Family failed to find Fort Worth child abducted 51 years ago, but plan birthday celebration

The search in South Carolina for the child abducted 51-years-ago from a Fort Worth home ended last month with failure for her family.

But Jeff Highsmith of Fort Worth is not ready to quit.

“We don’t call it failure,” Highsmith said Friday in a telephone interview with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “It opened other doors in trying to find her. Nationwide, they know we are looking for her and still care.”

That’s why the Highsmith family is holding a birthday celebration for Melissa Highsmith at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at the Fort Worth Police Department station, 505 W. Felix St. She turns 53 on Sunday.

“We still want people to remember her,” Jeff Highsmith said. “Hold your kids and hug them.”

Melissa Highsmith, who was 21 months old, went missing on Aug. 23, 1971, after a babysitter picked her up and never returned.

In September, officials with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children passed along a tip to Fort Worth police from a South Carolina resident who reported possibly seeing Melissa Highsmith. In missing child fliers, Melissa’s photograph had been age-progressed to what she may look like today at 52..

The Center for Missing and Exploited Children received the anonymous tip in early September. The tipster reported the possible sighting in the Charleston, South Carolina, area.

Volunteers in Charlston, S.C. and Jeff Highsmith of Fort Worth held a prayer vigil before their search last month for Melissa Highsmith who went missing from a Fort Worth home in 1971.
Volunteers in Charlston, S.C. and Jeff Highsmith of Fort Worth held a prayer vigil before their search last month for Melissa Highsmith who went missing from a Fort Worth home in 1971.

Jeff Highsmith, Melissa’s brother — who was not born when Melissa went missing — and Melissa’s father went to South Carolina on Oct. 22 and stayed until Oct. 24, gaining the support of Charleston residents as they paid for Highsmith’s flight, rented him a car and gave his family a home to stay while they were searched.

Melissa’s brother also noted that a $20,000 reward had been offered and 100 fliers of the missing Fort Worth child were created.

The HIghsmiths went to South Carolina to try and talk to the tipster who provided authorities with a lead.

“The people from Charleston were so nice to us and helped every way possible,” Jeff Highsmith said. “It turned out we had no luck.”

For years, Jeff Highsmith and his wife, Rachel, have worked to try to find Melissa Highsmith, hiring a private investigator, setting up a special Facebook page and creating a fund.

Melissa Highsmith’s mother still lives in Fort Worth.

“No parent should have to go through this,” Rachel Highsmith said in a September interview with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “I love this family and I will do anything I can to help find her.”

Officials at missing children center’s provided these details on the case:

Melissa’s mother was 22, and worked as a waitress in Fort Worth. The child’s mother had just separated and had just moved to Fort Worth. She placed an ad in a newspaper looking for someone to care for her child. Melissa was born on Nov. 6, 1969.

A woman answered the ad and agreed to meet Melissa’s mom at the restaurant where she worked, but she never showed up. The babysitter called the mother later, saying she really wanted the job, had a nice big yard and cared for other children as well.

The mother hired her, and the babysitter picked Melissa up at their apartment when the mother was at work. Melissa was in the care of the mother’s roommate at the time.

The roommate said the woman who picked up Melissa seemed nice and was dressed to impress, wearing white gloves..

Melissa was not returned to her mother, who called Fort Worth police. At that time, Melissa had brown eyes and hair, and she was about 2 feet and 8 inches tall and weighed about 27 pounds.

Melissa’s mother never saw her again.

If you have any information, call NCMEC at 800-843-5678.

This report contains information from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s archives.

Advertisement