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 Case Updates with Photos

Melinda Karen Creech








Melinda, date, approximate 1979; Age-progression to age 52 (date, approximate 2017)
Date Missing 09/05/1979
Missing From
Anderson, Indiana
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 09/21/1965 (57)
Age 13 years old
Height and Weight 5'3, 110 pounds
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Blonde/brown hair, blue eyes. Melinda's nickname is Mindy. She has previously fractured her lower arm, her ears are pierced and she has a small mole on her left eyebrow. She may use the alias first name Mandy or the alias middle name Dawn. Some agencies give her date of birth as September 21, 1964.
Details of Disappearance Melinda was placed in the Bronnenberg Childrens Home, an all-girls juvenile detention facility, on September 5, 1979 after she and another teenager were caught stealing motorcycles from a dealership. Two months later, the police went there to speak to Melinda in connection to another theft, but she was gone. It's unclear when and how she left the facility.
In 1994, Melinda's mother, Shirley Creech, told her other four children that a badly decomposed body found in New Jersey had been identified as Melinda. They believed her, although no funeral service was ever conducted for the child. When Shirley died in 2003, Melinda's siblings found letters among her personal effects which stated that dental records had proved that the New Jersey body was not Melinda's.
In 2004, police re-opened Melinda's missing persons . They are currently tracking down and interviewing her old friends to see if any of them have heard from her. They do not know why Shirley lied to her family about Melinda's supposed death. Shirley had suffered from dementia for years prior to her passing, and perhaps she was simply confused. Melinda's siblings have described her as an extremely abusive parent.
There has been no activity on Melinda's Social Security number since 1979. Her father is now also deceased.
Investigating Agency
Madison County Sheriff's Office
765-646-9281
765-642-0221
765-646-4028
Other
The Doe Network
The Indianapolis Star
Melinda Karen Creech has been Missing for over 26 Years
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
NamUs
The Herald Bulletin
The Laura Recovery Center Foundation
Echoes Path

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.

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 Case Updates with Photos