The Highsmith family finally found Melissa Highsmith, now 53, who was abducted when she was 1, thanks to DNA testing.
Melissa was abducted when she was just 1 year and 9 months old by a family caregiver in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1971. The nanny was hired by Melissa’s mother, Alta Apatenco, through an ad in a local newspaper. The name of the child who was already removed from the family was Melanie Walden.
Meanwhile, the Highsmith family made their own calls, calling the police and federal authorities. In September of that year, the family received a tip that their daughter might be in the state of South Carolina. Melanie was unaware of being hunted, and when her family members contacted her via Facebook, she initially thought it was an online trap.
On November 6, DNA cross-referenced by website 23AndMe finally linked Melanie’s children to the Highsmith family.
“It was purely DNA that we discovered Melissa,” wrote her sister, Sharon Rose Highsmith, on Facebook. “It wasn’t due to any police or FBI action, any podcast involvement, or even private investigations or speculation by our family.”
The 53-year-old woman and her family met for the first time on 26 November. Sharon Rose stated that they are waiting for results from “more official and legal DNA tests”.
“Although the moment we saw her pictures, learned about her birthmark, and realized that her ‘birthday’ was so close to our Melissa’s, we KNEW. [sic] she was OUR GIRL without a shadow of a doubt. Of course we are waiting for official confirmation for the pessimists of the world.”
Image: GETTY IMAGES
“It’s wonderful. It’s also the most wonderful feeling in the world,” Melanie said in an interview with the BBC’s US partner CBS.
Mother Alta Apatenco said she “couldn’t believe” that the family was reunited after all these years.
“I thought I’d never see him again,” he told CBS.
There is no information about the pirate. According to Melanie, when confronted with the woman who raised her—with whom she had been estranged for decades—she admitted that she knew she was a kidnapped child.
“He did it for real,” Melanie said.
While the abduction case has long since expired, the Fort Worth Police Department said in a statement that it will continue the investigation into the boy’s disappearance to piece together what happened.
Meanwhile, the family says they are making up for lost time and getting to know each other.
According to The Washington Post, Melanie plans to go back to calling herself Melissa and wants to remarry her current husband so that her father, Jeffrie Highsmith, can walk down the aisle with her.
– This text was published at https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/geral-63803470.
source: Noticias
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.