NJ NJ - Melissa McGuinn, 7 mos, Trenton, 6 March 1988

SheWhoMustNotBeNamed

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Missing Since: March 6, 1988 from Trenton, New Jersey
Classification: Non-Family Abduction
Date Of Birth: August 3, 1987
Age: 7 months old
Height and Weight: 2'4, 16 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Blonde hair, blue eyes. McGuinn has a pigmentation mark on her right tricep. Some agencies spell her last name "McQuinn."
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A dark pink hooded sweater, white flowered quilted overalls and pink socks.

Details of Disappearance

McGuinn was being cared for by Wanda F. Reed, also known as Wanda Ashley, a mentally disabled housemate of McGuinn's family, on March 6, 1988 in Trenton, New Jersey. Reed initially told authorities that McGuinn was abducted by an unidentified African-American man while she and the baby were taking a walk during the day. Reed later changed her statement and said that she had accidentally dropped or deliberately thrown McGuinn into the Delaware River. McGuinn has never been seen again and a search of the Delaware River turned up no sign of her.


Reed, who has the mental capacity of a four- to five-year-old, was later charged with kidnapping the child. She was found incompetent to stand trial, the charges were dropped, and Reed was sent to live in a facility for mentally disabled individuals. Authorities stated she gave so many conflicting statements that they did not know what really happened to McGuinn. Investigators suggested McGuinn was not abducted or drowned, but sold to a couple who wanted a child, but there is no evidence to support this theory.


McGuinn lived with her parents, a sibling, and Reed in the 600 block of Lamberton Street in Trenton in 1988. Her parents moved out of the area while the investigation was ongoing, and police have lost contact with them. Her case is classified as a non-family abduction due to the unclear circumstances involved in her disappearance.

Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Trenton Police Department

609-989-4144
 
Thank you for starting this thread SWMNBN. Mom took a LDT and LE says that it indicates she doesn't know what happened to Melissa. I wonder if Dad took one too if he was home at the time of Melissa going missing?

I hope that Melissa is still alive and out there somewhere and comes home soon.
 
I've been searching for the past 2 days for more info on this. I'm so disappointed there isn't more about her in the news. I found her mom's personal fb, and ALOT of her posts are about Melissa...20 some years later. I wish we could get some attention on this case. I feel strongly this girl is alive and waiting to be found
 
Thoughts of this girl still nag at my brain daily. I wonder where Wanda is now? Wonder if she's said anymore about the truth?
 
Stojanov is hoping someone will come forward with new information that Melissa is alive somewhere, possibly unaware that she is the person who generated front-page headlines in Trenton in 1988.

“There’s still leads,” she said.

Even today, the McGuinn case is a web of motivations, secrets and lies. The McGuinns and Reed and her common-law husband were bonded by a shared home, Stojanov said.
“There’s so much to this story, I don’t know where to begin some days,” she said.

The neighbor whose home Reed went to and who walked her back home and several witnesses put Reed in the vicinity of Lamberton and Coates streets, but gone for just eight minutes. Because of that, Stojanov thinks the theory that Melissa was thrown into the river is implausible. Standing behind the family’s former home and looking at Waterfront Park across Route 29, Stojanov said it would be difficult to make it to the Delaware and back so quickly.

“I don’t know, it just doesn’t seem like it’s possible, but we don’t rule it out,” she said.

http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2012/03/trenton_missing_baby_case_haun.html
 
This week a new facebook page and blog was set up in the search for baby Melissa.
This is a new start at the search for Melissa...taking Melissa cyber. Melissa's story has many twists and turns that have left us always wondering, "what happened to Melissa?!" This blog will be used to try to share what we know, in hopes of producing new information from the public. Please follow along as we slowly share all the details. But for now, making a LONG story short:
Becky and Robert McGuinn kindly took in a special needs woman, to help teach her how to take care of her young son. March 7, 1988 Wanda Reed vanished out the back door with the McGuinn's 7 month old daughter Melissa.
8 minutes later Wanda returned alone. Melissa was never seen again.

http://melissamcguinn.blogspot.com/

There are good details in this post:
http://melissamcguinn.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-summary-of-story-of-melissa-mcguinn.html
 
Is there a missing thread for Melissa? This is the first I've heard of her. How tragic! :(
 
The story seems like something that would only happen in a movie
http://melissamcguinn.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-summary-of-story-of-melissa-mcguinn.html

In early 1987 Robert Mcguinn moved with his pregnant wife Becky, and his friends Robert Ashley and Wanda Reed, to 637 Lamberton St, Trenton, New Jersey. The two men had found work, and moved into a complex together with their families.
The McGuinn's could tell Wanda was behind developmentally, and thought she had some sort of learning disability. Becky was happy to help teach Wanda how to be a first time mother.

