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you need. On

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the morning of March 24th, 2003,

0:41

Melinda McGee, a 31 year old licensed

0:44

practical nurse, finished working the night shift

0:46

at an Alabama nursing home. After

0:49

getting home at around 8 30 a.m., Melinda

0:52

called her husband Troy, who was at work.

0:54

Before getting off the phone, Melinda said that

0:57

she was going to sleep until Troy and

0:59

their kids returned home later that day. When

1:02

Troy and the kids arrived home at around 3 45 p.m., Melinda

1:04

wasn't there. Instead,

1:07

they found signs of a violent

1:09

struggle, including blood inside the house.

1:12

Officers quickly arrived at the scene and

1:15

concluded that Melinda had been assaulted and

1:17

abducted. It's been just over

1:19

20 years since Melinda disappeared and

1:21

investigators are still searching for the person

1:24

responsible. Hey,

1:54

everyone, welcome back to Detective Perspective. My

1:56

name is Derek Lavassar. I'm a licensed

1:58

private investigator and former. Police Detective. Each

2:01

week I'll be covering an unsolved

2:03

case and story format of and

2:05

give you my perspective on the

2:07

investigation and provide contact information for

2:09

the individuals or organizations connected to

2:11

the case so that if you

2:13

have any tips you can contact

2:15

them directly. And. Maybe you can

2:17

help solve a case. And if you're

2:19

someone who's interested in true crime specifically

2:21

unsolved cases and you would like to

2:23

hear my opinion on those investigations, please

2:26

consider subscribing where they are watching on

2:28

you tube or listening on Apple Podcasts

2:30

are spot a fi or whatever platform

2:32

you use or eight. So this week's

2:34

investigation that we're going to be diving

2:36

into Melinda Mcgee. Or this one

2:39

is. It's an interesting one because

2:41

this is another disappearance. Many years

2:43

have passed and yet we really

2:45

don't know. What? Happened to

2:47

Melinda and the circumstances surrounding her

2:49

disappearance. Are mysterious to say

2:51

the least. I'm. Not going to

2:53

get into the facts right now. we're going to go

2:55

through it. Throughout this episode, there has been a couple.

2:58

Potential. Suspects linked to her

3:00

disappearance one was a serial killer

3:02

and there was also some.

3:04

Some details are made later by

3:07

investigators by law enforcement that suggested

3:09

they had other suspects on the

3:12

radar and one of them specifically

3:14

has not been cooperative. With.

3:16

Police or throughout this entire investigation. And

3:19

the big question there is who is

3:21

this person So we're going to dive

3:23

into that tonight. We have a lot

3:25

to cover, so without further ado, let's

3:27

get into this week's case. Born

3:29

on June third, Nineteen Seventy One. Melinda.

3:32

Wall grew up at a scam be a county Alabama.

3:35

Which. Is located on the Florida border. Unfortunately,

3:38

Not much is known about her early years, but

3:40

we do know that Melinda with sweet. Bubbly,

3:42

And kind. And she had a close

3:45

relationship with her family. In or around

3:47

Ninety Ninety Six. Melinda. Married Troy

3:49

Mcgee. Who. Had a son from a

3:51

previous relationship. The. Leader: Welcome to boys

3:53

together and settled in a rural area outside

3:56

up more a small town and scam be

3:58

a county. There. With at

4:00

the end of Can't Road which was a dead end

4:02

dirt road with only three houses on it. Now.

4:05

Quick footnote here because I don't really think

4:07

it pays much weight, but I wanted to

4:09

at least pointed out at the Mcgee home

4:11

was sort of mirror I Sixty Five, which

4:13

some of you may know. there was a

4:16

serial killer along that stretch, and he was

4:18

recently identified in I believe in April of

4:20

Twenty Twenty Two. There's not a lot of

4:22

articles out there that connect. Ah,

4:24

Melinda disappearance to this serial killer. but again,

4:26

you never know someone to put it out

4:29

there if that's something you wanted to research

4:31

further. But before you go to for down

4:33

that rabbit hole, just a heads up. I

4:35

did look into it a little bit. It

4:37

was Harry Edward Green. Well, that's the name

4:39

of the serial killer in his M O

4:42

appeared to be connected to women were he

4:44

would a saw and kill them along hotels

4:46

near I sixty Five so not a direct

4:48

match. Doesn't mean he did. You know Melinda

4:50

couldn't be an outlier, but that's what I

4:52

was able to find. Now. While

4:55

raising their sons, Tony worked at Maslen

4:57

Carpets out more La. Melinda worked as

4:59

a licensed practical nurse at nearby prisons

5:01

in a nursing home. And.

5:04

The early two thousand Melissa also began

5:06

attending school to become a registered nurse.

5:08

By. The spring of two thousand and three. She

5:11

was just months away from graduating. And.

5:13

By all accounts, Melinda and Troy were still happily

5:15

married and even had plans for a weekend trip

5:17

to the beach. But. They never made it.

5:19

On the night of March twenty third. Melinda.

5:22

Worked at twelve hour shift at the nursing home.

