Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Welcome to Porchlight International for the Missing & Unidentified. We hope you enjoy your visit.


You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.


Join our community!


If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
Melanson,Melanie missing October 27,1989; Massachusetts
Topic Started: Aug 18 2006, 08:31 PM (1,777 Views)
oldies4mari2004
Unregistered

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/m/melanson_melanie.html
Quote Post Goto Top
 
oldies4mari2004
Unregistered

Melanie Melanson


Left: Melanson, circa 1989;
Right: Age-progression to age 29 (circa 2003)


Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance

Missing Since: October 27, 1989 from Woburn, Massachusetts
Classification: Endangered Missing
Date of Birth: November 1, 1974
Age: 14 years old
Height and Weight: 5'3, 105 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Blonde hair, blue eyes. When she was last seen, Melanson had braces on her teeth.


Details of Disappearance

Melanson was last seen on the evening of October 27, 1989, at a party in Woburn, Massachusetts. She walked into the woods with six boys. The boys returned but she did not. Melanson did not take any personal belongings with her when she vanished. Police originally thought she had run away to Florida, but they are now investigating other theories with regards to her disappearance.
In August 1992, an anonymous telephone caller told police to look for Melanson's body in an area pond. Investigators did search the pond, but found no evidence connected to her case. Melanson was in her freshman year at high school when she disappeared. Police believe she was the victim of foul play and is still in the general area. Her case remains unsolved.



Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Woburn Police Department
781-933-1212



Source Information
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
Missing Person Kristi O'Pry
NewsLibrary
The Doe Network



Updated 3 times since October 12, 2004.

Last updated April 5, 2005.

Charley Project Home
Quote Post Goto Top
 
oldies4mari2004
Unregistered

me.jpg
Attached to this post:
Attachments: melanson_melanie.jpg (7.11 KB)
Quote Post Goto Top
 
Ell
Member Avatar
Heart of Gold
[ *  *  * ]
Missing Teen's Family Pleads For InformationWOBURN (WBZ) ¯

WBZ

Twenty years after Melanie Melanson disappeared after a party in the woods with a group of friends in Woburn, her family and police are trying to dig up new leads in the cold case.

Melanie was about to turn 15 years old when she disappeared on Oct. 27, 1989.

Now, her family has announced a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the recovery of her body.

"My niece, Melanie, was a beautiful compassionate person," said Mary Ann Maciulli. "There has not been a day in the last 20 years we have not thought about Melanie."

The reward is being offered by the Carole Sund/Carrington Memorial Reward Foundation, which is committed to raising awareness to the issue of missing persons who have gone under suspicious circumstances.

The district attorney's office and Woburn police are actively searching for the teen. They say they have new information in the case that they hope will lead to her recovery.

"We will be interviewing and reinterviewing everyone who was with her that night," said Middlesex County District Attorney Gerry Leone. "Most are still alive in the Woburn and the surrounding areas."

Melanie disappeared in a wooded area near 2 Henshaw Avenue where a party was taking place. Melanie was last seen with two males from the neighborhood.

"They were here just partying together. But the sad reality was Melanie never went home that night," Leone said. "Melanie has never been found."

"Since Melanie disappeared, we lost her mother, father and grandparents. They all died without knowing what happened to Melanie," Maciulli said.

There were rumors that the girl had fallen and bumped her head and the fellow teens didn't realize she was gone.

So was it foul play or an accident?

Investigators aren't making any assumptions, but they believe she never made it made it out of the woods that night. Her body has not been found.

"There are people who were with Melanie on the night of her disappearance," Maciulli said. "There have been people who have heard things about her disappearance since that day there are people with information to help us find Melanie."

Gloria Guarracino says she is still haunted by the disappearance of her childhood friend.

"This isn't supposed to happen to people you love," she said. "It makes me cry. It's sad."

Like an eerie voice from the grave, Melanie's family has posted a page on MySpace in the girl's words, saying, "I would be 32 years old today. I've been missing since the evening of October 27, 1989."

Her friends and family hope the social networking site and the reward will breathe some life into the case, hoping that someone, somewhere knows something about her disappearance.
http://wbztv.com/local/Melanie.Melanson.mi....2.1003106.html
Ell

Only after the last tree has been
cut down;
Only after the last fish has been
caught;
Only after the last river has been
poisoned;
Only then will you realize
that money cannot be eaten.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Ell
Member Avatar
Heart of Gold
[ *  *  * ]
http://z13.invisionfree.com/PorchlightUSA/...showtopic=15785
Attached to this post:
Attachments: AAA.jpg (6.91 KB)
Ell

Only after the last tree has been
cut down;
Only after the last fish has been
caught;
Only after the last river has been
poisoned;
Only then will you realize
that money cannot be eaten.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
monkalup
Member Avatar
The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
[ *  *  * ]
http://multimedia.wbz.com/m/video/22228485...htm?seek=51.279
video at link
Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
monkalup
Member Avatar
The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
[ *  *  * ]
http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_..._looking_1.html
Back to front page Text size – + Police search Woburn woods in probe of girl's 1989 disappearance
E-mail|Link|Comments (3) September 24, 2009 07:47 PM
By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

WOBURN -– State and Woburn police today searched a wooded area along the banks of the Aberjona River, a short distance from where a 14-year-old Woburn High School student disappeared nearly 20 years ago, as part of what authorities would only describe as an "ongoing investigation," according to a source with knowledge of the investigation.




Melanie Melanson


Melanie Melanson has not been seen since Oct. 27, 1989 when she was with friends in the heavily wooded area near Interstate 93 that was, and still is, a teenage hangout. According to her family, she was five days shy of her 15 birthday.

Corey Welford, spokesman for Middlesex District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr., would neither nor confirm nor deny that investigators have resumed searching for Melanson's remains, something they have done periodically over the years, but said state and Woburn police are acting as part of an "ongoing investigation."

One of Melanson’s aunts, MaryAnn Masciulli, said in a telephone interview that she was not aware of any renewed effort to find her niece. But she stressed that prosecutors and police have a long-standing agreement with her family – they only provide information when they have "something concrete" to share.

“When it’s something concrete and they are sure of it, they will contact us,’’ Masciulli said.

Melanson's parents have both died as did the grandmother who was caring for the teen at the time of her disappearance. In the interview, Masciulli said that part of the pain her family continues to feel lies in not knowing what happened to her.

"We can't have the funeral and get some closure," said Masiculli, who believes Melanson is dead.

She added, "Just say a prayer for us that we can finally find her and give her the resting place that deserves. That's our goal."

