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 little celebration for her – even though they didn’t know where the woman was. They sang “Happy Birthday” to her and released white balloons to honor her. Now the family was able to celebrate with the right Melissa for the first time in 51 years – and emotion took over.
Melissa was kidnapped in 1971 by her nanny, who had hired working mother Alta Apantenco, recently separated from father Jeffrie Highsmith. On the pretext, however, the woman did not meet Apanteco, a waitress, but went to pick up the little one from her roommate’s house while her mother served the guests. She never saw her daughter again – the nanny disappeared without a trace.
Years and decades passed as the family searched for Melissa, even though the police had long since abandoned the case. Family members have launched a podcast and given numerous interviews, always hoping someone might give them a clue. Finally, in September 2022, they received an age-edited photo that may have been Melissa in Charleston, South Carolina. Although the trail led nowhere, it encouraged the Highsmith family not to give up on their quest.
DNA database brought breakthrough
Then, in early November, came the real breakthrough. The family persuaded Jeffie Highsmith to deposit a DNA sample with 23andMe, an American company that reunites separated families based on genetic data. And since the data on the children Melissa gave birth to as adults was 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 has lived her life just 15 kilometers from her family and is now the mother of three children, who were taken from her care when their father died young. Life has been hard on her,” says her brother Jeff. “I now pray that she herself is reunited with her children.”
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 photo, we discovered a specific birthmark and we saw that her birthday was close to Melissa’s, we knew she was our baby,” said the mother. “It’s great to see what I was like as a baby,” said Melissa.
Police must clarify the case
Melissa’s mother’s relief knew no bounds: she lived with the guilt for years about entrusting her son to a complete stranger and was even suspected of killing her daughter. “I couldn’t believe it,” said Apantenco. “I thought I’d never see you again.” Finally, on Thanksgiving, 51 years after Melissa disappeared, their first tearful reunion took place – at a Starbucks in Fort Worth.
It is still unknown why the nannies 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 Chron. 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 later 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.”
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