According to the Fort Worth Police Department, in the state of Texas, United States, a woman named Melissa Highsmith has been reunited with her biological family after 51 years missing.
The discovery of kinship was made after a DNA test proved that Melissa was the baby of the Highsmith family who had disappeared in 1971, with only 1 year and 10 months old.
see more
'Barbie' movie predicted to boost Mattel profits…
Japanese company imposes time restriction and reaps benefits
According to the family, everything indicates that Melissa was kidnapped by a nanny while her parents were working. The child had not been seen again until now, five decades later.
Melissa Highsmith had already been reunited with her real family at the end of 2022, when the first DNA tests began to be carried out to prove, or not, the blood relationship.
Now, with the kinship confirmed, the case of Melissa's disappearance can finally be closed. "It is our hope that this test result provides additional closure for the Highsmith family," Fort Worth Police said in a statement.
It was years of agony
The impressive story of the Highsmith family only came to light now, after the case came to the notice of the NBC broadcaster. However, Melissa's biological parents have been looking for her for years.
According to Victoria Highsmith, Melissa's sister, their mother has done DNA tests with at least six women over the years, but they all went wrong, which greatly discouraged the matriarch.
“My mother was always hopeful. After 51 years, she didn't want to take another DNA test. She was tired, hurt and guilty about carrying this all these years,” said Victoria.
“I am grateful that we got her to agree to submit her DNA for this further test. After that, my father also underwent the test and, luckily, we were finally able to find Melissa”, she celebrated.
Victoria also said that her mother is, in addition to being very happy, feeling relieved that she no longer has to carry the blame for Melissa's disappearance.
“She has carried this pain and this guilt for 51 years, and I watched her cry for three days of joy [after meeting Melissa]. I have never seen my mother so happy,” she says.
Despite having happened many years ago, Melissa's disappearance is still being investigated by the Fort Worth police. Authorities ask that anyone who has any additional information about the case, contact and file a report.
“Although the statute of limitations expired 20 years after Melissa's 18th birthday, the Fort Worth Police Department's Major Case Unit continues to ask for the public's assistance with any additional information regarding Melissa's abduction that occurred more than 51 years ago," officials said. in note.
Graduated in History and Human Resources Technology. Passionate about writing, today he lives the dream of acting professionally as a Content Writer for the Web, writing articles in different niches and different formats.