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Melissa Dawn Wolfenbarger was a young woman who disappeared from Atlanta, Georgia in late 1998 under suspicious circumstances. Her dismembered remains were found in April-June 1999 and identified four years later.

Case[]

Melissa was born as Melissa Patton to Carl and Norma Patton on September 9, 1977. She grew up with an older sister named Tina outside of Atlanta. Melissa eventually would marry her high school sweetheart, Christopher Wolfenbarger, and relocate to another part of Atlanta. They would have two kids, a son named Joey and a daughter named Chrissy. She was described by her family as being "bubbly, kind, and trusting" and enjoyed being a family woman.

Melissa was last heard from her parents when she called them from her husband's grandparent's home on Thanksgiving in 1998 to discuss Christmas plans. When she failed to show for Christmas and for Norma's birthday in late February 2000, Norma reported her missing. In January 2000, the Pattons travelled to the home, but were told by neighbors that the Wolfenbargers moved away to places unknown between Christmas and New Year's.

Christopher never reported Melissa missing or tell her family that she was gone and has a history of domestic violence against her. In 2000, he claimed that he saw her walk down the street near their house in March or April 1999.

On April 29, 1999, the severed and bleached head of a woman was found wrapped in a garbage bag in a dumpster in a wooded area on Avon Avenue near Hartford Avenue. On June 3, the dismembered remains of the same woman, excluding her torso, were found in black trash bags in another dumpster. The remains were cut up with a saw, transported, and disposed of in the location they were found. It was also noted the remains were found close to a glass company where Christopher used to work at in the late 1990s. He was fired from this company after being suspected of stealing a reciprocal saw.

In 2003, the dismembered remains were identified as Melissa's by DNA from her father, Carl Patton, after he was arrested for a series of unrelated crimes. Between 1973 and 1977, Carl killed five people across the state of Georgia, three of which were part of the infamous "Flint River Murders." Following his arrest when the DNA testing proved his involvement, he plead guilty to four murders in March 2003 and a fifth one in May 2003 and was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Following his convictions, Carl was suspected of killing his own daughter, but he was eventually cleared. Tina reports that he was willing to do anything to bring his daughter's killer to justice. Christopher remains the only suspect in Melissa's murder but has not been charged due to a lack of evidence. While he acknowledges his criminal history, he continues to maintain his innocence to this day. On August 6, 2024, Christopher was charged with her murder.

Media[]

  • Melissa's murder was documented on the season 3, episode 5 of Investigation Discovery's Still a Mystery, titled Depths of Depravity.”

Sources[]

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