Missing
Melissa Lee Brannen
Melissa, approximately 1989; Age when reported missing: 21 (approximately 2005); Caleb Hughes, approximately 1991; Hughes, approximately 2019; Melissa's clothes
Date and time person was reported missing : 12/03/1989
Missing location (approx) :
Lorton, Virginia
Missing classification : Non-Family Abduction
Gender : Female
Ethnicity :
White
DOB : 04/13/1984 (37)
Age at the time of disappearance: 5 years old
Height / Weight : 3'0, 38 pounds
Description, clothing, jewerly and more : A pink hooded jacket, a navy blue acrylic J.C. Penney sweater with red and blue plaid sleeves, navy blue cuffs and a yellow applique of the Sesame Street character Big Bird on the front, a red and blue plaid cotton skirt, red tights and black patent leather shoes with gold bows. Photos of Melissa's coat, sweater and skirt are posted with this case summary.
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Caucasian female. Light brown hair, blue eyes. Melissa has a burn scar on her right forearm.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Melissa was last seen at a holiday party in the Woodside Apartment Clubhouse, at approximately 10:00 p.m. on December 3, 1989 in Lorton, Virginia. Her family resided in the apartment complex. Melissa and her mother were about to leave the party but Melissa went to get some more potato chips before they left, and was never seen again. There were approximately eighty guests present at the party at the time.
Caleb Daniel Hughes emerged as a suspect in Melissa's case almost immediately. Photos of him are posted with this case summary. Hughes was employed as a groundskeeper at Woodside Apartments at the time of Melissa's disappearance; he had worked there for only about two weeks.
He was a guest at Melissa's family's party the evening of her disappearance, had been sitting near her when she was last seen, and left at approximately the same time the child was discovered missing. He had a criminal record prior to Melissa's disappearance, but not for violent or Gender : ual offenses.
Investigators looked for Hughes right after Melissa's disappearance was discovered, but did not find him until 1:00 a.m. the next day. He had already put his party clothes in the washing machine. The FBI took blood, hair and fiber evidence from Hughes's maroon Honda and tested it in a forensic laboratory.
The laboratory found that Melissa could be a source for the hair and the bloodstains, which were found on some tissues in the car, but so could 40% of the general population. Further testing ruled out Melissa as a source for the stains. However, rabbit hairs found in the car matched Melissa's rabbit-fur jacket and there were many blue fibers that matched her sweater and some red fibers consistent with her skirt.
Hughes was convicted of abducting Melissa with the intent to defile in 1991, and sentenced to 50 years in prison. He has always maintained his innocence in Melissa's case. He was an exemplary prisoner for most of his term, and accumulated enough good behavior credits to shorten his sentence. As a result, he was released from prison in August 2019, after serving just 29 years of his sentence.
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