In Texas, a woman kidnapped 51 years ago was reunited with her family on Saturday.
On almost every birthday, Melissa Highsmith’s family in Texas would throw a small celebration for her — though they didn’t know where the woman was. They sang “Happy Birthday” to her and released white balloons to commemorate her. Now the family was able to celebrate with the right Melissa for the first time in 51 years – and the emotions took over.
Melissa was kidnapped in 1971 by her babysitter, who had hired working mother Alta Apantenco, recently separated from father Jeffrie Highsmith. Under a pretext, however, the woman did not meet Apanteco, a waitress, but picked up the little one from her roommate’s house while her mother served guests. She never saw her young daughter again – the babysitter disappeared without a trace.
Years and decades went by as the family searched for Melissa, even though the police had long since abandoned the case. The family members launched a podcast and gave numerous interviews, always hoping that someone might snitch them a lead. Finally, in September 2022, they were sent an age-edited photo that may have been of Melissa in Charleston, South Carolina. Although the trail led nowhere, it encouraged the Highsmith family not to give up the search.
DNA database brought breakthrough
Then, in early November, came the real breakthrough. The family had persuaded Jeffie Highsmith to deposit a DNA sample with 23andMe, a US company that brings together separated families based on genetic data. And because the data of children that Melissa had given birth to as adults were also stored there, there was a match.
Melissa lived under the name Melanie Walden — and had no idea her birth parents had been looking for her for decades. She had lived her life only about 15 kilometers from her family and is now a mother of three children herself, who were taken away from her care when their father died young. Life has been hard on her,” says her brother Jeff. “Now I pray that she will be reunited with her children herself.”
Her father contacted her via Facebook after the sensational discovery, and after believing it was a joke, Melissa was persuaded to meet the Highsmiths. “The moment we saw her picture, learned about a specific birthmark and saw that the birthday was so close to Melissa’s, we knew it was our baby,” the mother said. “It’s great to see what I looked like as a baby,” said Melissa.
Police should clarify the case
Melissa’s mother’s relief knew no bounds: she had lived with the guilt for years of trusting her child with a complete stranger and was even suspected of killing her daughter. “I couldn’t believe it,” said Apantenco. “I thought I would never see her again.” Finally, on Thanksgiving, 51 years after Melissa’s disappearance, their first, tearful reunion came – at a Starbucks in Fort Worth.
It is not yet known why the babysitters kidnapped her. The woman who raised Melissa is named Patricia Lewis. “My sister thinks Lewis kidnapped her at the time,” Jeff said, according to the Daily Mail. She indicated that she knew Melinda was actually Melissa. Lewis told Melissa’s brother Jeff that she bought the child at a bar for $500. “I don’t buy her story,” says Jeff Highsmith. “She admitted it on Facebook, but then removed the post.” Now it’s up to the police to clarify the case: “We tell them: We found Melissa – now it’s up to you to find the kidnapper.”