In May, Masciulli joined Leone in the woods near where Melanson disappeared, where the prosecutor announced that $5,000 in reward money was available to help solve the case. Welford would neither confirm nor deny whether the search now underway grew out of a tip provided by someone seeking to claim the reward money.

The search on the grounds of what is now a subsidiary of Kraft Foods, but was then known as the American Gelatin plant, got underway on Wednesday, according to the source. The area being searched is at the rear of the sprawling parcel on Hill Street, off Montvale Avenue and just one block off Interstate 93.

The Kraft parcel, including nearly an acre of densely wooded land, totals nearly 59 acres, according to Woburn town records. A security guard at the entrance of the Kraft factory said the company was not permitting the media onto their property and referred questions to Leone’s office.
Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
monkalup
Member Avatar
The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
[ *  *  * ]
Reward posted in 1989 disappearance of Woburn girl

A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the recovery of the body of a Woburn teen who disappeared nearly 20 years ago.
Prosecutors, police and members of Melanie Melanson’s family will announce the reward Wednesday at the site where the girl was last seen alive.
Melanson was five days short of her 15th birthday when she disappeared on Oct. 27, 1989, following a party in the woods with a group of friends.

Police and the Middlesex District Attorney’s office say they continue to conduct an active investigation in the case.

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/reg...osition=recent
Attached to this post:
Attachments: melanie.jpg (17.87 KB)
Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
monkalup
Member Avatar
The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
[ *  *  * ]
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachus..._proper_burial/
She deserves proper burial
Melanie Melanson, who has been missing since October of 1989.

By Yvonne Abraham
Globe Columnist / May 6, 2009
Email|Print|Reprints|Yahoo! Buzz|ShareThisText size – + WOBURN - The night Melanie Melanson disappeared, she was in the woods at the edge of an unlovely industrial park, hanging out with friends.

She was a freshman at Woburn High, an occasionally troubled almost-15-year-old being raised by her grandmother, Big Irene, and her aunts. They all adored her, and she adored them right back. Even her alcoholic parents came through sometimes: Her father was about to take her shopping for a leather jacket for her birthday. She had plenty to go home to.

On that Friday night some 20 years ago, the kids, about a dozen in all, drank and smoked and messed around the way teenagers often do. For all anyone knows, they spent the hours talking earnestly about the future.

Melanie's future ended that night. There has been no trace of her since Oct. 27, 1989. Her grandmother died without knowing what had become of her. And though her aunt, Maryann Masciulli, would still rush to the location of even the unlikeliest supposed sightings, she knows this in her heart: Melanie was murdered.

"I know somebody has taken my beautiful little niece and tossed her away like a piece of trash somewhere," she says.

The place where Melanie's friends last saw her, on the banks of the Aberjona River, is a thick tangle of bushes now. These days, Woburn high-schoolers party in a big clearing downstream.

The kids who gathered in these woods the night Melanie disappeared graduated, grew up, and had kids of their own. At least one of them knows something.

Initially, police thought Melanie might have run away. She had before. But in the past, she would eventually call to let her aunt know she was OK. She didn't call this time. She had no extra clothes with her.

And the two boys left in the woods with her at the end of that night initially told conflicting stories. Each said the other was the last to see Melanie.

One of them told police he had left Melanie standing alone at the head of the trail in the early hours that Saturday. He didn't give her a ride home on his motorbike, he said, because he had only one helmet.

She was only about a mile from home.

Detectives brought dogs and police recruits to the woods to search for her.

In Woburn, rumors abounded. People seemed to see Melanie everywhere: in passing cars; at a dance in a bowling alley. Somebody told Masciulli that Melanie was staying at a three-decker in Somerville: Her aunt rushed over and sat outside the house in her car for seven hours, hoping her niece would appear. She never did.

Eventually, Masciulli started trying to live her own life again. Her obsession with finding Melanie was robbing her children of their mother. She let the police run down the rumors, which eventually ran dry.

Detectives still visit the two men who saw Melanie last. Neither they, nor any of the people who surrounded her that night, have come forward with information that might lead to her remains.

That's all Masciulli wants now.

"She deserves to be found," she says, sobbing. "She deserves a decent burial."

After two decades, Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone is beginning a new push to find Melanie. Today, on the edge of the woods where Melanie was last seen, Leone, Woburn police, and Masciulli plan to ask, again, for somebody to do the right thing. They're offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads them to her remains.

There are a lot of unsolvable mysteries out there for which there are no real leads and no hope. This isn't one of them.

Maybe there were people in the woods that night who have information they don't know is important. Or maybe they have been living with an awful secret all these years.

It's time to search their memories, and their consciences.

It's time to bring Melanie home.

Yvonne Abraham is a globe columnist. her e-mail address is abraham@globe.com.

If you have information on Melanie Melanson's disappearance, call the Woburn Police Department at 781-933-1212 x853 or State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office at 781-897-6650.

© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.
Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
monkalup
Member Avatar
The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
[ *  *  * ]
http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_...oburn_wood.html
The Woburn woods where Melanie Melanson disappeared
May 6, 2009 03:32 PM
By Globe Staff

On Oct. 27, 1989, a high school freshman named Melanie Melanson walked into these woods in Woburn and disappeared.
Melanie Melanson
It was a Friday night, five days before Melanson's 15th birthday. She went out that night with other high schoolers to a party in the woods at the edge of an industrial park near the Stoneham town line. Melanson remained with a group of five friends until the early morning hours. She vanished, however, and was never heard from again.

A search followed that included cadaver dogs, dive teams in local waters, and repeated ground searches by local police. No one ever found Melanson.

Globe Columnist Yvonne Abraham wrote about Melanson today because Middlesex District Attorney Gerald T. Leone is beginning a new push to find her. The district attorney's office held a press conference at the edge of these woods to announce a $5,000 reward for information that leads authorities to her remains.

“Nearly 20 years ago, Melanie Melanson went into these woods behind me with a group of friends,” Leone said in a press release. “She was never seen again. We are asking the public’s help in finding Melanie as part of our continuing efforts to determine the circumstances of her death."

If you have information on Melanie Melanson's disappearance, call the Woburn Police Department at 781-933-1212 x853 or State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office at 781-897-6650.
Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
monkalup
Member Avatar
The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
[ *  *  * ]
http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional...vc=next_article
District Attorney mum on search for girl
By Laurel J. Sweet
Friday, September 25, 2009 - Added 11h ago
+ Recent Articles + Email + Bio

Award-winning court and crime reporter Laurel J. Sweet has been featured in the ABC miniseries "Boston 24/7" and the 9-11 documentary motion picture "Looking For My Brother."
E-mail Print (0) Comments Text size Share Buzz up!Authorities played it close to the vest yesterday as to why they were excavating woods at the General Foods plant off Interstate 93 in Woburn, but sources told the Herald the search is for the body of a 15-year-old girl reported missing 20 years ago.

