Deceased/Not Found VA - Melissa Brannen, 5, Lorton, 3 Dec 1989 *C. Hughes guilty*

I saw a show last night that detailed the disappearance of Melissa Brannen. I don't know the name of the show, but it was probably FBI, Investigators or Forensic Files.

Anyway, I found this thread on Melissa, but have been unable to find anything about a female body that was found on the interstate while searching for Melissa. Hopes were high at first that it was Melissa, but it wasn't. This body had rings on the fingers and was thought to be 13-14 years of age. They said on the show the body was never identified.

Does anyone know about a thread or something on this body?
 
From the Virginia Inmate Locator...

Offender Name: Hughes, Caleb Daniel
DOC Number: 1058054
Inmate Number: 173330
Gender: Male
Race: White
Location: Bland Correctional Center
Projected Release Date: 02/22/2018

Source:

Commonwealth of Virginia - Department of Corrections - Offenders, Offender Locator

LINK:

http://www.vadoc.virginia.gov/offenders/locator/results.cfm

Offender Name: Hughes, Caleb Daniel DOC Number: 1058054 Inmate Number: 173330 Gender: Male Race: White Location: Augusta Correctional Center Projected Release Date: 10/03/2025

Different prison now and later release date. Same DOC number and Inmate number.

Is there a photo of him somewhere?
 
Anyone know how large this clubhouse was? Also, approximately how many people were in attendance? Like, if Melissa went back to get chips, how far away was her mother, and was there a huge crowd in which a small child could easily have been swallowed up, or would she have been seen by someone in going toward the food?
 
Do you know this 'Alexis'?

rusty's mom, i think, as you know, since jaycee was found after a slightly shorter time then this, anything is possible.
im just wondering if the familly had a dna test run and it came back negative, and that's why there's a commeent on thsre saying 'leave micheal and his family alone' to whover ran this article.
whatever the case is, i dont think she was pulling a hoax. i think she believed it was possible, she's had a rough life and honestly, with the things she was told/heard herself, i could see why she might think she is melissa, or another missing child.
 
Why don't you make a list of all the questions you have, and I'll get back to you on this within a couple days.
 
What evidence was gathered by LE that indicates Melissa is deceased? How can the police be 100% sure Melissa is not alive?


I re-watched the FBI Files episode about Melissa's abduction on Youtube. This case is so disturbing to me; I wish that Caleb Hughes or whatever his name was would have just confessed as to what he did with her body; it seems to me he isn't going anywhere anytime soon as he was sentanced to 50 years in prison. What an evil, sick person he is :furious:

I would pray that somehow she is still alive, but based on evidence gathered by LE, it seems more than likely she isn't. I feel so sorry for her mother. No child deserves anything like that.
 
What evidence was gathered by LE that indicates Melissa is deceased? How can the police be 100% sure Melissa is not alive?

What evidence do you have that she is alive?

It seems like in many cases the consensus is that the person is deceased sadly. I am not the consensus and there is always the possibility that she is out there when no evidence exists to the contrary.
 
I am not required to prove Melissa is alive. I didn't make any statements saying she is alive, or that I'm 100% sure she is. But when someone says they're 100% sure she's dead, I want to know based on what information. They don't have a body, they don't have a confession, they don't have a location. They apparently lack enough to charge him with murder. So, how are they 100 % sure she's dead? Did they tell Tammy, oh, we're sure she's dead.
Go harass someone else.


What evidence do you have that she is alive?

It seems like in many cases the consensus is that the person is deceased sadly. I am not the consensus and there is always the possibility that she is out there when no evidence exists to the contrary.
 
I am not required to prove Melissa is alive. I didn't make any statements saying she is alive, or that I'm 100% sure she is. But when someone says they're 100% sure she's dead, I want to know based on what information. They don't have a body, they don't have a confession, they don't have a location. They apparently lack enough to charge him with murder. So, how are they 100 % sure she's dead? Did they tell Tammy, oh, we're sure she's dead.
Go harass someone else.

Pardon Me if you think that I was trying to harass you. It was not my intention. Only agreeing that there is no proof that she is dead.
 
I don't think anyone can be 100 percent certain of anything in this case.

Unfortunately, the Legal view of most cases like this is that the person MIGHT be alive whenever there is no body. Hughes was convicted of various charges short of murder mainly because there was no body. If he were to confess to killing her or reveal where he put her body, he would be tried for murder and the death penalty would be on the table.

There have been some cases, but very few, in which a murder conviction is obtained without a body. Usually those cases have some other compelling evidence to consider - such as massive amounts of blood or photos, or eyewitness testimony. If prosecutors thought they could charge Hughes with murder, they would have done it by now.

I started the origional Websleuths thread on Melisa back in 2005 and there was a considerable amount of discussion and information on it. For some reason, however, it was archived.

LINK:

VA Melissa Lee Brannen (5) - Lorton VA, 1989 - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community
 
I'm curious, Richard. What is your location, how long have you been aware of this case and how well do you know anyone involved in it? Did you say you talked to a police officer investigating this case?
If any of you have ever seen the video of Melissa singing at Thanksgiving, you know how adorable a child she was. If you haven't seen it, may I say it's heartbreaking to see that adorable child, dressed up for Thanksgiving singing, knowing as they showed the video in the news that she was missing. Maybe if you could see it, you'd work that much more.[/COLOR]IF CALEB HUGHES CAN SEE THIS, HOW WOULD YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR CHILD NOT HAVING A PROPER BURIAL? WHAT WOULD YOU WANT FOR YOUR CHILD? [/COLOR]
Melissa Brannen deserves a proper burial if she is indeed deceased. If she is alive, and doesn't realize her real name or can't get away from where she is being held, she deserves to know who her mother is and how her mother has never stopped missing her, and still holds out hope she'll get to hold her little girl again, even if she is 28 years old now. MELISSA SHOULD KNOW HER MOM HAS NEVER GIVEN UP ON HER.