5:24

At. Around seven am on what is now

5:26

the twenty fourth, she finished her shift and

5:28

headed to the local convenience store. This.

5:30

Was the last time she was ever seen alive. At.

5:33

Around an hour later, a lender right back

5:35

at home. At that time toy

5:38

was already at work. Melinda.

5:40

And choice two sons or the baby sitter

5:42

and troy son from a previous relationship was

5:44

at a dentist appointment. Dismantle into

5:46

was home alone all by herself. At

5:49

approximately eight thirty am. Belinda. Called

5:51

her mom something she always did after

5:53

working a night shift. She. Also called

5:56

try at work to discuss who would pick up

5:58

the children from the baby sitter Troy. For

6:00

to do it so that she could get some

6:02

more rest and Melinda happily took him up on

6:04

the offer Before ending the call, Melinda mentioned that

6:06

she was going to sleep soon. After.

6:08

This. No. One ever heard from her again.

6:11

Later. In the afternoon for I finished work and

6:13

picked up all three of his sons. They.

6:16

Returned home at around three forty five

6:18

pm. according to the at more advanced

6:20

when they got out of the car. One.

6:22

Of Melinda Sons rust ahead of everyone to

6:24

wake up his mom, but she was an

6:26

inside. The. Summer and back outside

6:28

to tell his dad what was going on.

6:31

When Troy went inside he found signs of

6:33

a including blood. But. No sign of

6:35

Melinda. For. Obviously grew very

6:37

concerned and called Noland his mother wieder. He

6:39

told her about the blood and Melinda his

6:41

absence and asked if she knew where Melinda

6:44

my be. We. The had no idea,

6:46

but due to the blood, she suggested troy check

6:48

the hospitals to see if Melinda had gone bear.

6:50

The. Up more Advanced reported that Melinda had Barracuda

6:52

means which led we did a theorized that

6:55

maybe one of Bolland his veins had burst,

6:57

forcing her to seek help at the hospital.

6:59

For. I contacted all local hospitals but none

7:01

had any reports of Melinda been there.

7:04

So. At three fifty nine Pm, he called

7:06

Nine One One to report his wife

7:08

missing. The. Escambia County Sheriff's

7:10

Office responded to the scene and discovered

7:12

blood and signs of struggle, but quote

7:15

no evidence of a homicide. They.

7:17

Examined Melinda car which was parked near

7:19

the house in noticed that her keys

7:21

were locked inside. According to

7:23

Melinda sister Amanda, this was not

7:25

unusual because Melinda occasionally locked her

7:27

keys in the car accidentally. What?

7:29

Did straight everyone as unusual was

7:31

that Melinda person cellphone were left

7:33

inside the house. It seemed odd

7:36

because these were things that Melinda would have taken

7:38

a she left the house willingly. After. Carefully

7:40

reviewing all the evidence, detectives determined

7:42

that someone had attacked and abducted

7:44

melinda. Following. This realization these

7:46

can be a county sheriff's office.

7:48

The Alabama Bureau of Investigation and

7:50

nearly a dozen other local agencies

7:52

joined forces to investigate and search

7:54

for Melinda. Now. Want to stop real

7:57

quick and address the elephant in the room? because I'm sure

7:59

some of us to. We are saying hey,

8:01

what about Roy? Was he ever investigated?

8:03

Could he have been a suspect? And.

8:06

And the question is, I'm sure he was considered. Our.

8:08

And we don't have anything. Hundred

8:10

percent. But from the research that

8:13

was conducted, it appears that toy

8:15

was vetted. And. I

8:17

feel pretty confident in saying that his alibi was confirmed

8:19

that he was at work all day. That would have

8:22

been other people there to confirm this. And.

8:24

The only thing that raises a little

8:26

bit of an eyebrow is that you

8:28

know when he never gave any quotes

8:31

to the media and the any Melinda

8:33

family never mentioned him when they gave

8:35

their statements, but that doesn't necessarily mean

8:37

he was involved in. Honestly, the fact

8:39

that he never spoke to the media

8:41

doesn't carry really anything with me. He

8:43

he wants to get stuff out there,

8:45

but he might understand. Also that because

8:47

he's her husband is gonna be looked

8:49

at by certain people as a potential

8:51

suspect and it's better for him just

8:53

to not say. Anything at all as far

8:55

as where I am, on the whole situation

8:57

I'm going to assume and and on. Also

8:59

hope. That. He was vetted thoroughly and

9:01

that his statements were corroborated in it was confirmed

9:03

that he was in fact that work all day

9:05

when he said he was there. Are.

9:08

And everything kind of matched up and he was

9:10

ruled out very quickly. So that's where I am

9:12

on it. I just wanted to meet regularly the

9:14

full picture because I'm sure some people would be

9:16

asking about it, especially in the comments down below.

9:19

Now are multiple agencies investigated:

9:21

Melinda Disappearance. Her. Family and

9:23

friends put up missing person posters throughout

9:25

town. Ban. On March twenty

9:27

ninth, authorities and hundreds of volunteers conducted

9:29

a search within a forty mile radius

9:31

around the Mcgee home. Unfortunately,

9:33

they did not find any clues.