Jessica Venezia, spokeswoman for Middlesex District Attorney Gerard Leone, declined questions last night on Melanie Melanson, saying only that the dig is “part of an investigation being conducted by our office, state police and Woburn police.”

The search is expected to resume today.

In May, Leone’s office announced a $5,000 reward for information leading to the discovery of Melanson’s remains. The Woburn High freshman vanished Oct. 28, 1989, while out partying.

Two boys she was friends with were the last to see her alive, investigators have previously said.

Melanie was 5 feet, 3 inches tall, weighed 105 pounds and had blond hair and blue eyes. She also had braces on her teeth.

Anyone with information about her disappearance is urged to call Woburn police at 781-933-1212, ext. 853, or state police assigned to Leone’s office at 781-897-6650. Melanie’s parents have since died. Other relatives could not be reached for comment last night. In May, her aunt, Maryann Masciulli, appealed to the public.

“Since Melanie disappeared,” she said, “we have lost her mother, we have lost her father and we have lost her grandparents, who loved her so much. They all died without knowing what happened to Melanie.”


Attached to this post:
Attachments: woods.jpg (37.37 KB)
Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
monkalup
Member Avatar
The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
[ *  *  * ]
River Searched For Girl Who Vanished In 1989
Melanie Melanson Last Seen In Woburn In 1989
POSTED: 5:38 pm EDT September 24, 2009
UPDATED: 6:33 pm EDT September 24, 2009

WOBURN, Mass. -- Local police have reopened the investigation into the disappearance of a Woburn teenager 20 years ago.

River Searched For Girl Who Vanished In 1989

The Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab were digging for evidence at the Kraft Foods plant in Woburn on Thursday. They were looking for clues in the 1989 disappearance of Melanie Melanson, 14, who vanished after a night of partying with friends.

She was last seen in October 1989 in the woods behind a Woburn industrial park near the Kraft plant.

On Thursday, an excavation crew cleared trees along the Aberjona River and prepared the site for digging.

"It's a little strange. Not everyday somebody goes looking for a missing body," said Earl Evans, who works in the industrial park.

This past May, Melanie's aunt, Maryann Masciulli, made a public appeal for help in solving the mystery.

"We are asking for help to bring back her body for a proper burial," she said.

A $5,000 reward is being offered for information in the case.

"Everyday we live without her, and we want her rest in peace," Masciulli said. Copyright 2009 by TheBostonChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/21107293/detail.html
Attached to this post:
Attachments: 05616f5dce_Melanson_09252009.jpg (86.33 KB)
Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
monkalup
Member Avatar
The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
[ *  *  * ]
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachus...girl_continues/
20 years later, search for girl continues
Police reportedly scour Woburn site
Police believe Melanie Melanson was last seen in woods near the Aberjona River in Woburn. (Bill Greene/Globe Staff)
By John R. Ellement
Globe Staff / September 25, 2009
E-mail this article To: Invalid E-mail address Add a personal message: Your E-mail: Invalid E-mail address Sending your articleYour article has been sent.
E-mail|Print|Reprints|Yahoo! Buzz|ShareThisText size – + WOBURN - State and Woburn police were searching a wooded area yesterday along the Aberjona River, a short distance from where a 14-year-old Woburn High School student disappeared nearly 20 years ago, said a source with knowledge of the investigation.

Melanie Melanson has not been seen since Oct. 27, 1989, when she was with friends in the heavily wooded area near Interstate 93 that was, and still is, a teenage hangout. According to her family, she was five days shy of her 15th birthday.

Corey Welford, spokesman for Middlesex District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr., would neither confirm nor deny that investigators have resumed searching for Melanie’s remains, something they have done periodically over the years, but said the investigation is ongoing.

One of Melanie’s aunts, MaryAnn Masciulli, said in a telephone interview that she was not aware of any renewed effort to find her niece. But she stressed that prosecutors and police have a longstanding agreement with her family; they only provide information when they have solid information to share.

“When it’s something concrete and they are sure of it, they will contact us,’’ Masciulli said.

Melanie’s parents have both died, as did the grandmother who was caring for the teenager at the time of her disappearance. In the interview, Masciulli said part of the pain her family continues to feel lies in not knowing what happened to her.

“We can’t have the funeral and get some closure,’’ said Masciulli, who believes that Melanie is dead.

She added, “Just say a prayer for us that we can finally find her and give her the resting place that she deserves. That’s our goal.’’

In May, Masciulli joined Leone in the woods, where the prosecutor announced that $5,000 in reward money was available to help solve the disappearance. Welford would neither confirm nor deny whether the search now underway grew out of a tip provided by someone seeking to claim the reward.

The search on the grounds of what is now a subsidiary of Kraft Foods began Wednesday, according to the source. The area is at the rear of the sprawling parcel on Hill Street, off Montvale Avenue and a block off I-93.

The Kraft parcel, including nearly an acre of densely wooded land, totals nearly 59 acres, according to town records. A security guard at the entrance of the Kraft factory said the company was not permitting the news media onto their property and referred questions to Leone’s office.

John Ellement can be reached at ellement@globe.com.
Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
mimi
Member Avatar
Advanced Member
[ *  *  * ]
Vigil to mark missing girl's 35th birthday
By Staff reports
Mon Oct 26, 2009, 04:00 PM EDT

Woburn, MA -

The family of Melanie Melanson will hold a candlelight vigil to commemorate what would have been her 35th birthday this Sunday, Nov. 1.

On Oct. 27, 1989, 14-year-old Melanson disappeared just five days before her 15th birthday after a party in the woods with a group of friends. Tomorrow marks 20 years since she was last reported seen.

Family and friends are sponsoring Sunday’s vigil, which is also open to members of the public who wish to participate and commemorate her life.

The vigil will be held in the parking lot of Woburn Memorial High School, 88 Montvale Ave., at 5 p.m.

According to authorities, Melanson, a freshman at Woburn High School, was in a set of woods near the Woburn/Stoneham line at a party with a group of friends the day she was last seen. In the early morning hours, Melanie remained with a small group of friends. That was the last time that she was ever seen or heard from again.

In the ensuing days and months, family members, friends, and local law enforcement conducted extensive searches to find her. That search included the use of cadaver dogs, dive teams in local waters, and repeated ground searches by local police. She was never located.

