Melissa Highsmith Part 2: A Delicate Thread Unraveled
The Vanished Podcast21 Nov 2022

Melissa Highsmith Part 2: A Delicate Thread Unraveled

Last week, we brought you the first part of Melissa Highsmith’s story. On August 23, 1971, 21-month-old Melissa was abducted by a woman who responded to a classified ad her mother placed in the local newspaper. Or, at least, that’s the story that Melissa’s mother and roommate told police when they reported her missing. Was Melissa really abducted by this woman calling herself Ruth Johnson, or was there more to the story? And that’s just the beginning of the 50-year-old stone-cold mystery we’ve been chipping away at.

UPDATE: In September, the Highsmith family contacted us about covering Melissa Highsmith’s story. We interviewed multiple family members for a two-episode series. We were already aware of possible DNA connections when the episodes aired, but we held that information in confidence at the family’s request. When the Highsmith family notified us of the DNA matches found on a commercial DNA testing website in late October, we connected them with a family member of another missing person we covered this year, Lisa Jo Schiele. You may remember her from the Barb Cotton series. Lisa Jo Schiele is a clinical laboratory scientist and amateur genealogist. We felt that Lisa’s expertise in the area could possibly assist the Highsmith family in finding Melissa. We also notified law enforcement before the episodes aired that one family member had impersonated law enforcement by their own admission to us and that we had a professional due diligence to notify law enforcement in the event this family member attempted to contact any of the then-unknown DNA matches.

Days after our series aired, the news broke that the family believed they had located Melissa. We are always very grateful and happy to learn that a missing person has been found alive and safe, so we were thrilled to see the news that Lisa Jo Schiele had helped the Highsmith family find a woman they believe to be Melissa. The Fort Worth Police Department released the following statement: “The Fort Worth Police Department (FWPD) is overjoyed to hear about how the Highsmith’s use of 23andme led them to Melissa. The Fort Worth Police Department will be conducting official DNA testing to confirm Melissa’s identity, and the department will provide an update once the official results have come in. The FWPD Major Case Unit will be working with the Highsmith family to continue the investigation into Melissa’s disappearance. Even though the criminal statute of limitations expired 20 years after Melissa’s 18th birthday, the Fort Worth Police Department is committed to completing this investigation to uncover all of the available information concerning Melissa’s abduction that occurred 51 years ago.” We hope this decades-old cold case will be solved and look forward to what the police investigation reveals about the many questions that remain unanswered. We will wait for confirmation from law enforcement before commenting any further. We will always uphold the confidence of the families who entrust us with information, just as we did in Melissa’s case. We thank you all for continuing to share your treasured and much-loved missing family members with us. We are eternally grateful.

In May of 2023, the Fort Worth Police Department announced that DNA testing confirmed Melissa's identity. Despite the fact that the statute of limitations has expired, they asked that anyone with information please come forward.

If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.

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Episoder(537)

Jacob Tipton

Jacob Tipton

24 year-old Jacob Tipton was last seen in Berea, Kentucky on April 23, 2016. Two weeks later, his vehicle was found over two hours away, abandoned in a cemetery in rural Hart County, Kentucky. Jacob's mom, Tonja, spoke with me for this episode.Update- On March 17, 2020, one of Jacob's family members posted that his remains have been recovered. No other information is available at this time.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

18 Sep 201640min

Vernon "Cody" Matthews

Vernon "Cody" Matthews

Cody headed to Pollock Pines, California for his college summer break. When he got there, he found that the cabin had been robbed. He last spoke with his mom on June 6, 2014 right before heading out for a hike. A massive search began the next day but no trace of Cody has ever been found. His parents moved to Pollock Pines to search for him and tragically, their home was destroyed in a fire just three months later, on Cody's 24th birthday. Cody's parents, Vern and Cyndi, shared their story with me for this episode. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

11 Sep 201653min

Deanne Hastings

Deanne Hastings

Deanne Hastings vanished from Spokane, Washington on November 4, 2015. I interviewed her brother, Carson, for this episode. Deanne's story is full of bizarre twists and turns. Was she drugged and kidnapped like she claimed to grocery store employees? A man is currently incarcerated for using her credit cards after her disappearance but Deanne is still missing. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

5 Sep 201635min

Janteyl Danielle Johnson

Janteyl Danielle Johnson

Janteyl was 15 and pregnant when she disappeared from her home in Newark, Delaware on February 3, 2010. Did she run away? Did someone have a motive to make her vanish? I interviewed Claudia Rivero who covered Janteyl's disappearance for NBC10 back in 2010. She is currently making a documentary called "Where is Janteyl?" You can find more information at whereisjanteyl.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

1 Sep 201642min

George Tony Sandoval

George Tony Sandoval

George Sandoval vanished from the M Resort in Henderson, Nevada on Sunday, June 21, 2015. He was last seen on surveillance footage in an elevator around 4:30AM. George was in a relationship with Treigh Imsand when he disappeared. Treigh spoke with me about the circumstances surrounding George's disappearance.2020 Update- It was announced on January 20, 2020 that George's remains have recovered. No other information is available at this time. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

24 Aug 20161h 4min

Mitchel Weiser and Bonnie Bickwit

Mitchel Weiser and Bonnie Bickwit

Mitchel and Bonnie left Narrowsburg, NY on July 27, 1973. They had planned to hitchhike to Watkins Glen, NY to see Summer Jam. Summer Jam was a concert that featured The Allman Brothers Band, The Grateful Dead and The Band. It is estimated that between 600,000 and 800,000 people attended the show. The two teens never made it back home to Brooklyn. Did they even make it to the concert? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

18 Aug 201640min

Edward "John" Abeyta

Edward "John" Abeyta

John Abeyta disappeared on June 29, 2016 just 12 hours after he had gotten into a serious automobile accident just outside of Rocky Ford, Colorado. I interviewed his wife, Martha, and cousin, Leora to gain more insight into John's actions leading up to and after the accident. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

11 Aug 201621min

Delano Wilson

Delano Wilson

On August 27, 2014, six-week old Delano Wilson vanished from Indianapolis, Indiana. His father called 911 and told a story of how he was robbed at gun-point and the perpetrators took off with Delano. Extensive searches were conducted but no trace of Delano has ever been found. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

7 Aug 201638min

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