9:36

As. The investigation continued detective notice possible

9:38

similarities between the Linda disappearance and

9:40

a series of homicides committed by

9:42

at the time and on identified

9:45

serial killer from Baton Rouge, Louisiana

9:47

located around two hundred and fifty

9:49

miles from Out More. According

9:51

to the Associated Press, authorities believe the

9:53

serial killer had been responsible for the

9:55

murders of five victims dating back to

9:57

september of two thousand and one. For

10:00

the murders beginning and the victims

10:02

homes. After. A scam. Be A

10:04

County Detectives learned about a serial killer. They

10:06

started to investigate whether Melinda might have been

10:08

one of his victims. In mid

10:11

April and Escambia County Sheriff's Detective

10:13

met with members of a multi

10:15

agency homicide task force investigating the

10:17

serial killer to review all cases

10:19

and search for similarities. Within.

10:21

A month of this meeting, the Stir

10:24

A killer was actually identified through Dna

10:26

testing as Derek Todd lead. He.

10:28

Was arrested in eventually linked to a total

10:30

of seven murders that occurred between Nineteen Ninety

10:32

Eight and two Thousand and three. However,

10:35

According to a L.com. Investigators.

10:38

Were not able to connect Derek to

10:40

Melinda disappearance. Escambia County Detectives

10:42

were back to square one. A

10:44

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for Everyone. By. September Twenty fourth. Melinda

11:46

had been missing for six months.

11:49

Her. Family was trying their best to hold it

11:51

together while facing the reality of the situation.

11:54

Melinda. Was likely dead. Or. Not

11:56

coming home. For. sister amanda expressed her

11:58

frustration to be out more advance, saying,

12:00

quote, I'm angry, angry

12:02

that there are no answers, angry

12:05

that whoever did this took away our right to

12:07

bury her. And we don't have

12:09

anybody to blame. Amanda

12:11

said the family discussed Melinda's case daily,

12:13

trying to find ways to help, including

12:15

reaching out to America's most wanted and

12:17

seeking help from private investigators. They were

12:19

doing everything they could think of to

12:22

keep her case in the public eye

12:24

and obtain justice. Amanda also dispelled various

12:26

rumors circulating around town, including claims

12:28

that Melinda had been stalked prior

12:30

to her disappearance. Amanda emphasized

12:32

that she and Melinda were very close and

12:35

she would have known if there was a stalker. All

12:37

right, so I have to stop in and wait here.

12:39

And by no means is this meant to be disrespectful

12:42

to Amanda or question her

12:44

beliefs. But from experience in

12:46

this field, I think the

12:49

term stalker is a spectrum, right?

12:51

There's really severe cases where the

12:54

individual is sitting outside of the home

12:56

of the victim, is calling them, is

12:58

hitting them up on social media all

13:00

the time, following them to work,

13:02

et cetera. It's a really overt case. But

13:05

I do think there are lower levels

13:07

of a stalker where they may be

13:09

just someone who attempts to

13:12

run into them when they can, who may drive

13:14

by the house once in a while, who may

13:16

call and hang up every now and then. And

13:19

you have to go back to Melinda's

13:22

occupation. I wrote it down when I

13:25

first read this story. She

13:27

worked at the prison and in nursing homes.

13:30

And I don't know what type of characters she

13:33

was dealing with at the prison. Was it low

13:35

level? Was it high level? Did some

13:38

of the individuals that he interacted with get

13:40

out of prison at some point in time?

13:43

Did they have a crush on her while they were in prison?

13:45

And then when they got out, they kept

13:47

tabs on her without her knowing.

13:50

These are all real possibilities. And

13:52

this could have been a situation where, let's say

13:54

she was working in the prison and

13:56

then one of the prisoners after they

13:59

get out, of

16:00

how small the information is that you have, no

16:02

matter how trivial you think it might be. If

16:05

you know anything, make sure you

16:07

relay that to law enforcement because, as I've

16:09

always said, that little piece that

16:11

you have may connect

16:13

multiple larger pieces. And

16:15

there's no way of you knowing that because

16:17

you don't have access to the entire investigation,

16:19

to all of their police reports. And

16:22

if you do decide to give information but

16:24

are a little weary about it, don't

16:27

opt to give it to family members because

16:29

it could get lost in translation. And

16:32

you don't want to bring them into the investigation if

16:34

you don't have to. If

16:36

you're going to say something, make sure you call

16:39

the people in charge of investigating the case because,

16:41

again, they have all the pieces, the family members

16:43

do not, and it may actually hurt the case

16:45

if you tell them over actual

16:48

detectives who can do something with it. Now,

16:50

at this stage, detectives will work

16:52

entirely on the case, frequently meeting

16:55

with agencies from different counties, the

16:57

Alabama Bureau of Investigation, and

16:59

the FBI. These agencies would review the

17:01

case and make suggestions for tactics that

17:03

the Escambia County Sheriff's Office could employ.