Becky went about getting ready for the day, when she noticed the back door was open, where it had not been a minute before. She peered out and saw no signs of anyone who may have gone out. But as she shut the door, she saw that Melissa was no longer sitting where she had been.
Becky cleared the way and opened the door, and saw Wanda standing there with a neighbor....without Melissa.
Psychologists were brought in, and it was then Robert and Becky found out just how wrong they were about the woman who lived with them.
Composite of Melissa at age 16
It was determined Wanda was at the mental level of a 4 to 5 year old. She would say what ever she thought made the investigators happy. Also, Wanda's infant son was NOT her first child. Wanda had two children in the past. One was taken from her custody after the child was scalded with hot water. The other was taken after Wanda threw the child against a window, which broke the glass and cut the child.
Because of the psychologists diagnosis of Wanda, she was deemed unfit to stand trial. Shortly after, all charges were dropped, and Wanda became a free woman. Her infant son was adopted by a family in Texas, and she and her husband broke up, and Wanda moved out of state...a free woman.
 
As it seems that Wanda has a repeated history of violence toward babies -- perhaps she panics or gets upset when they cry or otherwise infringe upon her -- I hate to say that I doubt Melissa is still alive.

Typically, when babies vanish, I always think there's a strong possibility someone who couldn't have their own took them to raise, or perhaps sold them to another childless couple. But I just don't think so here.
 
New blog post about a scam artist using Melissa http://melissamcguinn.blogspot.com/2013/01/in-early-2012-melissas-mother-becky-was.html

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In early 2012, Melissa's mother, Becky, was taunted by the lingering reminder, it had been nearly 24 years without any sign of baby Melissa's fate.
Then the day came, when the phone rang. It was an unexpected call from Becky's son's high school.
The school counselor's words would come like a punch in the gut to Becky. "A woman has contacted me." The counselor said, "It's about your daughter. She's asking how to get into contact with you. She says there has been a DNA test done, and she is Melissa."
A close family friend, Cindy, caught wind of the word that the German girl was planning a trip to New Jersey.
Through some great investigative skills of her own, Cindy found the so-called German Melissa, and found out she was really a scam artist in the Netherlands.
Netherlands police discovered the woman had been trying to use the McGuinns, to get into the United States, where she then planned to disappear, and live the life of an illegal immigrant.
 
I really think such individuals should be punished to the most severe extent of the law. Not only was she planning to scam the country, but more importantly she would have caused UNIMAGINABLE emotional distress to the poor family. I really don't understand how callous and heartless someone would have to be to even consider doing such a thing.
 
The suspect, Wanda, had a letter asking her to sell her 2month old son.
http://melissamcguinn.blogspot.com/2013/01/larrys-story.html

There was nothing that made sense to me, until in 2012 the cold case detective asked me if I remembered the circumstances under which Wanda received the letter from her ex husband. This was the first I had ever heard about a letter.
The detective told me that in the initial search, officers found a letter in Wanda's possession, to Wanda, from her first husband, asking her to sell him her infant son for drugs. Apparently the letter mentioned how high demand babies under the age of 1 are on the black market.
 
Okay, I think I'm really losing my mind. To me the age progression looks strikingly similar to Mackenzie Weeks who became a member of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader in 2011. The age fits.. to me the nose, brows, dimples, and mouth are the same. Of course it is so hard to make a comparison to the actual baby photo and age progressions are not always dead on. I am sure I am just thinking of her because I recently watched the show (CMT: DCC Making the Team) she was featured on. :blushing: I am actually a little embarrassed to be posting this, but it really struck me. I will post a pic anyway... I tried to find one where she was the least done-up & looked like herself. You can see other pics via google or view season 6 of the show on cmt's site.
 
Oops I think I got the pics to attach to this post.
 

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Working on a show featuring Melissa's case. Hopefully will have Melissa's mom Becky on too.

This is such bizarre case. I can't imagine what Melissa's family has been going through all these years.

A big thanks to sweetsavi for all the work she is doing to get interest in this case again.

CLICK HERE SUNDAY AUGUST 11TH 8 PM
 
Here is Melissa's Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/findbabymelissa

Will be speaking with Melissa's mother Becky again today.

Why this hasn't gotten much media attention lately is baffling. Hopefully with your help we can change that and have the media bring this case back to life.
 

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