The District Attorney’s office and Woburn police are conducting an active investigation and following new leads that have been developed. A reward of $5,000 has been offered for new information that leads to the discovery of her body. Members of the public with information that they believe would be helpful to the investigation can contact the Woburn Police Department at 781-933-1212 x853 or State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office at 781-897-6650.

The $5,000 reward money is being offered by the Carole Sund/Carrington Memorial Reward Foundation which is committed to raising awareness to the issue of missing persons who have gone missing under suspicious circumstances.
http://www.wickedlocal.com/woburn/sports/h...s-35th-birthday
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
monkalup
Member Avatar
The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
[ *  *  * ]
http://www.abcnews.go.com/2020/vanished-me...tory?id=8927393
Cops Return to 1989 Disappearance of Girl, 14
New Info Sparks Hope for Break in 20-Year-Old Cold Case; Police Search Forest for Clues
By JUSTIN STURKEN and JESSICA HORNIG
Oct. 28, 2009
1 comment Font Size PrintRSSE-mailShare this story with friendsFacebookTwitterRedditStumbleUponMore
It is Halloween season in New England, and the quiet streets of Woburn, Mass., are decorated with the ghosts and goblins that are the stuff of children's nightmares.


Share
Family, friends, cops recall night in 1989 when girl, 14, disappeared in woods.But this year also marks the 20th anniversary of a macabre local mystery that is terrifyingly real: the sudden disappearance of Melanie Melanson. Melanie was last seen at a high school party in the woods on the outskirts of town.

Det. Mike Pandolph has been on the case since the very beginning. "Melanie walked down the path to meet her girlfriends and other kids that were several years older than her, and that was the last time that she was seen," he told ABC News. "That was 20 years ago."

Melanie Melanson, 14 at the time, was the youngest of a dozen kids gathered in the woods that October night, most of them older teens who had been there many times before.

Related
A Boy's Disappearance, 20 Years LaterWATCH: 20 Years Later: Waiting For Jacob'Half Art, Half Science': Age-Progression Images Help Find Missing KidsWatch the full story Friday on "20/20" at 10 p.m. ET

"Kids would gather, kids would hang out, and um, and drink," said Pandolph.

Melanie, just a freshman, was very flattered to have been included in the gathering. It was just days before her 15th birthday, and the young, pretty girl had much to look forward to, said prosecutor Marian Ryan.

"Her birthday was coming. She was getting her braces off. All kinds of things that were very exciting," said Ryan.

But the police and her family believe Melanie never saw her 15th birthday, and never came out of the woods that night. One of Melanie's aunts, Ruth Townsend, is still waiting for answers.

"It's too many years, too many years," said Townsend. "It's heartbreaking ... to feel that she is out there. We know she is out there ... 20 years is just too long -- way too long."

Life hadn't always been easy for Melanie. Her parents were both substance abusers who fought constantly. Melanie had even run away from home once before, going to live with her aunt Mary Ann and her grandmother in Woburn.

"Melanie had a challenging upbringing, but it wasn't without people who loved her," said Woburn District Attorney Gerry Leone. "She had cousins, aunts, and it was a very nice upbringing, despite her own biological parents having problems."


Renewed Push to Find Melanie
This spring, authorities announced a renewed push on the case and offered a $5,000 reward for information to solve it.

On the afternoon of Friday, Oct. 27, 1989, Melanie and her friend Carmen Gonzalez left high school after class and walked home for the last time. That night, Melanie told her grandmother she was going to sleep over with a friend who lived next door. What Melanie didn't say was that she'd been invited to join a late-night gathering in the woods next to an industrial park.

Other kids at the party would later tell police that the party slowly dwindled down in the early hours of Saturday morning, and everyone drifted home.

Related
Garrido Search Ends, No Sign of the MissingWATCH: The Latest on Jaycee DugardWATCH: Garrido Yard Searched for Cold Case CluesBut when dawn broke, Melanie was nowhere to be found. Her grandmother became very worried. By mid afternoon, Melanie's family had learned about the party, and made a series of frantic phone calls to almost everyone who had been there. The family called the Woburn Police Department and reported her missing.

Leone said the police set out on a massive manhunt for Melanie with cadaver dogs and helicopters, but the searches all came up empty. Melanie's family was devastated.

"You know, it's the most difficult thing in the world," said MaryAnn Masciulli, another of Melanie's aunts. "Trying to find her, knowing that when you find her, it's not going to be a good thing. It's heartbreaking. It's hard to describe."

Police eventually zeroed in on the people they believe were last seen with Melanie on the night she disappeared. They say everyone at the party agreed that she was the last girl left at the party. "It went to five boys and Melanie, and two boys and Melanie," said Leone.

Authorities at the time interrogated the two boys in question, but they were never charged. They continue to live in the area.


'A Secret Like That for 20 Years'
Leone believes there was foul play involved. "We have reason to believe that more than one person over the years has not only concealed Melanie's body, but may also be involved in further concealing it or even moving it," he said.

Over the years, there have also been rumors that Melanie was seen that night walking in a parking lot, through the darkened neighborhood, and down a street toward the next town.

The Melanson family has never given up, and neither have the police. Pandolph has chased leads and returned to the scene of the crime many times over the years. After the reward was announced, finally, just weeks ago, investigators returned to the woods acting, they said, on information they had just received.

Gonzalez has heard about the possibility of new information.

"They're looking for her body, you know, watching it, watching it on the news, it gives me goose bumps 'cause I'm like, they're looking for my friend's body," Gonzalez said.

Lawson said the family is hoping police do find a body. "For now we just want to bring her home," she said.

Everyone touched by Melanie's disappearance says an end to their torment cannot come quickly enough. On Nov. 1, Melanie would have turned 35 years old.

Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
monkalup
Member Avatar
The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
[ *  *  * ]
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=8935930
Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
monkalup
Member Avatar
The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
[ *  *  * ]
Candlelight vigil held for long-vanished Woburn woman
WOBURN, Mass. -- A candlelight vigil held in Woburn today to remember Melanie Melanson, a woman who went missing nearly 20 years ago.

Melanson was just 14 when she disappeared, and today would have been her 35th birthday.

She was last seen with friends in October of 1989 when she vanished from a heavily-wooded area.

In May, her family and prosecutors announced a $5000 reward for information on her whereabouts.

(Copyright © 2009 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/BO128447/
Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
monkalup
Member Avatar
The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
[ *  *  * ]
http://www.wickedlocal.com/woburn/news/x89...somber-birthday
Friends, family honor Melanie Melanson on somber birthday
By Staff reports
Mon Nov 02, 2009, 01:41 PM EST
Tools:
PrintCommentsShareThisStumbleUpon Newsvine del.icio.us Digg
Woburn, MA -

On what would have been her 35th birthday, the friends and family of Melanie Melanson gathered outside Woburn Memorial High School yesterday, holding vigil candles instead of birthday candles.