17:06

The Sheriff's Office implemented every single

17:08

suggestion they received. And a

17:10

quick kudos to them for that because I've said

17:13

this also before, sometimes a lot

17:15

of egos get involved with this and when

17:17

a sheriff's department gets, or a local

17:19

police agency gets a big case, this

17:22

is what they've been waiting for. And they

17:24

don't want to admit that maybe the case

17:27

is bigger than their department can

17:29

handle and they're less apt

17:31

to take suggestions from outside agencies because

17:34

they feel like it makes them look

17:36

weak or like they're incapable of doing

17:38

their job. The reality is

17:40

there are certain agencies like the FBI

17:42

who work cases like this every day.

17:45

So when you have an opportunity

17:47

to use not only their resources

17:49

but also their experience, you

17:52

as an investigator, regardless of how many cases you've

17:54

worked, would be foolish not to take their advice

17:56

and at least hear them out. You

17:58

have to remember regardless of how good you are.

18:00

There's always someone out there who's better or

18:02

who has experienced the case that may be

18:04

similar to the one you're working and

18:08

whenever you want the best chances of

18:10

solving an investigation it's important to have

18:12

different opinions of people

18:14

who have different backgrounds in the room so

18:17

that you can hear them all out and

18:19

develop the best plan possible for that particular

18:21

investigation. So kudos to them for being open

18:23

to it kudos to them for involving other

18:26

people that may be able to assist in

18:28

solving this case. In addition

18:30

to getting other agencies involved multiple labs

18:32

thoroughly examined all evidence gathered in the

18:34

case. The Alabama State Lab checked it

18:37

first then the FBI re-examined it to

18:39

ensure no leads were overlooked and I

18:41

will say if they developed any new

18:43

information from this process it has not

18:45

been shared publicly. As the one-year anniversary

18:47

in March of 2004 approached Belinda

18:50

was still missing. To mark

18:52

the difficult milestone Belinda's family organized

18:54

a candlelight vigil according to the

18:57

Atmore Advance Belinda's sister Amanda told

18:59

the crowd that the family had

19:01

lost hope for her safe return

19:03

she said quote it would take a

19:05

miracle we can only assume she's dead

19:09

we're just asking for people to pray Amanda

19:11

added quote the past 12 months have

19:14

been a blur we're still waiting

19:16

on tomorrow we're still hurting it's

19:19

an ache it's a void it's

19:21

there 24 hours a day Amanda

19:23

acknowledged that law enforcement remained dedicated to the

19:26

case but the lack of new leads had

19:28

led to frustration within the family and for

19:30

some it had turned to anger

19:33

she said quote my father's angry

19:36

he's so upset that there's a murderer out there

19:38

and the police don't have anything Amanda

19:41

followed up that statement by saying she knew that

19:43

law enforcement was doing their best she

19:45

explained quote I guess we get

19:47

the misconception from TV and think there are

19:49

answers coming I've been doing research

19:51

and from what I know answers could

19:54

take years so unfortunately

19:56

Amanda's right here these

19:58

cases can take a very long time And

20:00

movies and Tv have created this

20:02

misconception that law enforcement has access

20:05

to these computers in this. This.

20:07

Technology where regardless of how

20:09

difficult the cases. They. Can

20:11

solve it in a week and that's just not

20:14

the reality. Yes, we have situations where. The.

20:16

Information is obvious and there's a major

20:18

slip up which identifies the suspect almost

20:21

immediately. and there's an arrest and in

20:23

the family can start to grieve and

20:25

he'll. Arm. But that's

20:27

not always the the situation. Sometimes.

20:30

It's gonna take not only efforts

20:32

from law enforcement. But. Also,

20:34

participation from the community, and

20:36

sometimes that participation. Doesn't.

20:38

Come right away. can take weeks or can take

20:40

months. It. Can take years. And

20:43

I will say this, sometimes it

20:45

never comes and that's the actual

20:48

reality of criminal investigations. Now.

20:50

As a detective, we don't go into it with that

20:52

mindset. Every case we take on. We. Go into

20:54

it with the plan of solving it. But.

20:57

We also understand that that solve

20:59

may not com overnight. It's. Gonna

21:01

take weeks, months, and potentially.

21:04

Years. Of hard work. To. Get

21:06

the resolution that you're looking for. And.

21:08

Understandably, That very hard

21:11

for the family of the victims to understand

21:13

and accept an odd you know what as

21:15

as a human being. I don't blame

21:17

them. Now. Chef Smith assured the app

21:19

more advanced that the case for me the top

21:21

priority for his department. He. Said he

21:24

had recently convinced the F B I to

21:26

open a case file on the Linda's disappearance,

21:28

which he saw as a positive step. He

21:30

expressed frustration at not having new information to

21:32

provide to the families, but said he remained

21:34

hopeful that the F B Eyes involvement would

21:36

break open the case. But. Unfortunately, the

21:39

F B I was not able

21:41

to solve the case either and

21:43

the investigation continued. A Kroger We.

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22:44

October of 2004, Escambia County detectives

22:47

learned about Jeremy Brian Jones, who

22:50

had been charged with murdering a

22:52

44-year-old woman in Mobile, Alabama, located

22:54

around 50 miles from Atmore. Detectives

22:57

thought there could be a possible connection between

22:59

this murder and the disappearance of Melinda, so

23:01

they started looking into Jeremy. Sheriff

23:04

Smith told the Atmore Advanced that his

23:06

department did consider Jeremy a suspect in

23:08

Melinda's disappearance, but only because

23:10

the nature of the murder in Mobile aligned

23:12

with the details they gathered in Melinda's case.

