Missing
Melissa Moreland
Moreland, approximately 1987
Date and time person was reported missing : 10/23/1987
Missing location (approx) :
Paw Paw, West Virginia
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Female
Ethnicity :
White
Age at the time of disappearance: 21 years old
Height / Weight : 5'2 - 5'5, 105 pounds
Description, clothing, jewerly and more : A white blouse, blue jeans, high-top sneakers, a Hampshire High School class of 1984 ring and a watch with a burgundy band.
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Caucasian female. Light brown hair, green eyes.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Moreland was last seen at the now-defunct High's gas station in Paw Paw, West Virginia late in the evening on October 23, 1987. When she'd left her father's home that day, her parents thought she was going to spend the night with a friend. She has never been heard from again. Because she had a history of leaving home from time to time, she wasn't immediately reported missing.
In November 1985, almost two years prior to her disappearance, Moreland was attacked by Dwight David Blair. He also assaulted another woman. Both females testified against him in court. He was charged with Gender : ual abuse and assault, but reached a plea agreement with the prosecution and pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding.
Blair was sentenced to a year in jail; he could have faced a six- to forty-year prison term if convicted of the original charges. He was pardoned and released only four months into his sentence. Moreland disappeared several months later. It isn't clear whether her disappearance is related to the prior assault or whether Blair is a suspect in her case.
Moreland lived with her parents near Paw Paw at the time of her disappearance. Her father has since died. Little information is available in her case, but authorities believe she's deceased.
Other information and links : ncy
Morgan County Sheriff's Department
304-258-1067
September 2021 updates and sources
The Tri-State Herald-Mail
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are not known. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2�5% of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
Several organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and imAge at the time of disappearance: s of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
Unsolved Appalachia
October 12, 2004. April 20, 2018; Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : updated.
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
