Disappearance of Melissa Brannen

Photograph of Melissa Brannen

The disappearance of Melissa Brannen occurred on December 3, 1989 at the Woodside Apartments in Lorton, Virginia. She was the five-year-old daughter of Tammy Brannen, a single mother who lived in the complex. She disappeared while attending a party held at the complex for its residents. A handyman for the complex was convicted in her kidnapping and sentenced to 50 years in prison. Her body has never been found, she was never proven to be dead, and murder charges were never filed.[1]

The story of her disappearance was told on The FBI Files in the eighth episode of the first season.

Disappearance

On December 3, 1989, a Christmas party was taking place at the apartment where Tammy Brannen lived with her daughter Melissa. While her mother's eyes were off of her briefly during a hug with a friend, Melissa disappeared. After she was not found, foul play was suspected. A search began almost immediately, with over 300 volunteers participating. During the search, human remains of someone else were found, and were never identified, but were ruled out to be Brannen's.

Investigation

Handyman Caleb Hughes became the prime suspect that very evening through witness accounts. Police visited his apartment during the night, where his wife cooperated with police. The clothes he was wearing at the time of the disappearance were found in the Hughes's washing machine, but yet to be washed. Police seized them as evidence. Police also took the vehicle Hughes had been driving and examined the passenger's seat for fiber evidence.

Hughes's wife Carol was key in the investigation. She reported his arrival home from work several hours later than usual and extra mileage on the vehicle that could not be explained. He explained it as a side trip he took to purchase a 6-pack of beer and then he took a longer route home.

Fibers were extracted from the front seat of the vehicle. The victim had been reported as wearing a Big Bird dress that had been purchased from J.C. Penney. An identical dress was obtained by investigators and its fibers were compared with those found on the seat. A match was found. Also found were some hairs from a rare rabbit fur coat of Tammy's that she wore at the party. This proved that the victim was probably in the passenger's seat that evening.[1]

Hughes was charged with kidnapping with intent to defile. He was convicted and sentenced to 50 years in prison.[1][2]

During the course of the investigation, a man demanded $74,000 in ransom in exchange for Brannen. The ransom money was paid to this man, but Brannen was not returned. It was determined that the man had no connection to the Brannen case, knew about it only through media reports, and his only motive in the demand was extortion, with which he was subsequently charged.[3]

Aftermath

The Brannen case led parents of other children in the Woodside development to be overprotective of their children following the incident.[4]

In 1995, a search of a lake was made after a power company worker found some red cloth in the lake. No evidence of a body was found.[5]

About eight years after Brannen's disappearance, her mother remarried. Though she took on the surname of her new husband, Graybill, as her own, she retained the name Brannen in listings so that her daughter would be able to contact her. Graybill has raised four stepchildren with her new husband.[1]

In the TV show, The FBI Files, it was revealed that Tammy Brannen had not changed her phone number because "she is still waiting for that all-important phone call".

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Davis, Patricia (November 27, 1999). "Mother's Memory Has Never Faded". Washington Post. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Crime and Punishment". People.com. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  3. ↑ "The Free Lance-Star - Google News Archive Search". News.google.com. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  4. ↑ "Herald-Journal - Google News Archive Search". News.google.com. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  5. ↑ "The Free Lance-Star - Google News Archive Search". News.google.com. Retrieved 9 December 2014.

External links

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