23:15

Smith made it very clear that they didn't

23:17

have any direct evidence linking Jeremy to Escambia

23:19

County or to Melinda. They

23:22

were just, quote, closely examining him

23:24

like they would any other suspect in a case

23:26

that shared similarities. A few weeks

23:28

later, the Associated Press reported that Jeremy had

23:30

officially been ruled out as a suspect. Detectives

23:34

had obtained records and witness statements confirming

23:36

that Jeremy was working in Georgia at

23:38

the time of Melinda's disappearance. At the

23:40

beginning of 2006, the Escambia

23:42

County Sheriff's Office brought on an

23:45

experienced cold-case detective named Tommy Calhoun

23:47

to re-examine Melinda's case. Under

23:50

Calhoun's direction, the investigation seemed to be

23:52

heating up over the next few years.

23:55

In early 2008, the Escambia County

23:57

Sheriff's Office Conducted multiple interviews

23:59

with an... unnamed individual. During.

24:02

These discussions detectives were told that mold and

24:04

his body might be located in a septic

24:06

tank behind a burned down house on Jack

24:08

Road. In. February. A team consisting

24:10

of local officers, detectives, and F B

24:13

I eat and search the area. They.

24:15

Use tobacco to excavate to septic

24:17

tanks one old and one new

24:19

which were both emptied. Unfortunately,

24:22

Moment his body was not found and there was

24:24

no evidence that suggested she had ever been there.

24:27

In January of two thousand and nine,

24:29

the Escambia County Sheriff's Office received another

24:31

tip, this time suggesting that Melinda body

24:34

might have been buried in Iraq where

24:36

he behind Judson Cemetery, which is located

24:38

off Jack Springs Road. Authorities

24:40

and both a Scam Be and Baldwin

24:42

County along with the F B I

24:45

conducted a search of the quarry using

24:47

cadaver dogs and sonar equipment. However,

24:49

Like the previous leads, To. Search

24:51

did not provide any new evidence in

24:54

March law enforcement search the near a

24:56

near Perry Lane which is closer the

24:58

Alabama, Florida state line. but once again.

25:01

Nothing was found after this search.

25:03

The investigation really seem to slow

25:05

down. And. In march of two

25:07

thousand and ten. Seven. Years had

25:09

passed since Melinda disappearance. Which. Was

25:12

the duration of time required by the state

25:14

of Alabama to declare someone deceased. Because.

25:16

Melinda was presumed dead by authorities. For.

25:19

Friendly went ahead and obtained a death certificate.

25:21

One family member told the out more advanced quote.

25:24

That. Doesn't mean the case is closed. Melendez.

25:26

Case is still open. By. March

25:28

of Two thousand and Thirteen. A. Full

25:31

decade had gone by since Belinda was likely

25:33

assaulted and abducted from her home a scam

25:35

be a county Sheriff Smith held a press

25:37

conference to mark this anniversary. He. Assured

25:39

everyone or detectors we're still working on

25:42

the case. Which. He said was

25:44

now officially considered a homicide investigation.

25:46

Share. Smith said quote. This. Has

25:48

never been a cold case that has been shut up and

25:51

put in a filing cabinet. This. Has been

25:53

on someone's desk for ten years. It.

25:55

Is an active investigation. He

25:58

also mentioned that detectors we're currently. We

26:00

interviewing individual they had spoken to

26:02

previously, gathering new leads and witnesses

26:04

and quote drilling down very deep

26:06

into the case. During the conference,

26:08

Sir Smith also shared a message

26:10

from a Linda's abductor and likely

26:12

murderer quote. We. Also want to

26:15

remind the person who took Melinda Mcgee. The.

26:17

Every time you hear a footstep behind you, Every

26:20

time you hear a noise in the night, it could

26:22

be us. We're. Not going to quit. We.

26:25

Are never going to let you rest. Share.

26:27

Smith expressed doubt that the abductor would

26:29

be found locally. Same cool. The. Type

26:31

of person that will commit a crime like this

26:33

is likely to commit another similar crime and ten

26:36

years. That. Has not happened here. Now.

26:38

Want away and honest. I like Sheriff Smith.

26:40

I like his enthusiasm. I really liked I

26:43

quote that I just read. But

26:45

I think sometimes as investigators we

26:47

can get caught up in. Historical

26:50

data. And tradition and

26:52

and typical And most. You.

26:55

Could be right. Share Smith. This.

26:57

Could be a serial killer who.

27:00

May be Melinda was their first

27:03

victim. May be. That.

27:05

Was she was someone in between. But

27:07

I also think without any specific information

27:09

and maybe he does have something we

27:11

haven't seen it if he does. That.

27:14

This could be a one off. As I

27:17

said earlier, this could be a situation where

27:19

you have an individual. Who. Had.

27:21

A fascination with Melinda from previous encounters.