They read poems, shared memories and wept.

Melanson a pretty freshman cheerleader at the school, disappeared 20 years ago, just days before her 15th birthday, after attending a party with friends in the woods. Her body has never been found.

Police officials say they new information in the case and are continuing their investigation.

But the case has never been closed for those who loved her, many of whom joined the crowd on Sunday to hold candles and remember a young woman who has always remained alive in their hearts.
Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
monkalup
Member Avatar
The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
[ *  *  * ]
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachus...of_woburn_girl/
Missing for decades, but not forgotten
New leads found in 1989 case of Woburn girl
By Emma Stickgold
Globe Correspondent / November 2, 2009
E-mail this article To: Invalid E-mail address Add a personal message:(80 character limit) Your E-mail: Invalid E-mail address Sending your articleYour article has been sent.
E-mail|Print|Reprints|Yahoo! Buzz|ShareThisText size – + WOBURN - Melanie Melanson’s 35th birthday came and went yesterday. She was not there to celebrate, so family and friends gathered to remember the young woman who disappeared 20 years ago, just days before she would have turned 15.

Last evening, those closest to her told stories about her bubbly energy and distinctive laugh, and expressed hope that new leads in the two-decade-old case would help them learn what happened to her.

Under a moonlit sky, atop a hill in the parking lot of Woburn High School - where she would have graduated - law enforcement officials said they are closer than ever to finding out what happened Oct. 27, 1989, the night Melanie disappeared.

At a vigil held in her honor last night, as candles flickered in their plastic encasements, classmates and friends said they missed her constant smile and cheery disposition. They wondered what her 35th birthday would have been like, and said she was robbed of her prom and the chance to grow up and share in the joys of motherhood.

“She was upbeat, always smiling - a good kid,’’ said Donna Dellanno, whose daughter was friends with Melanie. Like many teenage girls, she liked cosmetics, boys, and music, and she knew how to make her friends laugh until their sides hurt, family and friends said.

Maria Rose Gonzalez and her sister Carmen remembered the sleepovers and always expecting to go through the various stages of life together.

“She would be celebrating,’’ Maria Rose Gonzalez said of her friend’s 35th birthday.

Melanie’s parents have both died, and so has the grandmother she lived with at the time of her disappearance, but her aunts and others are helping keep the case alive.

Earlier this fall, authorities began searching and digging in an area near Montvale Avenue in Woburn, not far from where she was last seen, based on new information.

Assistant District Attorney Marian Ryan said that recent developments, which she described as “very solid leads,’’ helped trigger the reopening of the case. “We’re closer than we’ve probably ever been before,’’ she said.

Although law enforcement and family members have been tight-lipped about the new developments, there was a sense of hope that Melanie’s remains would be found.

“We are confident that a resolution to this is forthcoming,’’ her uncle Frank Masciulli said.

Her cousin Kim Blanchard described her as having a “heart of gold,’’ but added that while a town like Woburn is filled with secrets, they cannot be kept too long. “It’s time to know the truth,’’ she said of the events that unfolded that October evening two decades ago.

“Hopefully this is going to bring us all some closure,’’ Dellanno said.

© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.
Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
monkalup
Member Avatar
The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
[ *  *  * ]
http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news/local/...r-35th-birthday
Family of missing Melanie Melanson hold vigil on her 35th birthday
Updated: Sunday, 01 Nov 2009, 11:13 PM EST
Published : Sunday, 01 Nov 2009, 11:13 PM EST


Adam
Pellerin
WOBURN (FOX25, myfoxboston) - The family of Melanie Melanson held a candlelight vigil to commemorate what would have been her 35th birthday this Sunday, November 1.

On October 27, 1989, 14-year-old Melanson disappeared just five days before her 15th birthday after a party in the woods with a group of friends. Tomorrow marks 20 years since she was last reported seen.

On Sunday, November 1, on what would have been her 35th birthday, family and friends of Melanson will hold a candlelight vigil in her memory. Family, friends, and members of the public who wish to participate and commemorate her life are welcome.

According to authorities, on the evening of October 27, 1989, 14-year-old Melanson, a freshman at Woburn High School, was in a set of woods near the Woburn/Stoneham line at a party with a group of friends. In the early morning hours, Melanie remained with a small group of friends. That was the last time that Melanie was ever seen or heard from again. In the ensuing days and months, family members, friends, and local law enforcement conducted extensive searches to find Melanie. That search included the use of cadaver dogs, dive teams in local waters, and repeated ground searches by local police. She was never located.

The District Attorney's Office and Woburn Police are presently conducting an active investigation and following new leads that have been developed. A reward of $5000 has been offered for new information that leads to the discovery of her body. Members of the public with information that they believe would be helpful to the investigation can contact the Woburn Police Department at 781-933-1212 x853 or State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney's Office at 781-897-6650.

The $5000 reward money is being offered by the Carole Sund/Carrington Memorial Reward Foundation which is committed to raising awareness to the issue of missing persons who have gone missing under suspicious circumstance.
Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
monkalup
Member Avatar
The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
[ *  *  * ]
Vigil Held For Teen Who Went Missing 20 Years AgoWOBURN (WBZ) ¯ Click to enlarge1 of 1
Melanie Melanson
WBZ

Close




numSlides of totalImages The family of a girl who went missing 20 years ago will hold a candlelight vigil on Sunday to commemorate what would have been her 35th birthday.

On October 27, 1989, 14-year-old Melanie Melanson – a freshman at Woburn High School, disappeared just five days before her 15th birthday after a party in the woods with a group of friends.

Tomorrow marks 20 years since she was last reported seen.

For months after her disappearance, family members, friends, and local law enforcement conducted extensive searches to find Melanie. She was never found.

A reward of $5,000 has been offered for new information that leads to the discovery of her body.

