is from the confidential OCCY report:

After months of reflection and review, the Lincoln County staff demonstrated an attitude of suspicion the paternal grandmother, Kathie Briggs. The OJSO has considered the possibility that the paternal grandparents were somehow involved in one or more of the incidents reported. Within this context, after examining the evidence and DHS case history the following alternatives must be considered:

a)      Ms. Briggs was the perpetrator of some of the incidents of abuse and child welfare failed to adequately investigate and document her involvement.

b)      Ms. Briggs was not the perpetrator, but, by her demeanor, persistence, and/or irritation, was able to  negatively influence DHS professional child welfare investigators so that her concerns were not properly investigated.

c)      DHS staff did not consider the danger to Kelsey significant to warrant a thorough investigation.

d)      DHS staff did not comprehensively review the case to consider the contextual evidence implicating a different perpetrator.

This was posted on Kathie's forum when it was SUPPOSED to shut down. I've highlighted the interesting parts. Again, it's about the fame for Kathie. Also, our forum has banned members that posted threatening statements toward the Briggs. We have not condoned any hatred or violence. The Briggs can't say the same. We've banned any member who seemed unstable or out of hand. Kathie is the one who put her family in the spotlight and she's the one who actively sought national attention. We didn't do that. So whatever attention Kathie is now getting, she's put herself out there for that. We have never cultivated the violence, threats, or stalking mentality that KP members have. We're not the same and would never threaten or blackmail anyone as KP members have and you can read on the Kathie's - Kelsey's Purpose page.

 

This was posted in March but Kelsey's Purpose has not shut down and Kathie is posting on other blogs and forums under a new alias. She's obviously not "done."

 

This message was posted after I posted the address for people to send their complaints to the IRS about what was going on at Kelsey's Purpose. Don't let this fool you. Kelsey's Purpose is still operating.

 

FYI - According to those who know, Jeanna lives on a main highway. She doesn't live in a neighborhood. Her driveway is approximately five acres to seven acres long and there is no way to see her back yard from the highway.

Date: Mar 31

 
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kjbriggs
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As you all know the past three years have taken a toll on us that no individual should ever experience. We did everything we could to do the right thing for us, for our members, and for Kelsey. Our private little world in Meeker, OK became a fish bowl for all to see and judge. In the process we gained strength by the new friendships that surrounded us. People that were willing to give of themselves in a way we never imagined. For that we will always be grateful and will never be able to repay.

I went from being the grandma that sews and takes pictures to the one on the news. I was in a world that most people only read about. Most don't realize I actually hate doing interviews and I don't like public speaking. But what I hated more was the wrong that had been done to our baby girl. As each reporter called wanting me to speak, as much as I wanted to, I never said "no". It wasn't about me, it was for Kelsey. I promised her justice and I promised her I would never shut up. That is a promise I will keep.

I have always been a trusting and sometimes naive person. A quality that has bitten me in the rear many times in the past two years. It now takes me longer to let people in my space. I learned our so called 'fame' brought out very peculiar people, some that only wanted to touch me. I know that sounds bizarre, but I am not kidding. I have been be friended by many that turned my trust around to use against me. I have been bashed beyond my wildest dreams. All the while our family continued to do what seemed to be the right thing. If I had a dime for everytime we said we have to take the high road I could afford the face lift I have been accused of spending KP donations for. One I rightfully deserve as my wrinkles multiply and my skins sags.

In the past few weeks our spirit for everyday life has dwindled. Our energy has been zapped from us as we try to handle every single situation. Even after stepping back and trying let others take over we are never really on a break. Each decision includes us as this site has Kelsey's name on it and it belongs to her. We tried making each of you apart of this group and hoped you all knew how important you were and are. We were strongly encouraged by many of you to obtain our own nonprofit status. A process that took weeks and much work on a select few. With that came the need to give out titles. Board members had to be selected and offices filled. There were not enough offices to go around. Being the people pleaser I am, I came up with the idea of the Title Committee. This would give each of us the opportunity to use our best quality on KP. To our family it did not matter what position you held or what title you wore, you were equally as important as a member of our group. This was not a business, but a group of friends.

All the while other problems surround us. Two weeks ago during spring break I was at Jeanna's with seven of my grandchildren. We were outside playing t-ball and then went around back to pick up limbs. Well,everyone, but two who considered it work. Making a game out of picking up limbs
was not something she was going to fall for. I soon noticed a white Explorer sitting straight across the highway from Jeanna's driveway. After being stalked several times before I had had enough. I literally walked across the highway and took down his tag number. While I was walking back, the children said they could see a lens pointed towards the house. He then pulled forward just enough to see the backyard. Then backed up to the original position. I made thechildren go into the house. This went on for approximately fifteen minutes while I have seven children reporting his every move as they peered out the window. He finally left about two minutes before Jeanna's husband could get to us. This is only one example of the stalking we have experienced, but this one was the most serious for the children.When you have a child tell you our family has a very interesting life and we are like the FBI it makes you wonder what you are doing to them.