27:23

Weather was at the prisoner, at the

27:25

nursing home, or even just from the

27:27

community. And on this

27:29

particular day. Based. On

27:31

circumstances beyond our comprehension. Knew

27:34

that she would be home alone. And decided

27:36

to act on it and as dispersing

27:38

could be. This. Person could be

27:40

a neighbor for all we know. So.

27:43

Could they be found locally? I would push

27:45

back and say absolutely. Arm and

27:47

sacked. I would say based on how role

27:49

of an area this was. A.

27:51

This is more than likely someone.

27:54

Who. Previously new Melinda

27:56

although I will. Concede:

27:59

The. The fact that this could have

28:01

also been someone who was passing through

28:03

that particular morning. And saw her

28:06

at the convenience store. or saw her

28:08

while driving. And. Decided to follow

28:10

her. My. Only apprehension and

28:12

hesitation with that is is how would

28:14

that person if they didn't have any.

28:17

Previous. Knowledge or intelligence about Melinda

28:19

in her background and her family make

28:22

up. How would they know that on

28:24

that particular day? She. Would be

28:26

home alone. You. Can

28:28

answer that question? You. Gotta start

28:30

your career in law enforcement. Now following

28:33

the press conference. Lead. Detective Tommy

28:35

Calhoun spoke to the media. He mentioned

28:37

that his team was looking into more

28:39

than one person connection with the case.

28:41

However, he didn't reveal any details about

28:44

the suspects. He explained cool people

28:46

remain suspects until they can be cleared

28:48

and there are several individuals we are

28:50

highly interested in that we will not

28:52

clear until we have sufficient evidence and

28:55

information that they are no longer a

28:57

suspect. Calhoun went on to say that

28:59

some of these individuals have refused to

29:01

cooperate with investigation for the past decade.

29:04

Now. I don't want to look too deep into this and

29:06

I always tell you we get read between the lines. I'm.

29:09

A little stumped here for what does this mean.

29:11

The. Past decade. That means that this

29:13

person has almost been on the radar.

29:16

Ah, the entire time. And.

29:19

That would make me believe that this would

29:21

be an individual who. Had some

29:23

type of dealings with Melinda. I.

29:25

Would hope. As. This investigation

29:28

was conducted. On. There are

29:30

that she worked with. Or. that

29:32

she had interactions with as a nurse.

29:35

Arm. Who are vetted as well or

29:37

who were considered suspects initially and then

29:39

talk to afterwards. So. I

29:41

don't know who these people could be. As

29:43

far as why he saying this, I think

29:45

he's trying to put it out there to

29:47

those individuals like hey, You. Know who

29:50

you are. We're. Not going away.

29:52

And. maybe this is like a

29:54

passive threat were eventually their names might come

29:56

out i don't know i don't know what

29:58

the intention was here I think the

30:01

only person who would know that would be Calhoun and

30:03

the rest of his team. Now following

30:05

the conference, Melinda's family released a statement

30:08

thanking law enforcement for their continued efforts.

30:10

They said, quote, our family still

30:12

fights a daily battle. We want

30:14

to express our appreciation to all law enforcement

30:17

that has worked on her case. We

30:19

continue to hope for closure and ask that

30:21

anyone with information call law enforcement, no matter

30:23

how small you think it may be. A

30:27

few weeks later, Melinda's sister Lisa

30:29

sat down for an exclusive interview

30:31

with North escambia.com. She revealed

30:33

that from the moment she learned the details

30:35

of Melinda's disappearance, she never had

30:37

hope of finding her sister alive. Lisa stated,

30:40

quote, I live every day with no

30:42

hope that she will be found alive. I

30:44

knew from the first day. I knew

30:46

and believed at that moment that she had been murdered.

30:49

Lisa went on to say that now all she

30:51

can hope for is to find Melinda's remains and

30:54

the person responsible for her murder. When

30:56

asked what she would say to this person, Lisa

30:58

replied, quote, I don't want him

31:00

to know the pain, the hurt, the anger I

31:02

felt. He is not worthy of

31:04

any of my words. Sheriff

31:07

Smith also shared his thoughts with

31:09

North escambia.com. He admitted

31:11

that Melinda's disappearance continued to trouble him

31:13

saying, quote, we're all a little concerned

31:15

when we lay our head down and sleep to know

31:17

that a person can be abducted from their home in

31:19

broad daylight. And 10 years later,

31:21

we still have no answers for the

31:24

next six years. There were a few

31:26

updates in Melinda's case. Then in

31:28

January of 2019, Sheriff Grover

31:30

Smith concluded his 16 year run as

31:33

sheriff of Escambia County. He

31:35

told the Atmore advance that out of his

31:37

46 years in law enforcement, two

31:39

cases weighed heavily on his mind with

31:41

one of them being Melinda's disappearance. He

31:44

said, quote, I think about that case

31:46

every day. I hate going home

31:48

with it still unsolved. Now this

31:51

is something that is really profound and really

31:53

impactful because you think about an officer with

31:56

almost 50 years on the job

31:59

still thinking. about Melinda's case. And this is

32:01

something that's, I feel

32:03

missed by the

32:05

public. As I always

32:08

say, as an investigator, you want to stay

32:10

objective and unbiased. You don't want to take

32:12

these cases personal, but we're human beings. We're

32:15

fathers, we're mothers, we're sisters,

32:17

we're brothers. And so it's hard

32:19

not to find similarities to

32:21

not only the victims, but their families. And

32:24

you put yourself in those positions and what you would do

32:27

to solve the case if it was someone you loved and

32:29

cared about. And it's really hard not

32:31

to take those emotions, those feelings home with you

32:33

every day. And I can tell you right

32:36

now that there's a ton of detectives out there, some of

32:38

who are still on the job and some of who have

32:40

retired, who that when they go home, they

32:43

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Now it's important to note that even