The vigil will be held at 5 p.m. at the Woburn High School parking lot.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
http://wbztv.com/local/Melanie.Melanson.mi....2.1284927.html
Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Pilgrim
Member Avatar
Humbug!! It's All A Humbug!
[ *  *  * ]
MELANIE MELANSON Age Progression
Case Type: Endangered Missing
DOB: Nov 1, 1974 Sex: Female
Missing Date: Oct 27, 1989 Race: White
Age Now: 36 Height: 5'3" (160 cm)
Missing City: WOBURN Weight: 105 lbs (48 kg)
Missing State : MA Hair Color: Blonde
Missing Country: United States Eye Color: Blue
Case Number: NCMC732768
Circumstances: Melanie's photo is shown age-progressed to 29 years. Melanie was last seen on the evening of October 27, 1989 at a party. She never returned home and has not been seen or heard from since. When Melanie was last seen, she had braces on her teeth.

http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/ser...earchLang=en_US
www.missing-and-unidentified.org
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Nut44x4
Member Avatar
Advanced Member
[ *  *  * ]

Leads pursued in girl’s 1989 disappearance
By John M. Guilfoil | Globe Staff November 27, 2011


New leads uncovered in a 22-year-old cold case spurred a team of volunteers with cadaver dogs to scour wooded areas in Woburn and Stoneham yesterday.

Fourteen-year-old Melanie Melanson disappeared in October 1989, after partying in the woods with friends. Her body was never found, despite a series of promising leads that have popped up over the years.

Michael Garrigan, a private investigator who said he has worked the case for free for the past 20 years, said yesterday that the latest leads, developed over the past year, were promising enough to bring in search dogs from Connecticut.

“We had developed some information over the course of the last year or year and a half about three sites that bore some consideration,’’ Garrigan said in a telephone interview.

Garrigan would not disclose the specifics of what he had uncovered in his investigation. The K-9 teams, from Kensington-based Connecticut Canine Search and Rescue, spent about six hours searching yesterday.

“We’re looking for closure. It’s been too many years,’’ said Melanson’s aunt, Karen Montgomery of Stoneham.

The volunteer team of 10 people and four dogs went through a green patch off the intersection of Montvale Avenue and Hill Street, an area off Washington Street that has been searched two times, and a parcel near the Lindenwood Cemetery off Montvale Avenue in Stoneham.

No body was found, but the dogs are trained to seek evidence of decomposing human remains. Garrigan said he was awaiting a report from the team, which is expected to be ready today or tomorrow.

“It’s too early to tell [what was found] until I’ve heard from them,’’ Garrigan said.

Garrigan said the Melanson case is probably the coldest one he has ever worked on. Both of her parents have since died. A 2005 obituary for her father, John, lists Melanie as one of the family members he leaves behind.

In 2009, authorities searched and dug around the Montvale Avenue site in Woburn, not far from where she was last seen, based on “very solid leads,’’ according to a Globe story at the time. No body was found, and there remained no explanation for what happened to Melanson, who disappeared days shy of her 15th birthday. No one has ever been charged in the case.

John M. Guilfoil can be reached at jguilfoil@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globe_guilfoil.
http://bostonglobe.com/metro/2011/11/27/le...IxBI/story.html
and Justice for all ....
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
monkalup
Member Avatar
The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
[ *  *  * ]
http://www.wickedlocal.com/woburn/news/x14...burn-teens-body
Melanie Melanson relatives hope Body Farm will help find missing Woburn teen's body


By Michele McPhee
Our media partner, NewsCenter 5
Posted Mar 27, 2012 @ 10:33 AM

Woburn, MA —

Karen Montgomery wears a unicorn charm on a necklace around her neck.

It was supposed to be a gift for her niece on her 15th birthday on Nov. 1, 1989.

"It was Melanie’s favorite thing. She loved unicorns," Montgomery told Michele McPhee of our media partner, NewsCenter5.

"She never got to receive it."

Melanie Melanson disappeared days before she would have opened that gift. She went to a party in the woods of Woburn with friends and never came home. In 23 years, no one has ever been charged in connection with her disappearance.

Her aunts have reluctantly come to the realization that she is no longer alive. Now, Montgomery said she only hopes she can put the unicorn on her niece's grave and say goodbye.

"We just want to give her a proper burial."

Now Montgomery and investigators are hoping renowned forensic anthropologist Dr. Bill Bass – creator of the Body Farm – will help them find Melanson’s remains.

The Body Farm research facility in Tennessee uses technology to better understand how bodies interact with the environment.

Bass will reportedly use new forensic science called "decomposition odor analysis" or DOA. Prosecutors used it in the Casey Anthony trial to prove there was decomposition in the trunk of her car after her daughter disappeared.

"It’s extremely frustrating for us," said Woburn Police Detective Mike Pandolph. "I can’t imagine how much frustration the family has."

For the first time, investigators opened their case files exclusively to Team 5 Investigates, showing McPhee interviews, notes and leads compiled in the decades since Melanson vanished.

It gives a glimpse into her life as a Woburn High School freshman; including a girlish scrawling about a crush.

"I think about her all the time," said private investigator Mike Garrigan. "This isn’t just a job to me."

Garrigan is hosting a fundraiser to help pay the Body Farm scientists. Their first stop will be a wooded area of Woburn where cadaver dogs were drawn late last year.

"That would suggest there was somebody buried there at one time, or is buried there," said Garrigan. "No 14-year-old girl should go missing like this."

The forensic experts, Montgomery said, are the family’s final hope. "We are never giving up until they find Melanie," said Montgomery.

Copyright 2012 by TheBostonChannel. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Read more: Melanie Melanson relatives hope Body Farm will help find missing Woburn teen's body - Woburn, MA - Woburn Advocate http://www.wickedlocal.com/woburn/news/x14...y#ixzz1rayDUFIV
Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
mimi
Member Avatar
Advanced Member
[ *  *  * ]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/07/26/new-t...s-girl-missing/

New tip prompts investigators to search state park for remains of girl missing since 1989

By Cristina Corbin

Published July 26, 2012

This photo, provided by the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office, shows Melanie Melanson, of Woburn, Mass. Melanson disappeared in October 1989 after attending a party in the woods with friends.

An anonymous tip is prompting investigators to search a Massachusetts state park for a teenage girl who mysteriously disappeared 23 years ago when she entered nearby woods with a group of friends and never came out.

Melanie Melanson was five days shy of her 15th birthday when she vanished in October 1989, after attending a party with friends in a wooded area near the Woburn-Stoneham town line. Authorities believe the girl was killed, but her body has never been found and no suspects have ever been named in the case.

"We don't believe she ran away. We believe that she's deceased."

- Jessica Pastore, spokeswoman for district attorney

But an anonymous tip recently received from a man in New Hampshire might bring investigators closer to finding the teen and apprehending the person or persons involved in her disappearance, a source close to the case told FoxNews.com.

The anonymous caller directed authorities to search nearby Middlesex Fells Reservation in Stoneham, where he said one of the teens last seen partying with Melanson was spotted later that night, according to the source. The caller identified himself as a former friend of one of those teens.

"Our contact tells us there's a possibility she was put into this park," the source said.

