An Atlanta man has been charged with his wife’s murder, 25 years after her body was discovered in several garbage bags.
Human remains were discovered in different places in Atlanta, Georgia, in April and June 1999, but were misidentified, according to Atlanta police Lt. Andrew Smith at a press conference on Wednesday, Aug. 7. According to 11Alive, the victim’s bones were located in trash bags, and he had been decapitated.
Melissa Wolfenbarger’s last interaction with her mother occurred on Thanksgiving Day 1998, according to the outlet. Her mother, Norma Patton, reported her missing in January 2000, Smith stated. Melissa’s spouse, Christopher Wolfenbarger, never did.
Melissa’s remains were finally identified properly in 2003. But it would be another 21 years before anyone was arrested in connection with her murder.
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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution stated that authorities discovered early in the inquiry that Melissa had not communicated with her husband since December 1998. According to allegations from the Journal-Constitution and 11Alive, Wolfenbarger allegedly informed police that he saw Melissa going down the street in March or April 1999.
According to authorities, Christopher was arrested on Tuesday, August 6, and charged with murder. According to internet records, he is currently in detention at the Fulton County Jail.
During the press briefing, authorities declined to explain what led them to arrest Christopher, citing the investigation’s integrity. Det. Jarion Shephard stated during the press conference that after taking over the investigation in 2021, witnesses were reinterviewed and evidence was reexamined, but he declined to name a specific piece of evidence. The detective also stated that Christopher was a person of interest from the start.
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Shephard said he didn’t know the particular motive, but he thought the case was about domestic violence. According to Shephard, Christopher was apprehended while hiding behind a dryer in his home.
Melissa’s mother and sister attended the announcement with police and spoke to reporters.
“Finally, hopefully, we can get justice for Melissa,” Tina Patton said. “Melissa didn’t deserve what she got.”
Tina and Norma stated that they had never heard from Christopher throughout Melissa’s disappearance or in the years following her identification.
Norma stated that Melissa briefly lived with her in the summer of 1998 before returning to Christopher the same year.
“She loved her kids, and there’s no way on this earth that she would leave them,” she claimed. “That is why she came back to him. “That’s why she kept returning to him.”
If you are experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week in over 170 languages.