33:48

with the new sheriff taking over, Tommy

33:50

Calhoun stayed on the case as lead

33:52

detective. And in March of 2020, Melinda's

33:55

family spoke with North escambia.com to

33:57

mark the 17th anniversary of Melinda's

33:59

family. Melinda's disappearance. Her mother, Weida,

34:02

said, quote, our lives will

34:04

never be the same. The pain and

34:06

loss is just as painful today as

34:08

it was that day. Melinda's sister,

34:10

Amanda said, quote, the selfishness

34:12

and meanness of the person that committed this

34:14

crime haunts us daily. Our love

34:16

for Melinda is as strong as it ever was.

34:19

And she is missed daily perseverance

34:21

is our only weapon along with prayer.

34:24

Melinda's sister, Melissa added, quote, we

34:26

continue to pray that Melinda's body will be found and

34:28

we can lay her to rest as she should have

34:30

been years ago. We are hopeful

34:33

that the person responsible will be found

34:35

out or come forward. We

34:37

also pray that whoever knows something

34:39

because someone does will come

34:41

forward in hopes of some type of closure. Nothing

34:44

will ever bring Melinda back, but she

34:46

deserves to be found and justice needs

34:48

to be served. While

34:50

Melinda's family continues to speak with the

34:52

media around the anniversary of her disappearance,

34:55

there have been no major developments in the

34:57

investigation. Melinda remains missing

35:00

to this day. Okay.

35:05

Now for my perspective on this investigation, and

35:07

I've kind of sprinkled it in throughout the

35:09

episode, but I'm just going to go over

35:11

it one more time. So for me, I

35:14

don't necessarily think this is a person who is

35:17

probably connected to many other

35:20

cases. I don't think this is some serial killer.

35:22

I could be wrong, but I just, I just

35:24

don't see it. Because

35:26

of Melinda's occupation, I think it's

35:28

more than likely that the

35:31

person involved with her disappearance and most

35:33

likely death is someone who's

35:35

connected to that community. It could be someone she

35:37

worked with at the prison or the nursing home.

35:40

And that could be someone who was another

35:42

employee at the prison or the nursing home,

35:45

or it could be an inmate or

35:48

a patient. This person does

35:50

not have to be overt in their feelings. This

35:53

could have been something that they were able

35:55

to suppress and weren't really vocal about, but

35:57

they may have had a fascination with Melinda.

36:00

while she was interacting with them and she

36:02

may have never known it. Now

36:05

it's also possible that

36:07

this could have been a community member. As I said

36:09

at the top of the show, this was a

36:11

rural town. She lived on a dead-end

36:13

street with only three houses and

36:15

I'm assuming most of the people in

36:17

that community knew of each other and

36:20

if you look at the pictures of Melinda,

36:22

she was a beautiful woman. It would be

36:24

easy for someone from that community to see

36:27

her and have fascinations about

36:30

her and this could

36:32

have been someone who was very close

36:34

to her family and friends or

36:37

barely knew her. But either way,

36:39

if it's a rural town, it

36:41

wouldn't be too hard to figure out her

36:44

schedule and her husband's schedule.

36:46

If they were familiar with the

36:48

fact that she was a nurse and

36:51

she worked the night shift and that

36:53

her husband worked the day shift, then

36:56

this offender would know that during

36:58

those hours during the mornings, she

37:01

would most likely be home alone. This

37:03

would give them that window of opportunity

37:05

where they would not only have the

37:07

element of surprise but they would

37:09

have less people to deal with if they decided

37:12

to attack her. Couple that with the

37:14

fact that she lived on a street that

37:16

wasn't very busy. This creates

37:18

a victim of opportunity. Now

37:21

with all that being said, this could

37:23

also be a situation that began and ended

37:26

that day. What do I mean by that? Well,

37:29

as we know, she was last seen

37:31

at a convenience store. Was

37:34

there someone in that convenience store,

37:36

another customer who saw her

37:38

in the store or while she was walking

37:40

to her car, found her

37:42

attractive and just had this urge to do what

37:44

they wanted to do. It may have been something

37:46

that they were thinking about for weeks,

37:49

months, maybe years And

37:52

it wasn't specifically about Melinda But when

37:54

she came out of that store, whatever

37:56

urge they had for that day, that

37:58

week, that month, that year. They had

38:00

decided that. Aren't Melinda was going

38:02

to be one of their victims. So.