Michael Garrigan, a private investigator who has worked on the case since 1991, confirmed that a group of 9-13 dog teams will search a portion of the state park on Saturday. The Middlesex County district attorney's office told FoxNews.com that an officer with the Woburn Police Department will also be present during the search.

Melanie, then a freshman at Woburn High School, was the youngest attendee at the party on Oct. 27, 1989, in a wooded hangout popular to area teenagers. In the hours immediately following her disappearance, authorities suspected the girl may have run away, but later concluded that she was likely killed.

"We don't believe she ran away. We believe that she's deceased," said Jessica Pastore, a spokeswoman for the Middlesex County district attorney's office.

"We're hopeful that we can find Melanie and give her the proper burial that she deserves," said Pastore, adding, "We know who was with Melanie the night she disappeared."

The girl's family has said she was last seen with two teenage boys in the early morning hours of Oct. 28, 1989, according to local media reports.

Garrigan said he believes that if Melanson's remains are in Middlesex Fells Reservation, "my gut feeling is that she was not alive when she came out of the woods."

The latest search for the girl comes after dogs detected a positive hit for human decomposition last year in an area close to where she was last seen.

"Everyone came out of that woods but her," said Garrigan, "And I’m confident something is in that ground or was in that ground."

"I’m not going to stop looking until I find this girl," he said. "I don’t think any family should go this long without closure."

A $5,000 reward is being offered for any information leading to Melanie Melanson's remains. Anyone with information on her disappearance is urged to contact the Woburn Police Department at 781-933-1212 x853 or State Police assigned to the Middlesex district attorney's office at 781-897-6650.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/07/26/new-t.../#ixzz21kn7XT1A
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
monkalup
Member Avatar
The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
[ *  *  * ]
New Search in 1989 Massachusetts Cold Case

Melanie Melanson disappeared in October 1989 after going to a party in the woods with friends. (Courtesy Michael Garrigan)More Sharing ServicesShareShare on facebook_likeEmail Comment Print
Text Size- / +By CHRISTINA NG (@ChristinaNg27)
July 28, 2012
Cadaver dogs and searchers are combing an area of a Massachusetts state park today in hopes of solving the 1989 cold case disappearance of a local teenager.

Melanie Melanson was 14 years old when she went a party in the woods on the Woburn-Stoneham town line in Massachusetts. She entered the woods with friends and was never seen again.

Her body was never found and no one has ever been arrested in her case, even though authorities have said they believe she is dead.

"She was left in the woods by most of the partygoers with two to three individuals, one or all of them had something to do with this," private investigator Michael Garrigan told ABCNews.com. "We just want to figure out what happened. We've heard a lot of stories over the years, a lot of reasons why and possibilities, but until we find her, we won't have the truth."

A recent credible anonymous tip gave the investigation new hope.

Garrigan said that when he receives a tip, he tries to validate it in some other manner before putting a lot of hope or resources into it.

While Garrigan did not want to disclose the specifics of the most recent tip, he said the tipster told him "we should take a look at the woods."

Courtesy Michael GarriganMelanie Melanson disappeared in October 1989... View Full Size Courtesy Michael GarriganMelanie Melanson disappeared in October 1989 after going to a party in the woods with friends.
Cold Case Cracked in 1985 Murders Watch Video
Cold Case Murders Are Very Common Watch Video
Man Confesses to 1981 Murders Watch Video
"In this case, we were able to confirm it in a couple different avenues so that made it necessary to do a search and see if there was anything there," Garrigan said.

Eleven teams with cadaver dogs will be using a systematic grid search to comb a section of the Middlesex Fells Reservation in Stoneham, Mass. The woods used to be connected to the Woburn woods where Melanson was last seen.

"There was a way to get there relatively easy, and this was also the stomping ground for the people we believe were involved in [Melanson's disappearance]," Garrigan said.

Melanson's aunt, Karen Montgomery, 56, told ABCNews.com the family believes Melanie's body might have been moved from one set of woods to the other. She is "very hopeful" that there will be a breakthrough in the case soon.

"It's like a 23-year funeral. On holidays and her birthday, there's times you wish she was here and it's hard," Montgomery said. "It's tough enough when you lose a parent when they're older, and that's the circle of life, but not a 15-year-old girl."

Melanson disappeared on Oct. 27, 1989, and her 15th birthday would have been that Nov. 1.

"She had no reason to run away or go anywhere," Montgomery said. "She was looking forward to her birthday and getting her braces off. Her father was going to buy her leather boots."

Melanson's grandparents and parents have died, but her aunts and uncles have kept up the search.

"We owe it to her parents and grandparents and owe it to Melanie not to give up and to keep looking ... until we can hopefully find her and give her a respectful burial and a place where we can put flowers on her grave," she said. "That's all we want. That's what everybody deserves."

Garrigan has been working for Melanson's family since 1991 and refuses to stop searching for her until he has found her.

"I have four children and if this was a daughter of mine, child of mine, I couldn't stop," he said. "And [even though] the child isn't mine, I have the same philosophy. No child should disappear at age 14 and 23 years later have no information about where she went. It's just wrong, and no family should go through that."

http://abcnews.go.com/US/search-1989-massa...ory?id=16873903
Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
monkalup
Member Avatar
The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
[ *  *  * ]

Breakthrough in cold case? Cadaver dogs zero in on 'place of interest' in hunt for girl who vanished 23 years agoBy Daily Mail Reporter
PUBLISHED: 22:27 EST, 30 July 2012 | UPDATED: 22:49 EST, 30 July 2012
Comments (0) Share

..


Gone: Melanie Melanson, 14, disappeared in October of 1989 after attending a party in the woods near her school
Cadaver dogs searching for a Massachusetts girl who disappeared more than two decades ago zeroed in on a small patch of parkland near the spot mentioned in a recent anonymous tip.
Michael Gariggan, a private investigator leading the search for 14-year-old Melanie Melanson, said that three dogs were alerted to a small area of land during Saturday's search of Middlesex Fells Reservation.
The missing teen was five days shy of her 15th birthday when she vanished in October of 1989 after attending a party with friends in a wooded area near the Woburn-Stoneham town line.
Authorities believe Melanson was killed, but her body has never been found and no suspects have ever been charged in the case, Fox News reported.

Garrigan, who has worked on the case since 1991 on a pro-bono basis, said he recently received new information from a man in New Hampshire who suggested that police check the Middlesex Fells Reservation in Stoneham, where he said one of the teenage boys last seen with Melanson was spotted later that night.
During Saturday’s search involving 11 teams with cadaver dogs, Garrigan said at least three of the animals picked up on an ‘area of interest’ in the 2,500-acre park. He described the area as a 15-by-15 foot square patch of land that would have been ‘very accessible’ in 1989.
The private investigator said the next step will likely call for authorities to use a Ground Penetrating Radar, or GPR, to detect possible human remains.

