The Disappearance of Melissa Brannen

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[SPEAKER_00]: Warning check the locks podcast is a true crime podcast and may contain graphic descriptions of violence, murder, sexual assault, and more.

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[SPEAKER_00]: Check the locks podcast is not appropriate for all listeners.

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[SPEAKER_00]: Listener discretion is strongly advised.

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[SPEAKER_01]: When a five-year-old girl goes missing, a community Christmas party becomes every parent's worst nightmare.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Leaving questions unanswered even today.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Join me, John Connor, as we discussed, the disappearance of Melissa Brennan.

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[SPEAKER_01]: This is Check The Locks Podcast.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Welcome back to Check the Locks podcast and thank you for joining me as we dive into yet another truly terrifying true crime case.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Before we get started I just want to take a moment and say I hope y'all are having a great week.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I hope you're gearing up for the Christmas holiday.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I know this time a year while it can be stressful.

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[SPEAKER_01]: There's a lot going on.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I know my daughter's got a lot of school activities and still knocking out Christmas shopping and stuff like that.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I hope everything is going well if you are listening to this in the car while you're getting that shopping done or maybe you're wrapping presents or you're at the gym just trying to not lose your mind.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I just want to say thank you for letting me be a part of that and to be part of that holiday ritual with you and just get to spend some time with you here through December.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So super happy to be with you.

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[SPEAKER_01]: super excited to go through this case but although I do have to tell y'all it would be very up for an honest this was a hard one for me to get through um this one pulled on my heartstrings pretty hard and if you're a parent or you are sensitive to things with kids this may be a rough one to get through but I do think

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[SPEAKER_01]: it's 100% worth talking about.

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[SPEAKER_01]: It's just a sad one.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So we'll get to it.

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[SPEAKER_01]: We'll cover it is still on our December theme for, you know, true crime Christmas time, but I just wanted to give a heads up.

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[SPEAKER_01]: It is, it is a little hard to get through.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So definitely hanging there with me.

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[SPEAKER_01]: We'll go through.

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[SPEAKER_01]: We'll talk about it.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But before we do, just wanted to give a quick update, audible is sponsoring

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[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you to Audible for believing in what we do and wanting to sponsor this show.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Audible is great.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to be 100% honest with you.

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[SPEAKER_01]: This is just my personal experience.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I have a very hard time sitting down and reading a book.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I have a attention deficit disorder.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I've had it all my life and it makes things very, very hard sometimes.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Even researching for the podcast, I'll go through a bunch of articles.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I have to get up and step away because I need to give my brain that break to refocus and

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[SPEAKER_01]: audible has really helped me out a lot with this having that audio book and someone reading it to me really helps me retain it plus it's great because I can start it you know at home when I'm doing chores listen to it in the car kind of come back to it as I need and again it just really helps me to retain the information I really wish even for the podcast I could have things just read the research to me it helped me out a lot.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So I know I really enjoy audible.

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[SPEAKER_01]: There's a lot of great stuff on there, true crime, man to see whatever you're into, audible is got you covered.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So if you want to support the podcast, you can use a 30 day free trial of audible.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So, with that being said, now that that's out of the way, I will quit the Gabby Gabby.

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[SPEAKER_01]: We'll get into the stabby stabby.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Let's go ahead and break down this week's case.

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[SPEAKER_01]: In December of 1989, 27-year-old Tammy Brandon was living in the northern Virginia town of Lorton.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Tammy had recently gone through a divorce and it relocated from Texas with her daughter.

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[SPEAKER_01]: 5-year-old Melissa.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Tammy had gotten a new job, working as an accountant for a defense contracting company, and on the weekend she worked part-time at a jewelry store, with her parents helping to take care of Melissa.

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[SPEAKER_01]: The mother and daughter moved into a two-bedroom apartment in the Woodside Complex, and for Tammy, this was a fresh start, a chance to enter a new phase of life, not just for herself, but for her daughter.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Tammy worked hard and she tried to be the best mother that she could, but she wasn't the most outgoing.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And when looking for a new apartment, the wood side caught her eye.

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[SPEAKER_01]: The complex was known for its social programs.

