ATLANTA — The husband of an Atlanta mother whose remains were identified in 2003 has now been indicted for her murder.
Melissa Wolfenbarger last spoke to her family on Thanksgiving of 1998. They searched for years for her before they discovered she was in a morgue the whole time they were looking -- prompting a decades-long fight for justice.
Now, after more than 20 years, the family is one step closer to justice and getting closure in the case. Melissa's husband, Christopher Wolfenbarger, was indicted by a grand jury this week for her murder.
The indictment accuses him of "inflicting homicidal violence" in an unknown manner sometime between Dec. 10, 1998, and April 29, 1999. It also alleged that he assaulted her with unknown objects that resulted in serious bodily harm.
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.
After decades of this being an ongoing cold case, the Atlanta Police Department announced Christopher's arrest earlier this month.
Melissa's mother, Norma Patton, said she no longer has to watch the news anymore now that the arrest has happened.
"We got him, and he's in jail," she said following the arrest. "Lord help me; he stays there."
Melissa's sister, Tina, previously told 11Alive that she "knew it" was him and that her family never liked him. A detective also said that he was always a person of interest in the case.
"It had to do with a look that he had in his eyes," she said about why the family didn't like him. "You could just see how evil he is by looking in his eyes."
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 Patton 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 Patton recalled.
"She was sweet. She was quiet. She was always smiling, always laughing," Tina Patton said.
Melissa Wolfenbarger | More Than A Number
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 Patton said no one in the family was fond of the boy who stole her sister's heart. However, she got married. 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.
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 Patton, 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 Wolfenbarger's family learned that she wasn't missing; she was dead.
Tina Patton 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.
For more on who Melissa was and Tina's journey in fighting for justice, watch the June 2024 video below.
For more on who Melissa was and Tina's journey in fighting for justice, watch the June 2024 video below.
This story was an update to a "More Than A Number" piece. 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.
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