01-12-22, 08:29
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Baby Kidnapped 51 Yrs Ago Reunited With Her Family
Woman Missing For 51 Yrs is Reunited With Her Family After Being Kidnapped as a Baby
Melissa Highsmith was just aged one when she disappeared in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1971, after her mum placed an advertisement in a local newspaper looking for a babysitter
BBC News 1 DEC 2022.
A woman who was kidnapped by her babysitter and reported missing for 51 years has finally been found by her parents.
Mum Alta Apantenco was delighted to be finally back with her daughter
The pair revealed they have a lot of catching up to do
Melissa Highsmith was just aged one when she disappeared in 1971 in Fort Worth, Texas, after her mum, Alta Apantenco, placed an advertisement in a local newspaper looking for a babysitter.
Single-mum Alta needed help and quickly hired a woman, without ever meeting her, after she applied for the job.
The mum's roommate then handed over baby Melissa to the babysitter who allegedly kidnapped her and took her away from her family for 51 years.
Melissa's family reported Alta missing to the police but she was never found by authorities, which left the family devastated.
Friends and family of Alta would remember the tot each year by throwing a birthday party for her.
In recent times, there was a Facebook page dedicated to finding the missing baby, which was called “Finding Melissa Highsmith.”
However, in September, the family of Melissa were given a tip-off that she was living in Charleston, South Carolina.
Despite being more than 1,00 miles away from Fort Worth the family used a 23andMe DNA test which revealed she was the young baby that was adducted from her family 51 years ago.
The image that was used by police when Melissa went missing
Jeffrie Highsmith gave his daughter a hug for the first time in 51 years
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