Melanie, then a freshman at Woburn High School, was the youngest attendee at the party on October 27, 1989, in a wooded spot popular among local teens.
In the hours immediately following her disappearance, authorities suspected the girl may have run away, but later concluded that she was likely killed.
Melanson, who would have been 37 today, was described by her relatives as kind and thoughtful. Before her disappearance, she was looking forward to having her braces removed and was excited about getting a pair of leather boots for her upcoming birthday.

New information: An anonymous tip led a private investigator working on the case to organize a search of Middlesex Fells Reservation


Grim mission: Trained cadaver dogs zeroed in on a small patch of parkland near the spot mentioned in the recent tip


Dig: Volunteers plan to excavate an area in the woods where soil had tested position for human remains in the past
The girl's family have reportedly said she was last seen with two teenage boys in the early morning hours of October 28, 1989.
Garrigan said he believes that if Melanson's remains are in Middlesex Fells Reservation, she was likely already dead by the time she was taken out of the woods where the party took place.

‘Everyone came out of that woods but her,’ said Garrigan, ‘And I’m confident something is in that ground or was in that ground.’

More...Kidnapper gets 12 years in jail for snatching baby from hospital and keeping her for 23 years
Girl, 12, abducted by adoptive brother 'after he murdered his elderly parents' found ALIVE

‘I’m not going to stop looking until I find this girl,’ he added. ‘I don’t think any family should go this long without closure.’
The Saturday search was organized by Garrigan and the non-profit group Mission for the Missing. Trained and certified cadaver dogs were brought from across New England to take part in the grim undertaking, according to CBS Boston.
The search was slow-going because of the rough terrain coupled by heat and humidity, which were wearing on the dogs. Dozens of Melanson’s family members showed up to make lunch for the volunteers as a gesture of gratitude.

Seeking closure: While Melanie's parents and grandparents died, her other relatives are still hoping to give her a proper burial

Mystery: Malenie vanished just days before her 15th birthday. Today, she would have been 37 and might have looked like the woman pictured on the right

Melanie’s grandparents and parents have died, but her aunts and uncles have kept the hope alive of finding her and laying her body to rest.
‘It's like a 23-year funeral. On holidays and her birthday, there's times you wish she was here and it's hard,’ Melanson's aunt, Karen Montgomery, 56, told ABCNews.com. ‘It’s tough enough when you lose a parent when they're older, and that's the circle of life, but not a 15-year-old girl.’
The girl’s family held a fundraiser to finance the upcoming dig for her remains on August 17. The excavation will take place in the Wodburn woods where soil had previously tested positive for signs of human remains.
A $5,000 reward is being offered for any information leading to Melanie Melanson's remains.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-21...o=feeds-newsxml

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-21...l#ixzz22LGolVnl
Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
monkalup
Member Avatar
The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
[ *  *  * ]
another age progression
Lauran

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente.


In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
mimi
Member Avatar
Advanced Member
[ *  *  * ]
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/12/13/autho.../#ixzz2Ex37qgIh

Authorities search site for Massachusetts girl who disappeared 23 years ago
Published December 13, 2012
FoxNews.com

This photo, provided by the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office, shows Melanie Melanson, of Woburn, Mass. Melanson disappeared in October 1989 after attending a party in the woods with friends.

Authorities combed an area near a Kraft Foods plant in Massachusetts Wednesday for clues in the case of a 14-year-old girl who disappeared 23 years ago.

Three helicopters with the Massachusetts State Police Air Wing flew over the area and took photos of an excavation in the renewed search for Melanie Melanson, the Woburn Patch reported.

Melanson was five days shy of her 15th birthday when she vanished in October 1989, after attending a party with friends in a wooded area near the Woburn-Stoneham town line. Authorities believe the girl was killed, but her body has never been found and no suspects have ever been named in the case.

The girl's relatives were reportedly on site Wednesday when investigators searched the area.

In a July interview with FoxNews.com, Jessica Pastore, a spokeswoman for the Middlesex County district attorney's office, said, "We don't believe she ran away. We believe that she's deceased."

"We're hopeful that we can find Melanie and give her the proper burial that she deserves," said Pastore, adding, "We know who was with Melanie the night she disappeared."

Melanie, then a freshman at Woburn High School, was the youngest attendee at the party on Oct. 27, 1989, in a wooded hangout popular to area teenagers. In the hours immediately following her disappearance, authorities suspected the girl may have run away, but later concluded that she was likely killed.

A $5,000 reward is being offered for any information leading to Melanie Melanson's remains. Anyone with information on her disappearance is urged to contact the Woburn Police Department at 781-933-1212, ext. 853, or State Police assigned to the Middlesex district attorney's office at 781-897-6650.



Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/12/13/autho.../#ixzz2FNXRbUpb
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Ell
Member Avatar
Heart of Gold
[ *  *  * ]
A team of forensic anthropologists is preparing to dig for evidence in the case of Melanie Jo Melanson, a missing Massachusetts teenager who disappeared almost 23 years ago. Melanson went to a party with friends and never returned.

According to Michael Garrigan, a private investigator who has worked on the case since 1991, soil samples that were taken from a specific area of interest in the case have tested positive for elements of human decomposition.

"I received intelligence that led me to the location as being a possible place for her burial," Garrigan told The Huffington Post. The private investigator did not disclose the location but said it is not far from Woburn, a city about 12 miles northwest of Boston.

"We recently set up a search with some cadaver dogs in the same area, and they also alerted," said Garrigan. "We now have a dig set up for Aug. 17 and 18."

Melanson, a freshman at Woburn High School, was just five days away from celebrating her 15th birthday when she attended an outdoor party on Oct. 27, 1989. The gathering, which was attended by about 20 people, took place in a wooded area along the Woburn-Stoneham line.

"People started to leave around 10:30 or 11:00 that night," Garrigan said. "It got down to just three people -- Melanie and two gentlemen -- and they came out of the woods and she did not."

The two men later told police they had left the party without Melanson. Local law enforcement conducted multiple searches of the area, but they were unable to locate any sign of the missing teen
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/01/m...p_ref=cold-case
Ell

Only after the last tree has been
cut down;
Only after the last fish has been
caught;
Only after the last river has been
poisoned;
Only then will you realize
that money cannot be eaten.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
ZetaBoards - Free Forum Hosting
Create your own social network with a free forum.
« Previous Topic · Missing Persons 1989 · Next Topic »
Add Reply