I don't think anyone can be 100 percent certain of anything in this case.

Unfortunately, the Legal view of most cases like this is that the person MIGHT be alive whenever there is no body. Hughes was convicted of various charges short of murder mainly because there was no body. If he were to confess to killing her or reveal where he put her body, he would be tried for murder and the death penalty would be on the table.

There have been some cases, but very few, in which a murder conviction is obtained without a body. Usually those cases have some other compelling evidence to consider - such as massive amounts of blood or photos, or eyewitness testimony. If prosecutors thought they could charge Hughes with murder, they would have done it by now.

I started the origional Websleuths thread on Melisa back in 2005 and there was a considerable amount of discussion and information on it. For some reason, however, it was archived.

LINK:

VA Melissa Lee Brannen (5) - Lorton VA, 1989 - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community
 
I'm curious, Richard. What is your location, how long have you been aware of this case and how well do you know anyone involved in it? Did you say you talked to a police officer investigating this case? ...

I was in the military, serving in Arlington, Virginia in 1989 when Melissa went missing. I remember it very well, as it was in the news every day, and there were numerous posters with her picture everywhere.

I believe that her grandfather was a senior officer in the Army stationed at the Pentagon at the time.

Yes, I also recall the video of the little girl dressed up and singing.

As I recall (just memory - not from any case notes) Caleb Hughes was arrested very soon after Melissa disappeared. He had been seen near her at a Christmas party and he disappeared about the same time she did. I also seem to recall that there was some kind of evidence that she had been in his car. So he could not have taken her very far.
 
The people still at the party realized Caleb Hughes was missing within minutes of Melissa disappearing. They scoured the clubhouse looking for Melissa, and I was told it was Melissa's mother who went in the room marked for employees only and found the window open. They said Tammy then ran thru the parking lot screaming Melissa's name.
One of the crime shows claim Hughes' car was not parked in that lot, but in an adjacent parking lot that he would have had to carry Melissa thru grass and shrubs to get to.
From what I have learned about child predators, some fixate on a particular victim and wait until they think the time is right. Others are 'in the mood' and find a child that is available. I was kind of thinking Hughes had a thing for Melissa and was waiting for an opportune moment and became impatient and took his chances that night. I guess, me in my finite wisdom wishes they'd followed Hughes the next day. I thought he hid her that night, but when he was gone all the next day he tied up loose ends. Tammy was interviewed on a program after they came out with the Amber Alert. IIRC, she said if they had had the alert when Melissa disappeared, they might have recovered her alive.
What I know is, they apparently had enough information to hone in on Caleb Hughes almost immediately, but not a word was mentioned by LE in the media. Nothing from anyone on Hughes in the media. One broadcast could have made the difference in that child's life.
 
I always think of Melissa this time of year (since she went missing at a Christmas party). I was wondering if anyone ever tried to contact Caleb Hughes wife (or ex wife maybe?). Seems like after all these years she might be willing to give up more information. Does anyone know what became of his son? I guess he would be in his mid twenties now.
 
I can't help but think of Melissa every morning, as I drive by the Woodside Apartments on my way to work. I was 19 when she was abducted and recall a neighbor being part of the search team.
 
One of the crime shows claim Hughes' car was not parked in that lot, but in an adjacent parking lot that he would have had to carry Melissa thru grass and shrubs to get to.

The only adjacent parking lot that I can think of from back then would have been the one for the Booth Feeds and Bar J Restaurant, which are no longer there. It is now an empty lot.
 
Just saw this case profiled on the FBI Files. I think it sounds like the right guy, but with out Melissa's remains, it's never closed no matter who is behind bars. Does anyone have a list of rule outs made against Melissa already?
 
I think a really good clue is that Hughes' much older wife recorded exactly how many miles Caleb put on the car, I believe a Honda. It was 51 miles. I doubt he had time to meander around aimlessly for two hours after the abduction. Google Maps provides an excellent tool for running various driving scenarios to come up with exactly 51 miles. Hughes was from Prince William County and would be most familiar with that county. I've seen references to Caleb living near the Safeway in Lake Ridge. Google recognizes this as a location. Use that as the starting point. The next destination is the Woodside Apartment complex, that's about 9 to 10 miles away. Looking at a satellite map, try to find a remote location that Caleb would be familiar with and that is very wooded such that a drive to that location and a return home to Lake Ridge ends up at exactly 51 miles. I tried various locations but anything to the North or Northeast results in densely populated areas. The Potomac River blocks Eastward locations. That leaves the South, Southwest and Northwest. Remote areas along the Occaquan River won't provide enough miles. At this point it should become clear that the uber remote areas of Prince William Park and the Western areas of the Marine Corps Base of Quantico really stand out. If you pick an area on the Western edges of Prince William Park you can get exactly 51 miles if Joplin Road and I-95 are used to get to the park and return to Lake Ride, which would be the fastest route. Happyland Camp Five Lake Area and the areas along Joplin Road west of Happyland Camp Five come out to exactly 51 miles. Parts of the Marine Base in this area are also possibilites but he may have wanted to stay off military property. I think these areas are the most likely to reveal the body of Melissa. Being a groundskeeper, I'm sure he hid the body quite well.
 

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