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[SPEAKER_01]: They hosted different social events in the clubhouse every Friday night, providing a chance for residents to meet their neighbors and foster a sense of community.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And on the night of December 3rd, there was the annual Christmas party.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Not wanting Melissa to miss out on the fun, Tammy and her daughter attended the festive function.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Joining about 200 other residents for the holiday tradition.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Melissa, standing three feet tall with light brown hair and blue eyes, wore a red plaid skirt and a blue sweater with Big Bird on it, along with a pink-headed jacket to keep her warm on that cold December night.

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[SPEAKER_01]: During the party, the adults enjoyed the food and beverage, and they spent time talking and laughing, while the children played together, running around eating snacks and having fun.

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[SPEAKER_01]: As the night wound down, Tammy decided it was time to leave, and she asked Melissa to get their coat.

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[SPEAKER_01]: When she returned, the little girl asked her mother if she could take home a bag of potato chips.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But when it was time to leave, Tammy couldn't find Melissa.

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[SPEAKER_01]: She looked through the clubhouse calling her name, but there was no sign of the child.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Melissa Brandon had vanished.

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[SPEAKER_01]: While searching for the girl, a utility room in the clubhouse was checked, an inside a full length window facing a wooded area behind the complex was found wide open.

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[SPEAKER_01]: officers arrived quickly and they began to search immediately.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Investigators also began questioning everyone who had attended the gathering, but no one seemed to have noticed anything suspicious.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Sadly, the search would turn up nothing, and the police now believe that Melissa Branon had been kidnapped.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Over the next few days, the search for the missing girl will continue.

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[SPEAKER_01]: A group of police, citizen volunteers, and roughly 300 military personnel would comb through the surrounding areas.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Still, there was no sign of Melissa Brennan.

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[SPEAKER_01]: The community was shaken with residents hanging yellow ribbons to show support for Tammy and her family.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Hoping the missing girl would be found and returned unharmed.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Investigators went back to their initial interviews with the people who had attended the party, and one name kept jumping out.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Caleb Hughes, a maintenance man for the apartment complex who had been working there for about three weeks.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Hughes was in his mid-twenties and had recently gotten married.

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[SPEAKER_01]: He had attended the Christmas party and several people told investigators that he was seen talking to Melissa.

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[SPEAKER_01]: The police originally interviewed Hughes at his home only hours after Melissa vanished.

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[SPEAKER_01]: They asked Hughes what he had done after he left the party, and he told police that he headed home stopping at a convenient store for his six pack of beer, sharing that he got back to his house between 1245 and 1 am.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But something about Hughes's story didn't sit well with detectives.

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[SPEAKER_01]: You see, in Virginia, you can't buy beer after midnight.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So they continued to question the man, asking what it was that he did after he arrived home.

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[SPEAKER_01]: According to Hughes, he'd been doing chores, mostly laundry.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So investigators asked if they could look around the house and Hughes agreed.

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[SPEAKER_01]: When detectives decided to look in the washing machine, they noticed something odd.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Inside were only the clothes that Caleb Hughes had worn to the party, including his leather belt, shoes, and a knife holder.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But everything had already gone through the wash cycle.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Detectives questioned Hughes about a strange laundry load, but he didn't seem to have much of response.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And when asked about other witnesses claiming to see him speaking to Melissa at the party, Hughes denied it.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Caleb Hughes didn't know it, but he was now the prime suspect in Melissa Brandon's disappearance.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But police would need to find the evidence to prove that he was responsible.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But now, weeks would pass, and there was still no sign of the missing five-year-old girl.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Members of the community held a candlelight vigil at the apartment complex, coming together to show Tammy their continued support.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Because if this could happen to Tammy's child, it could happen to anyone else in the community.

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[SPEAKER_01]: 35,000 missing persons flyers were made and distributed.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Bumper stickers were created, and $100,000 reward was offered to anyone with any information that would lead to finding Melissa.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But there was still no new leads.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And detective still believed that Caleb Hughes had something to do with the girl's disappearance.

