ATLANTA — The mother and sister of an Atlanta woman whose murder went unsolved for over 20 years broke into tears as Atlanta Police announced who was allegedly behind her gruesome death.
Melissa Wolfenbarger last spoke to her family in late 1998. It wasn't until 2003 that her dismembered remains were identified. For decades, the case was unsolved. Melissa left behind two children. The Atlanta Police Department held a press conference on Wednesday where they announced her husband, Christopher, has been charged with murder in her death.
"We've finally made it. He is in custody, and now we just need to get over the last hurdle and get him convicted," said Norma Patton, Melissa's mother.
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Norma recounted when she noticed something was wrong and continued to watch the news to hear anything about her daughter's death.
"I watched the news the day that the head was found, and they said on the news that it was male," Patton said. "And I said okay. They gave the address. I thought that was on the north side of town because saw some exit off of 285, and I thought, well that wasn't Melissa because I watched every newscast. I don't have to watch the news anymore."
She described the pain of waiting for years to hear about if authorities had identified her daughter's remains.
"She lay in the morgue for four years, and that was a long, hard four years," she said. "When they said it was a female, I called multiple police departments, and I would give some firm talking to at the start of the conversations in trying to find her. And when they would find out they would eventually say this isn't your daughter, their tones would soften."
Reporters asked Tina, Melissa's sister if the two ever suspected Christopher Wolfenbarger, and she said they "knew it" was him. A detective later said that Christopher Wolfenbarger was always a person of interest in the case.
"From day one, we knew it was Christopher. There was never ever any doubt in our minds who did this. My mom said when she first met him, there was just evil in his eyes. That is so true," Tina said.
"For Melissa, she didn't deserve what she got. And I hope anybody who is in a domestic violence situation, please get out," her sister Tina continued.
Police did not release all of the details about what led them to arrest her husband.
On Wednesday, her mother recounted the last moments she had with her daughter.
"I love you, and you know where I am if you need me," Norma told news reporters, choking back tears that those were her last words to her daughter.
Norma described her daughter as a loving mother and person.
11Alive previously reported how a police report said her husband never reported her missing to authorities; he also didn't tell family members of her disappearance. Documents cited 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 Wolfenbarger had not been in contact with her husband since December 1998.
Background on the case
It was 154 days after Melissa's family had last heard from her when police responded to an area 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 Wolfenbarger.
It would take 1,369 days -- nearly four years of waiting -- until authorities were able to identify the discovered remains as Melissa Wolfenbarger.
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.
Melissa Wolfenbarger | More Than A Number
"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 Wolfenbarger's family learned that she wasn't missing; she was dead.
Tina said her dad helped bring that closure.
"Dad loved us," she said, stating that despite his own arrest, he would have never killed Melissa. "He was devastated. Just like us. He broke down and cried."
For over 20 years, the family has been fighting for justice for their loved one. Tina Patton, in particular, channeled her energy into talking to everyone about her sister so that more people could know about her.
"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."
Now, following this arrest, they are one step closer to receiving the closure they've fought decades for.