logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2022
52m 24s

Melissa Highsmith Part 2: A Delicate Thr...

Wondery
About this episode

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.

Follow The Vanished on social media at:

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Patreon

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next
Aug 25
Jami Lucas
On July 3, 2020, 38-year-old Jami Lucas was riding his motorcycle near Outing, Minnesota. According to official reports, a deputy recognized Jami and knew he didn’t have a valid license, which sparked a pursuit. However, Jami’s family was told something different: that an anonymo ... Show More
1h 9m
Aug 18
Vickie Carriere
On July 12, 1987, 18-year-old Vickie Carriere was spending time with her boyfriend. Vickie was eight and a half months pregnant and eagerly awaiting the arrival of her baby boy. That day, the couple was at his family’s fishing camp before starting the drive back to Vickie’s home ... Show More
1h 4m
Aug 11
Aaron Cody Fortner
On February 21, 2022, 25-year-old Aaron Cody Fortner disappeared from Jackson County, North Carolina. At the time, he was staying at a property owned by his grandparents. He made a couple of phone calls to his grandparents in the early morning hours that seemed off, but they were ... Show More
1h 14m
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2024
Gestohlene Kindheit: Melissa Highsmith
214: “Babysitter für meine 21 Monate alte Tochter gesucht.” Diese kurze Annonce schaltet Alta Highsmith am 18. August 1971 in der Lokalzeitung. Am Tag darauf meldet sich eine Babysitterin. Mit einem murmeligen Gefühl gibt Alta ihre kleine Tochter Melissa in die Obhut von Ruth Joh ... Show More
1h 30m
Jan 2023
The Death of Denisha Montgomery-Smith
This week we are discussing the death of Army Pfc. Denisha Montgomery-Smith was a mother of three known for her headstrong and caring nature.  Thank you to Margot with Military Murder for allowing us to collaborate on this episode. Check out the promo for the podcast Crimes and C ... Show More
49m 27s
Jun 2018
#129: Part Two: Insight and Analysis with Melissa Moore, Daughter Of a Serial Killer
Laura Richards and Lisa Zambetti continue their interview with Melissa Moore, the daughter of Keith Jespersen, whose terrible moniker was “The Happy Face Killer”. He murdered at least 8 women during the early 1990s and at least one victim, Daun, survived.Melissa talks about the d ... Show More
51m 23s
Jul 2022
Melissa Caddick
In late 2020, Melissa Caddick disappeared from the suburb of Dover Heights in Sydney, Australia. The highly successful financial advisor had left the luxury home she shared with her second husband and teenage son for an early morning run along the coast. But Melissa never made it ... Show More
1h 14m
Jan 2023
Missing Baby Found After 51 Years: The Incredible Story of Melissa Highsmith
Melissa Highsmith had been missing for the last 51 years – since she was a baby. After years of feeling like they’d never see her again or have closure, her family’s wish came true, and Melissa was recently finally reunited with those she lost so long ago. Shop my charity merch! ... Show More
36m 13s
Jan 2024
22: MURDER: Nicole Glass & Melissa Mason
On the afternoon of December 3, 2010, best friends and roommates, Nicole Glass and Melissa Mason, both 27 years old, were found dead in their Phoenix, Arizona home – they had been strangled. When the police interviewed Melissa’s loved ones, they discovered she was around eight we ... Show More
50m 18s