Child abduction is one of the worst things that could ever happen to a parent and child.
One can only imagine the anxiety and stress of not knowing where your child is or if they are still alive and well.
Imagine feeling that for 50 years.
It’s one of the oldest missing person cases in the country.
It happened on August 23, 1971.
Alta Apatenco was looking for someone to babysit her one-year-old daughter Melissa. A woman who claimed to be a babysitter reached out to her.
Since there was no way to do a background check back in the day like we so easily can now, Alta decided to trust the woman.
She had her pick Melissa up from their apartment complex in Fort Worth, Texas.
It was the last time she saw Melissa.
Since Apatenco was busy at work, her roommate handed Melissa to the babysitter, who was well-dressed and was wearing white gloves at that time.
They reported the incident to the Police and for decades they searched for clues and leads.
They’ve been searching for their daughter ever since, which isn’t easy to do when you don’t even know what she looks like anymore.
Melissa’s family still remembered her, they even celebrated her birthday every year. They did not lose hope that one day, Melissa will be found.
Giving up was never an option.
Melissa’s family did everything they could for many years.
Many leads came and went, but the police still had nothing.
They set up a Facebook Page called “Finding Melissa Highsmith” hoping to get more leads in finding their relative.
The family relied heavily on police assistance for the case.
Their private search led them to her.
Jeffrie Highsmith, Melissa’s father, did a DNA test.
They found three matches.
They could not understand the matches of two boys and a girl so they asked help from Lisa Jo Schiele, a genealogist.
As Schiele interpreted the DNA results, she found the relationship between the three children and Melissa.
“I came in and tried to look at if there were any other possibilities besides these being such close matches to Melissa,” told Schiele. “And it didn’t take me long to realize — I mean, I knew right away that there wasn’t.”
Schiele then reached out to the children’s adoptive father which led to Melissa’s Facebook profile.
They sent a message to Melissa.
Melissa didn’t believe them at first.
Melissa agreed to a DNA test when they identified the birthmark on her back. She could not believe it when the results came in.
When she was told about what had happened, she was overwhelmed but also happy.
“I feel like I am dreaming, and I keep having to pinch myself to make sure I’m awake,” she said.
It turns out, Melissa was not aware that she was abducted when she was still young.
The shocking part was that she was raised just 10 minutes away from where she was abducted with the name Melanie Miyoko.
This came as a surprise to her biological family.
Learn more about Melissa’s reunion with the family she didn’t know she had below!
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