Melissa was last seen during a Christmas party held at her apartment complex in Lorton, Virginia. She has a burn scar on her right forearm. She was wearing a Navy blue acrylic JC Penney sweater with red and blue plaid sleeves, navy blue cuffs and a yellow applique of Big Bird on the front, red and blue plaid cotton skirt, red tights, pink hooded jacket and black patent leather shoes with gold bows. Melissa's photo is shown age-progressed to 21 years. In 2024, the person convicted of the kidnapping of Melissa was found to be babysitter. The person was arrested and sent back to prison as he was not allowed to have unsupervised visits with children.