Misinformed freaks are coming out of the wood work to trash the Briggs in their efforts to free Kelsey's mom. That on top of the threats and stalking make you wonder when they will no longer be threats and will become another tragedy. I can only imagine them doing a happy dance and taking credit for our decision, but in reality they had little input. Now they can focus more on their ultimate goal of freeing Kelsey's mom. In reality that is out of all our hands and our family will accept the decisions made by our judicial system.

Kelsey deserves more than the negativity that some have projected at an organization bearing her name and so do we. After a personal desire to step back we had to make a decision. We sat for hours talking about once again doing the right thing. This time the right thing had to put our family first. It wasn't easy and I was a hard sale. The final sales pitch so to speak was when Jeanna said Kelsey deserves to rest in peace. It was a major light bulb moment. We looked at each other and said,'Kelsey is done.' She did her work, she put a face to child abuse, she changed laws, she has saved children and now she needs to have peace. As long as her name is attached to this site the others will never let her rest. But we will. She deserves it and we are giving it to her. We will continue to honor her memory with an annual walk, the Hugs project,Kelsey Saturday and possibly the Toy Drive. We will continue to have Kelseyspurpose with resource information available. We will leave her story on KP, but we will no longer have a message board effective sometime in April. We will dissolve the 501c3 and will no longer be a group that only belongs to KP. Regardless of what you hear, the Attorney General's office has not nor have they ever shut us down. Our nonprofit status was not in jeopardy. This was a personal decision and no one forced our hand. We have made a family decision to take our lives back,to spend more time with our children who are still here on Earth. Kelsey would want that.

This is sad on many levels, but it can be a blessing in disguise if we allow it. Several have the desire to continue the efforts that Kelsey started. The main difference will be the name of the group. By taking Kelsey's name from the title we can be a group that does not tie itself with just one case, but includes all cases. A new group can flourishthe way KP has. Imagine a group titled "The Childen's Voice" orsomething similar. The title will represent all abused children.

My theory is if all of us are here for the children and really believein what we are doing we will continue. I hope we can continue doing this together. By taking Kelsey's name away we open the door to other families to feel their loved one is just as important. We can add other faces to child abuse such as Olivia, Letha, Logan, and many many more.
Kelsey's story can be a part of the site, but not the main focus. Look what our small group has already done, changing the name is not going to stop us from doing more.

So once again, this can be a blessing. The same work with a fresh start and a new name. One thing I am sure of is we made the right decision for us and for Kelsey. I am guilty of not putting my family first in many situations in the past two years. I felt I owed everyone outside of us everything I could give. Before I really do give everything I need to refocus and start giving back to my husband, children, and grandchildren while I still can.

Please do not feel I do not value each of you as a friend. I was thinking earlier this morning of something. I was thinking of the 'Footprints In The Sand'. When the footprints are missing it is because God carried you during the hardest times. Not only has God carried us through the hardest times, but in a sense you, our friends,have also carried us through those hard times. I cannot express enough how much you all mean to us. I spend more time with some of you than I do many members of our family. So please understand as I say again, this was not an easy decision.

One of Kelsey's favorite sayings was 'I done'. I think it is time to let her rest in peace.


 


If you live in Oklahoma, you've probably noticed that Fox still has Kathie on the news every chance she gets. Go to KOKH's website and click on Top Stories. They only keep stories on there for a couple of months, but with each turnover, you can believe Kathie or Lance are there.

Who thinks that a "life most people only dream of" would occur after your grandchild was raped and murdered? Kathie stated since Kelsey's death she's "lived a life most people only dream of." Did she mean to say "have nightmares about"? That's the life the Smiths are living.

 

Summary of each participants recommendations made at the judicial proceedings (This is documented in the State files for the June, 2005 hearing.) DHS Child Welfare Treatment Worker -

A DHS child welfare treatment worker appeared on behalf of the respondent mother. The worker recommended that the child remain in her present placement [with maternal grandmother] and continued visitation as present. The placement with the mother would be phased in following services provided by Community Home Based Services (CHBS).

When asked, Is there any indication that the child may be returned to [the paternal grandmother's] home through your recommendation?

The treatment worker responded, Not through our recommendation, no.


