MISSING PERSON
CASE #: 1979-9
Melinda Karen Creech
Also Known As:
Mindy
Status:
Open
Date of Last Contact:
Date of Last Contact:
Jurisdiction:
Missing From:
Anderson, IN
Summary:
Melinda Karen Creech was 13 years old when she vanished from Bronnenberg Children’s Home, a juvenile detention center in Anderson, Indiana, in late 1979. She had been placed there following a motorcycle theft. When police returned two months later to question her, she was gone. She has never been seen again.
Vital Statistics
Circumstances of Disappearance:
Melinda was placed at Bronnenberg Children’s Home on September 5, 1979, after she and a teen boy were caught stealing motorcycles. Approximately two months later, a detective went to the facility to question her about a related burglary case. By then, Melinda was no longer there. It’s unclear whether she ran away or had been released. An old Anderson Police report noted she had “run away,” but gave no details about whether she left from the home or after returning to her family. Her mother, Shirley Creech, later told Melinda’s siblings that she had died and was identified as a decomposed body found in New Jersey. However, no funeral ever took place. After Shirley’s death in 2003, letters were found among her belongings proving the remains in New Jersey were not Melinda’s. The family re-engaged law enforcement in 2004 to resume the investigation.
Additional Details:
There has been no activity on Melinda’s Social Security number since 1979. In 2004, the Madison County Sheriff’s Department submitted her dental records, X-rays, and family DNA to national databases. Investigators have interviewed past friends and the boy she was arrested with. No leads have emerged. Melinda’s mother, Shirley, who passed away in 2003, had suffered from dementia. Her reasons for misleading the family remain unknown. Her surviving children have described Shirley as extremely abusive, which raises further questions about the environment Melinda may have returned to—if she was released. Melinda’s father is now deceased as well. Melinda’s case remains open and unsolved.
Case Last Updated:
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