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[SPEAKER_01]: A search warrant was issued for Hughes' car and when investigators searched the vehicle, they noticed that it was filled with clutter and debris, including dirt, books, dog hair and more.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Posing a challenge to the forensic team looking for clues as to what happened to Melissa.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So they decided to start with a lumenal test.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Now lumenal is a chemical that glows blue when it comes in contact with human blood.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And forensic investigators will use it to locate trace amounts of blood that may have been cleaned up.

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[SPEAKER_01]: When tested in Hughes's vehicle, blood was found not only on the steering wheel, but the foot pedals and the floor mat.

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[SPEAKER_01]: These samples were collected for DNA testing, but sadly the results would come back inconclusive.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So investigators began to look for other trace evidence.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Hoping to find hair or fibers that could place Melissa Branon in Hughes's car.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Samples were sent to the FBI for testing, and finally there was a break in the case.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Many of the hairs found in the vehicle belong to Hughes's dog, but when investigating hair found on one of the front seats, investigators found something odd.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Three rabbit hairs that have been dyed black.

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[SPEAKER_01]: This is the same type of hair that would have been found on Melissa's mother's Tammy for a coat.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Investigators now believe that the hairs had transferred to Melissa when her mother

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[SPEAKER_01]: Additionally, two types of fibers were found.

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[SPEAKER_01]: One red, like Melissa Skirt, and the other blue, like the Big Bird sweater she was wearing when she disappeared.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Several of each type of fiber were found inside the vehicle, and both would be tested.

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[SPEAKER_01]: The red fibers would be determined to be cotton and very common.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But the blue fibers were different.

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[SPEAKER_01]: They appear

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[SPEAKER_01]: They were acrylic and man-made, with each being the same shape, length, and diameter.

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[SPEAKER_01]: They all appeared to come from the same manufacturer, and they had all been dyed the same blue color.

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[SPEAKER_01]: The forensic investigators believed that these fibers were from the sweater that Melissa had been wearing, but they needed to be able to test the fibers against the sample.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Luckily, they were able to determine that J.C. Penny had manufactured and sold that particular

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[SPEAKER_01]: but when they were contacted, the retailer had bad news.

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[SPEAKER_01]: The outfit was a catalog only item from the previous year's Christmas.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Sadly, only 7,000 had been made, and they all sold out quickly, meaning there were no more in stock.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Now, this could have been the end of this particular lead, but the folks working at JC Penney wanted to help find the missing girl.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And they were able to track down a man in Kentucky who had purchased the outfit for his granddaughter.

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[SPEAKER_01]: The outfit was a wrong size, and because of that, it had never been worn.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And the man was more than happy to turn over the clothing for testing.

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[SPEAKER_01]: When compared side by side, investigators

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[SPEAKER_01]: You see, when J.C. Penny had created the outfit, they wanted it to be unique, so instead of using one of the 10,000 standard clothing dies they already had, they made a brand new one.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And this was done so that the retailer could trade mark not only the outfit, but the color is well.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Calling the new shade of blue plum navy number 887.

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[SPEAKER_01]: The color dye was then patented and used only once when they manufactured the 7,000 big bird sweaters.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And when the fibers found in Huses' car were tested against the fibers from the sample outfit, they were a perfect match.

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[SPEAKER_01]: confirming that Melissa Brennan had been inside Caleb Hughes's vehicle.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Hughes was brought in for questioning and asked to take a polygraph test.

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[SPEAKER_01]: During which, he was asked if he was the one who abducted Melissa, or if he knew the location of her body, answering no to both questions.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But the results of the test indicated he was not being truthful.

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[SPEAKER_01]: In Virginia, you must be able to prove where a homicide took place to charge someone with murder.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And because the DNA tests done on the blood found in the car was inconclusive, investigators couldn't prove that he was at murder of the girl there.

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[SPEAKER_01]: However, they could prove kidnapping.

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[SPEAKER_01]: The issue is, that only carried a 10-year sentence.

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[SPEAKER_01]: and it was then that investigators realized something.

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[SPEAKER_01]: When Melissa asked her mother if she could get a bag of potato chips, she was wearing her pink winter coat over a sweater.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And if she had still been wearing that jacket in the car, the blue fibers from the big bird sweater wouldn't have transferred to the seat.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Investigators now believe that Melissa had been undressed inside the vehicle, and that the child was likely sexually assaulted before she was killed.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Because of this, Caleb Hughes was charged with abducting Melissa Branner with the intent to defile.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And in court, the prosecution laid out what they believe happened to the five-year-old on the night of her disappearance.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Telling the jury that Hughes had spotted his target at the party, talking to Melissa throughout the night.

