An Atlanta mother's remains were identified in 2003. Decades later, her sister is still fighting for justice
The Atlanta Police Department said that Melissa Wolfenbarger's death is still under investigation.
Since childhood, Tina Patton has been a protector.
She grew up as an older sister. It's a role that immediately takes on responsibility -- especially when she was seven years older than her sister Melissa.
It was just the two of them growing up. There's authority and admiration that can come with being an older sibling. Melissa would tag along and always be right behind her wherever they went, Tina reminisced.
They would be out in the yard, running around and playing with the dogs. As they aged, they got into beauty pageants and started doing baton twirling together. The Georgia natives would travel all across metro Atlanta from Douglasville to Sandy Springs to attend parades and practices.
As time passes and siblings grow up, those shared activities can change, but the bond always remains.
But Tina could have never predicted that the last time she saw her sister would be a birthday visit to Waffle House. She could have never imagined the pain or the mystery surrounding Melissa. And, she never would have been able to foreshadow the grief of not being able to protect her sister.
Who was Melissa Wolfenbarger?
Melissa Wolfenbarger was known for the twinkle in her eyes, her sweetness and her deep love for animals, her sister Tina said.
According to her, Melissa harbored dreams of becoming a veterinarian when she was a child and would bring any animal home -- whether it was a dog or even a skunk.
"If she saw a stray somewhere, she would bring it home," she said. "It didn't matter what it was; she would bring it home."
She was also studious and got good grades in school, Tina recalled.
"She was sweet. She was quiet. She was always smiling, always laughing," Tina said.
But then, as is typical with teenagers, she met a boy and fell in love.
"She changed. She'd sneak out the window. Before that, I was the one sneaking out of the window. You know, when you're a teenager, you're trying to go to the parties with the boys, and you just sneak out your window," Tina said.
Tina said no one in the family liked the boy who stole Melissa's heart. But she got married anyway, and by the time she was 21, she had two beautiful children of her own and was living in Atlanta.
By all accounts, she had her entire life ahead of her -- a mother with a bright future and years to come to watch her children grow up.
But then she disappeared.
A Thanksgiving phone call in 1998 was the last time her family ever heard from her and 25 years later, a mystery still encompasses the beautiful brunette woman.
'Where's your sister?'
It was February of 1999.
Tina was working at a Waffle House in East Point over on Washington Road when her father walked in one day.
"Where's your sister?" he questioned.
"I don't know, I guess she's at home," she replied.
Her father had already been to Atlanta looking for her, where she lived at a duplex on Brookline Street, but didn't see anyone.
After talking with her dad, Tina then discovered that no one in her family had heard from Melissa.
"She hasn't called mom," Tina recalled. "That's when I knew something was wrong."
The family struggled to initially file a missing persons report because she was a married adult, and it was argued that she could have disappeared any time she wanted, Tina said.
"This was early '99 when mom was trying to get this done," she said. "They wouldn't put a story out there, wouldn't take a missing persons report," she said.
Tina's mother showed police letters and cards that Melissa would leave on the doorstep if no one was home in an effort to try to prove there was a reason why she was missing and that she didn't simply run away.
"She kept in touch with mom always," she said. "And she never, never, ever missed one of my mom's birthdays."
The family's search and worry continued. It would be a few years before they found out she was in a morgue the whole time they were looking for her.
An investigation begins
It was 154 days after Melissa's family had last heard her when police responded less than a mile away from her home.
According to a police report, it was a cool and rainy day on April 29, 1999, when calls came in about human remains found in the area of Avon Avenue and Hartford Place.
When officers arrived, there was a skull found in the road -- launching an investigation.
Then, 35 days later, on June 3, more dismembered remains were found in trash bags hidden around a wooded area close to Avon Avenue.
This investigation continued with still no sign of Melissa.
A police report said that her husband never reported her missing to authorities or told family members of her disappearance. However, documents cite that he told authorities in 2000 that he had seen her walking down the street near their home in March or April of 1999. Based on interviews conducted by police, Melissa had not been in contact with her husband since December 1998.
It would take 1,369 days -- nearly four years of waiting -- until authorities were able to identify the discovered remains as Melissa.
It was her father who was able to lead the way in that discovery.
According to Tina, when Carl Patton was arrested and later convicted of killing several people, he was able to bring attention to Melissa being missing.
"My mom was able to convince him to say something about my sister," she said. "And somebody in Atlanta saw it in the paper the next day and said, 'Wait a minute, there's some remains over here in the morgue. And the address, the vicinities are kind of close to where this girl lived. So let's go get DNA.'"
So they went and got DNA records, finally connecting the dots in March 2003. This is how Melissa's family learned that she wasn't missing; she was dead.
Tina said her dad helped bring that closure.
"Dad loved us," Tina said, stating that despite his own arrest, he would have never killed Melissa. "He was devastated. Just like us. He broke down and cried."
Fighting for justice
It's been 25 years since Melissa last called her family, 25 years since they last heard her laugh or saw that twinkle in her eye.
And 25 years without solid answers about her death.
The Atlanta Police Department said that the investigation into Melissa's murder is ongoing, and no one has been charged in her death.
For Tina, the lack of closure and justice is difficult to live with and weighs heavily on her. She uses her job as a server to help move through the pain and loss.
"It's what helps me get through it because everybody where I work is like family. So it helps being around people," Tina said. "They're my support."
She also channels her energy by talking about Melissa. She said she talks to everyone about her so that more people can know about Melissa -- all in the hope that one day, the case will be closed.
"I've dreamt about her," she said. "She's telling me to help her, and it was like she was reaching out to me. 'Help me.' And I'm doing what I can. I'm opening my mouth. I'm talking to people."
Although Tina said she wasn't able to protect Melissa from what happened, she is continuing to push forward and is awaiting the day that justice is served.
"Somebody's got to fight for her -- and who better than me?" Tina stated. "I was always her protector."
11Alive's More Than a Number series seeks to humanize crime coverage by "giving a face to the victim and a voice to the family." If you would like to honor a loved one you lost, you can use the form below or email us at MoreThanANumber@11alive.com to tell us about them, and we will add them to our memorial page.
If you need help or support in your time of loss, please visit our resource guide. For more details on this project, please visit 11alive.com/MoreThanANumber.