Missing Person Photos

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 unknown. 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 to 5 percent 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. A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images 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.



Missing Person Photos

Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Photos

Melanie Jo Melanson
missing person case update January 2023 found new details posted
missing person case update January 2023 found new details posted
missing person case update January 2023 found new details posted
missing person case update January 2023 found new details posted
missing person case update January 2023 found new details posted
Melanie, date, approximate 1989; Age-progression to age 42 (date, approximate 2016)
Date Missing 10/27/1989
Missing From
Woburn, Massachusetts
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 11/01/1974 (47)
Age 14 years old
Height and Weight 5'3, 105 pounds
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Blonde hair, blue eyes. When she was last seen, Melanie had braces on her teeth. Her ears are pierced.
Details of Disappearance Melanie was last seen on the evening of October 27, 1989, at a party at an industrial park near the Woburn/Stoneham line, about a mile from her home in Woburn, Massachusetts. She was last known to be in the company of two boys she knew. They told conflicting stories after her disappearance, each claiming the other had been the last person to see Melanie. One said he last saw her standing at the head of the trail in the early morning hours of October 28.
Melanie did not take any personal belongings or extra clothing with her when she vanished. Police originally thought she had run away to Florida. She had run away once before, but in the past she always got in touch with her family to let them know she was okay. Her loved ones haven't heard from her since her disappearance.
Melanie's family says she was happy with her life at the time of her disappearance and wouldn't have run away. She was looking forward to her upcoming birthday and the removal of her braces.
She was a freshman at Woburn High School at the time of her disappearance, and looking forward to an upcoming transfer to Northeast Vocational High School. Her parents had problems with alcohol, so she was raised by her grandmother and aunts. Her grandmother has since died.
In August 1992, an anonymous telephone caller told police to look for Melanie's body in an area pond. Investigators did search the pond, but found no evidence connected to her . Melanie was in her freshman year at high school when she disappeared. Police believe she was the victim of foul play and is still in the general area. Her remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Woburn Police Department
781-933-1212
Other
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
NewsLibrary
The Doe Network
The Worcester Telegram and Gazette
MySpace Page for Melanie Melanson
The Boston Globe
The Boston Herald
Unsolved in the News

Missing Person Photos

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 unknown. 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 to 5 percent 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. A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images 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.



Missing Person Photos

Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Photos