38:05

At that point they follow her home. They.

38:07

See that she goes inside. There's.

38:09

No other vehicles their. They could have

38:11

sat on the property for a couple

38:14

hours notice. No one around the surrounding

38:16

community. And. Decided to go inside

38:18

and Melinda could have already been sleeping. She

38:20

could have been getting ready for bed. I

38:22

will say that based on the limited information

38:25

we know about the crime scene, the fact

38:27

that a sounds like there was a struggle.

38:29

Ah, Leads me to believe more than

38:31

likely I'm she was still up and

38:33

awake when her attacker and in the

38:35

home and I will say based on

38:37

what we know it does appear that

38:40

she was injured at the time of

38:42

the assault. My only question that I

38:44

wasn't able to answer to this research

38:46

is if there was blood. Two.

38:48

Thousand and Three is not that long ago

38:50

in the context of were science and technology

38:52

was. and two Thousand and Three. I.

38:55

Would like to think based on swabs that

38:57

were collected at the crime scene. I.

38:59

Would hope that it was confirmed that

39:01

the blood found of the crime scene.

39:04

Or. Belonged to Melinda, and that anybody

39:06

else. They could easily cast that

39:08

blood to determine if there was

39:10

a familial match to her relatives

39:12

or to her children. On. Dot

39:15

would be a top priority because one it would

39:17

confirm that she was injured during this or saw.

39:19

Also. It would. It would rule out

39:22

the possibility that maybe some the blood found.

39:24

Actually, Belonged to Melinda as.

39:27

A. Center. So where does that leave

39:29

us now? Well, what it sounds

39:31

like is that investigators the Sheriff's

39:33

Department are going back to Square

39:35

One. There. When interviewing all the

39:37

people that were initially interviewed, I would

39:39

hope that would also mean that they're

39:42

going to the reports again Double checking

39:44

all the work that had been done

39:46

prior to this reopening. I guess I

39:49

should say reviewing of the investigation. And.

39:51

They're also putting a little bit a public pressure

39:54

on the people. Who. Were initially

39:56

cooperatives to maybe come forward and

39:58

me can either side. The story.

40:01

But. Overall I will say this and I don't

40:03

want to be. A. Debbie Downer. But it

40:05

doesn't sound like they've honed in on any one.

40:07

It doesn't sound like they have someone in their

40:09

sights. They. Just don't have enough to connect

40:12

them to the crime at this point. Which.

40:14

Is unfortunate, but that doesn't mean that

40:16

they shouldn't keep going forward, which it

40:18

appears that. Are. Investigator Calhoun in the

40:20

rest of his team are are continuing

40:22

to do that, so that is hopeful and

40:24

the family members would have the most insight

40:26

into the cooperation and the effort that's been

40:29

put in by law enforcement. And as

40:31

you could see through this episode on they've

40:33

been nothing but complementary of the police department

40:35

the Sheriff's department so that is a good

40:38

sign that this this effort will continue

40:40

the like I always say, we don't want

40:42

to just rely on investigators. maybe there's something

40:44

that one of you out there can do

40:46

to help solve this case of. Just

40:48

to recap, Melinda. Mcgee disappeared

40:50

from her rural out more Alabama

40:53

home at some point between eight

40:55

Thirty am and three forty five

40:57

pm on March Twenty Fourth. Two

40:59

thousand and Three authorities believe she

41:02

was assaulted. Abducted. And

41:04

murdered. And of the time of

41:06

her disappearance, Melinda was thirty one years old. Five.

41:09

Four one hundred and thirty pounds

41:11

with brown hair. Brown. Eyes

41:13

and if you have any information about

41:15

Melinda disappearance, please call the a scam.

41:17

Be a County Sheriff's Office at to

41:20

five One. Eight, six, Seven.

41:22

Zero. Three. Zero. Four.

41:25

And. My final words as always or to

41:27

Melendez family and friends are my thoughts

41:29

are with you guys and I really

41:31

hope that are ice covering this case

41:33

here give some more exposure. Ah,

41:35

A little bit of a boost to this

41:38

investigation. Ah, and whether it does or not,

41:40

I hope that you guys get the answers

41:42

you deserve. And as you've said numerous times,

41:45

Melinda. Deserves to be brought home. For.

41:47

A Fender deserves to be brought to

41:49

justice. We will be here with you

41:52

to support you. All. The way

41:54

through until that happens for everyone else.

41:56

I. Appreciate you guys making it to the end

41:58

of the video. The down in the

42:01

comments below let me know what you think

42:03

of this investigation. Until next time, Stay safe

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out there and I'll see you soon! A

42:19

Kroger. We know the minute a tomato

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is picked, the fresh timer starts. The

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sooner we get our produce to you

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the pressure it is. That's why we've

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shorten the time from hardest to home

42:31

for our tasty tomatoes, strawberries, and salads.

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So no matter how you shot, you

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have more time with your fresh produce.

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Kroger fresh for every. We blocked

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in low prices to help you see big

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store what look for the locked in low

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prices. Tags and enjoy extra savings

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throughout the store. Kroger fresh

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for everyone. Know.