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[SPEAKER_01]: After handing her mother her coat, Melissa stepped out in the hallway of the clubhouse, most likely to get a drink from the drinking fountain.

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[SPEAKER_01]: grabbing the child and leaving through the window of the utility room, before placing Melissa and his car and driving off in the night.

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[SPEAKER_01]: The prosecution argued that he was sexually assaulted the child before taking her life, and when he arrived home, he immediately washed his clothes to cover the evidence, not knowing that the fibers from Melissa's outfit were left on the seat.

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[SPEAKER_01]: When it was all said and done, the jury agreed, and in May of 1991, Caleb Hughes was sentenced to 50 years in prison, the maximum sentence that could be handed down.

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[SPEAKER_01]: However on June 22, 1993, a Virginia appeals court overturned Hughes conviction for intent to defile, and he would end up being paroleed in 2019 after serving only 29 years.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Now he was still required to register as a sex offender and was ordered to have no contact with any one under the age of 18.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But in September of 2024, Caleb Hughes would be in trouble with the law again.

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[SPEAKER_01]: After being per old, Hughes moved to Rocky Mount Virginia, hundreds of miles away from where he abducted and murdered Melissa Brandon.

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[SPEAKER_01]: In this new town, he was found work, telling his co-workers an elaborate story to cover up his dark past.

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[SPEAKER_01]: He would tell people that he was a military veteran whose wife died of cancer, and because of this, he had moved to Rocky Mount to escape the painful memories.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And as he charged his co-workers in a friendship, he offered to babysit their children.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But when a friend found him on the Virginia Sex Offender Registry, he was arrested and charged with violating his parole.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And according to the Virginia Department of Corrections website, he is back in prison and is not scheduled for release until October 27th, 2036.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Tammy Branner would go on to earn her master's degree in business administration, spending her free time helping the families of other missing children, working phone hotlines, giving speeches, and even testifying on Capitol Hill.

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[SPEAKER_01]: She would eventually remarry and become a stepmother to four children, but Melissa is with her every day.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Today Melissa Branden would be 41, but sadly her body has never been recovered.

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[SPEAKER_01]: However, investigators hope that one day someone may come forward with information that will help her family lay her to rest.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Now, if you're listening to this and you have any information about this case, please call the Fairfax Major Crimes Bureau at 703-246-7800 and press 8 for the cold case one.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So that's this week's case and as always, we're going to close it out by sharing some final thoughts.

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[SPEAKER_01]: This is my absolute nightmare and my heart broke so hard for Tammy as I was going through the research in this case.

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[SPEAKER_01]: It's Christmas time you're at a gathering with all your neighbors and people that you know and you turn your back for just a second in some place that should be extremely safe for your child to be I mean you're in the clubhouse of your own apartment complex and all of a sudden they're gone you know it's not like you're at a mall or at a park or

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[SPEAKER_01]: You know, some big open area like you're with people that you know celebrating the holiday again some place that should be incredibly safe for you to be in your child just vanishes so this was I mean I'm getting a little a theory just kind of talking about it, but

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[SPEAKER_01]: It's just so terrible to think about what Tammy had to go through and not knowing where her child is still not knowing.

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[SPEAKER_01]: You know, the thought that it has been nearly 40 years since this happened and you still don't know where the body of your child is is just so heartbreaking.

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[SPEAKER_01]: this is a person who knows this information and will not give that information up will not give this family closure.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And then gets paroled early.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Only serves 29 years out of a 50 year sentence.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Moose to another town comes up with some crazy backstory covering who he really is and then by

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[SPEAKER_01]: everything we see and everything I found in the research here goes back to trying to pray on children again.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So I am just incredibly grateful that he is incarcerated again that he's in prison and you know, doesn't look like he's going to be out at this point for another 10 years.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And who knows?