The following is a statement from the paternal grandmother, Kathie Briggs:

"I can tell you without a doubt the DHS workers DID NOT testify that Kelsey should not be returned to me. If that discussion took place it was outside the courtroom and ethically should not be considered in a court of law."

 

What about the Smiths?
Didn't they lose Kelsey too?
Not according to Kathie.
She'd rather ask for prayers for the man
who sexually assaulted and murdered Kelsey.

 

 

Keep in mind, this is coming from a woman who gave up her kids for two years after saying, "If you don't take them I'll kill them." According to witnesses, she had to be reminded to visit them while in foster care and she borrowed money and rides when people would convince her to visit.

kjbriggs
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            We appreciate every opportunity to get Kelsey's story out.
 She is a very special little girl and we are happy to share her. We wish  it was under different circumstances. When she won Miss Personality in her pageant I thought she was destined for great things. I still think she can bring great things even with a tragic story. I miss her every single day and some are harder than others. Today is one of those days especially when I heard the song "One More Day". I would give most anything to have one more day with Kelsey. I know her Daddy deserved to have at the very least one more day. He left his child here in the hands of her mother while he went to war. She should have been protected. She should never have had the first bruises that brought the system in her life. She should have gotten up each day to do what little girls like to  do. Not having pictures taken of marks or going to the DHS office. This little girl should have been with a loving mother that raised her to  love both sides of her family. She should have been with a mother that had her best interest first at all times. She should have been raised by a mother that could notice if there were problems with the man in her life. If not at first, then after the first court hearing, or the second one. If she honestly believed the paternal family was at fault then Kelsey deserved a mother that could determine they were not the perpetrators when they were not in the picture.
        Today I feel more bitter than some days. I could go on and on with who failed her and how. I just wish that those people would take some responsibility for their lack of action to save her. They all know who they are and I hope that each night when they go to bed they see that precious face. I hope they are filled with guilt. I know that may sound hateful and not at all how the "Amish" would feel, but that is how I feel today. People keep telling me they will all get "theirs". The problem is people who allow a child to die will not know when they "get theirs". They do not know remorse, they do not know guilt, they do not know responsibility. They only know blame and that blame is on everyone but themselves. It has been more than a year and still the people that allowed Kelsey to be abused and brutally murdered feel sorry for only themselves.

 

kjbriggs
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            There have been numerous updates since the summary was written. I hope to update it in the near future. I plan to add another forum of frequently asked questions. At this time the stepfather has agreed to a 30 year plea agreement. It was a hard decision to make, but  there are plus sides to accepting a plea. It illiminates the possibility for parole.
            Kelsey's mother was found guilty of enabling child abuse and received 27 years. The jury wanted to charge her with murder and child abuse, but that was not an option. She has filed for a new trial and if for some reason that happened
it would give the prosecutor the option of adding charges including murder. Once the appeal for the new trial is over she will then be able to file numerous appeals for the conviction.  It is sad this family is forced to spent thousands and thousands of dollars for something that could have had such a different outcome. I still say if I were in their shoes I would do the same for my loved one. It is out of our hands at this time and we are always ready to accept the next step. We have a great family and so much support on this site that we feel blessed regardless of the outcome.

 

This was posted just weeks after Kelsey's death. This post has nothing to do with Kelsey, it's all about the media and the attention Kathie was getting.


kjbriggs
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    You have to love modern technology. Many years ago this effort would never have gotten off the ground. Here I sit in a small town of 900 in middle America and we are able to share thoughts and feelings around the world.

I will never forget the day we were working to have our own funeral service for Kelsey. Lance, Royce, my brother-in-law Terry, and I went to speak to an attorney. While we were gone we had several people here at the house to man the phones. If we had not all have cell phones I don't know what we would have done. We met with the District Attorney and the Sheriff that day and once we got the go ahead on the service all four of us were on a cell phone making arrangements. We had two hours to go to the funeral home, put the obituary in the news paper and to contact the media for a service the following morning at 10:00. Once that was done we had to contact family and friends to let them know of the new plan. I know there were many people here in Meeker and the surrounding area that did not know our service was first and went to the Smith service that afternoon. We still managed to have around 250 people come to pay their respects to Kelsey.

The phone calls still came in for days and even weeks. We had to add a new line in our house to answer them all. I remember one night I checked the caller ID and  saw that we had received 50 phone calls in less than four hours and that did not include our cell phones. We could not keep up some days. We had people over daily just to help with the messages. We were very blessed by so many people and the support we were given and we still are. So thank you all for thinking of Kelsey and in her name helping other children.

It is a priviledge to have people from all over the world join us.

Read more about Kathie and her efforts against Raye on the Kelsey's Purpose page