Missing Melissa Fadden Melissa, approximately 1997 Date reported missing : 03/03/1997 Missing location (approx) : Lowell, Massachusetts Missing classification : Endangered Missing Gender : Female Ethnicity : White Age at the time of disappearance: 13 years old Height / Weight : 5'4, 110 pounds Description, clothing, jewerly and more : A black shirt with maroon stripes, black jeans, a gold necklace and gold earrings. Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos : Caucasian female. Blonde hair, green eyes. Melissa has a tattoo of the letter "M" on her right shoulder. Her ears are pierced. At the time of her March 1997 disappearance, she wore bEthnicity : s on her teeth. Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Melissa was last seen by her mother inside their home on March 3, 1997. Her mother reported her missing two days later, on March 5. She had run away from home on several prior occasions. In September 1999, a 32-year-old Lowell man named James Howley hanged himself after being questioned in the kidnapping and murder of an eleven-year-old Lowell girl, Tabitha Potter. Potter's body was found in Shedd Park three days after she was reported missing. After Howley's death, police were able to identify him as the killer through DNA and other forensic testing. He knew Melissa and they were reportedly seeing each other, and Melissa and Tabitha Potter were friends. Howley is considered a suspect in Melissa's disappearance. There have been many reports with regards to her whereabouts over the years, but none have panned out. Authorities are not ruling out the possibility of foul play in her disappearance, which remains unsolved. Other information and links : ncy MiddleGender : District Attorney's Office 617-679-6600 Lowell Police Department 978-937-3200 September 2021 updates and sources SouthCoast Massachusetts News The MiddleGender : District Attorney's Office The Boston Globe The Boston Herald A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are not known. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2�5% of missing children in Europe. By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends. Several organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and imAge at the time of disappearance: s of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece. October 12, 2004. June 26, 2011; Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos : and Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : updated. |