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[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, maybe it'll be longer than that.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know, but just knowing that this monster is behind bars,

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[SPEAKER_01]: gave me a little bit of peace at the end of this because if he was still out and didn't go back to prison for violating his parole, I would feel very, very uneasy covering the story just knowing that this person is out walking the street and having the opportunity to be around children.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So for me, this is definitely going to be a 10.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I cannot help thinking about my own daughter and what my wife and I would feel like if we were to go through something like this and I can

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[SPEAKER_01]: just not having the closure of being able to lay your child to rest.

21:15.317 --> 21:17.001
[SPEAKER_01]: It's just devastating.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So again, we're talking about the devil test.

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[SPEAKER_01]: This is going to be a 10 for me.

21:21.311 --> 21:30.533
[SPEAKER_01]: But as always, we want to hear from you, the listeners, the locksmiths, where does the disappearance of Melissa Brandon fall on your

21:30.513 --> 21:32.777
[SPEAKER_01]: reach out on Instagram and check the box pod.

21:32.797 --> 21:34.540
[SPEAKER_01]: You can reach out on Twitter and check the locks.

21:34.580 --> 21:37.104
[SPEAKER_01]: And if you're not in our Facebook group, what the heck are you doing?

21:37.164 --> 21:37.985
[SPEAKER_01]: Come hang out with me.

21:38.005 --> 21:40.389
[SPEAKER_01]: I would love to have the opportunity to get to know you a little bit better.

21:40.429 --> 21:43.615
[SPEAKER_01]: We were sharing Christmas trees in the Facebook group.

21:44.015 --> 21:46.239
[SPEAKER_01]: There are some beautiful trees in there.

21:46.299 --> 21:49.905
[SPEAKER_01]: Some very, very warm inviting.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know.

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[SPEAKER_01]: It's just cool.

21:50.787 --> 21:55.795
[SPEAKER_01]: I love seeing what everybody does for the holidays

21:55.775 --> 22:03.331
[SPEAKER_01]: kind of feel connected in a virtual world when, you know, we can share things like that and and kind of see what everybody's doing.

22:03.432 --> 22:07.601
[SPEAKER_01]: So I would definitely love to have you as part of the check-a-locks community.

22:08.002 --> 22:13.073
[SPEAKER_01]: If you're interested in join the Facebook group, there is a link in the description of the episode that you're listening to right now.

22:13.714 --> 22:15.117
[SPEAKER_01]: We would absolutely love to have you.

22:15.097 --> 22:23.272
[SPEAKER_01]: And as always, if you want to help financially support the show, you can do so about becoming a patron head over to patreon.com for slash check the locks you can get signed up today.

22:23.292 --> 22:25.075
[SPEAKER_01]: I got a lot of benefits there.

22:25.115 --> 22:28.401
[SPEAKER_01]: The episode usually come out the night before and they come out at free.

22:28.721 --> 22:32.728
[SPEAKER_01]: So if you want to listen early with no commercials, head on over to patreon.

22:33.009 --> 22:38.218
[SPEAKER_01]: If you want to help us keep the lights on again, that's patreon.com for slash check the locks and get signed up today.

22:38.468 --> 22:46.476
[SPEAKER_01]: And if you can't find an answer to support the show, I definitely understand just listening and sharing what I am doing here with your friends and family means just as much if not more.

22:46.817 --> 22:51.161
[SPEAKER_01]: So if you were listening to this and you're telling people to check it out, just know that I appreciate you so very much.

22:51.662 --> 22:54.165
[SPEAKER_01]: Again, I'm just a dude in a bedroom, putting together a podcast.

22:54.205 --> 22:59.730
[SPEAKER_01]: So if you share this and tell other people to listen, let them know that you like it, it really does mean the world.

22:59.851 --> 23:05.016
[SPEAKER_01]: So if you're letting other people know that this podcast exists, just know I appreciate you more than I could ever tell you.

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[SPEAKER_01]: That is all that I've got for you for this week's case, but please make sure that you're subscribed to check the locks on your favorite podcast app so that you never miss an episode.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I will see you again next time, but until then remember, monsters are real, so stay safe, stay smart, and don't forget to check the locks.

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[SPEAKER_01]: See you next week!