Melissa Highsmith was abducted when she was 1 year and 9 months old by a nanny and is now Melanie Walden, 53. She and her biological parents reunited on November 26.
Thanks to a DNA test, the Highsmith family finally found Melissa Highsmith, who was kidnapped when she was 1 year old and is now 53. There have been more than 50 years of mystery about the American’s whereabouts and searches.
Melissa was abducted in 1971 by a family nanny in Fort Worth, Texas when she was just 1 year and 9 months old. The nanny was hired by Melissa’s mother, Alta Apatenco, through an ad in a local newspaper. Already estranged from her family of origin, the child was named Melanie Walden.
Meanwhile, the Highsmith family has been conducting their own investigation, 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 did not know she was being hunted, and when contacted via Facebook by family members, she initially assumed it was of an online trap.
On Nov. 6, DNA information cross referenced by the website 23AndMe finally linked Melanie’s children to the Highsmith family.
“Our discovery of Melissa was purely due to DNA,” Sharon Rose Highsmith, her sister, wrote on Facebook. “She was not due to any police or FBI action, any involvement in podcasts, or even our family’s private investigation or speculation.”
The 53-year-old woman and her parents met for the first time on Nov. 26. Sharon Rose said she was awaiting the results of “more official and legal DNA tests”.
“Although, the moment we saw her photos, learned of her birthmark, and realized her ‘birthday’ is so close to our Melissa’s, WE KNEW [sic] no doubt she was OUR GIRL. We are obviously awaiting official confirmation for the pessimists of the world.”
In an interview with CBS, the BBC’s American partner, Melanie said: “It’s amazing. At the same time, it’s the most wonderful feeling in the world.”
The mother, Alta Apatenco, said she “just couldn’t believe” that the family was reunited after so many years.
“I thought I’d never see her again,” he told CBS.
There is no information about the hijacker. According to Melanie, when she was confronted, the woman who raised her — from whom she was estranged for decades — admitted knowing she was a kidnapped child.
“It made it real,” Melanie said.
Although the kidnapping has long since expired, the Fort Worth Police Department said in a statement that it will continue the investigation into the child’s disappearance to piece together what happened.
Meanwhile, the family says they are making up for lost time and starting to get to know each other.
According to The Washington Post, Melanie plans to go back to calling herself Melissa and wants to redo her marriage to her now-husband so her father, Jeffrie Highsmith, can walk her down the aisle.
– This text was published in https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/geral-63803470
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Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
