The investigation into the whereabouts of Melissa Wolfenbarger unofficially began in 1998 and officially began in 2000 with her mother, Norma Patton, when she became increasingly worried about her daughter. Melissa was 21-years-old at the time with two very young children and her husband, Christopher Wolfenbarger, who she had dated since high school and later married. Melissa’s family never felt completely comfortable with the relationship and believed that Christopher had a negative impact on Melissa’s life.

Melissa spoke to her family around the holidays in 1998, at the time she was living in the Atlanta area and her family was about an hour away. After the holidays passed, so did contact with Melissa. By February of 1999 it became clear that something happened to Melissa. Norma and her daughter, Tina Patton, decided to take a drive to Atlanta and check in on Melissa. They would arrive to an empty home with no signs of Melissa or the kids. A neighbor claimed that the home was vacated at the end of the year in 1998, shortly after the holidays.

After Melissa’s disappearance, her husband also seemingly vanished after moving the two kids in with family. Christopher’s whereabouts in the years following Melissa’s disappearance were very elusive and seemingly erratic. The children mostly stayed with Christopher’s family and they were kept away from the Melissa’s family. Any time they asked about their mom they were given varying stories and details about what happened to her.

In the months following their unsuccessful trip to Atlanta, Norma attempted to report her daughter missing multiple times. Instead of assistance, she was met with passive statements and delays. A missing persons report was officially filed in January of 2000. But the official report did not move the case forward in any way.

The first obvious action in officially investigating Melissa’s disappearance would be to contact the person who would have been most likely to assist in retracing her steps, her husband Christopher. When law enforcement spoke with Christopher he made some very interesting claims about where Melissa could be found. He claimed that she took off to California without him and the kids, in an elaborate tale about how they dreamed of moving out west and changing their identities. A tale that felt more like a projection. By 2002 Christopher wolfenbarger  petitioned the court for a divorce from Melissa. It seemed like a suspicious move by the man who claimed that he suspected his wife would return from out west when she was ready.

The investigation seemed riddled with obstacles and little to no information about where Melissa might be or if she was still alive. Norma continued watching the news for any possible morbid discoveries of human remains, she continued to contact anyone that she believed could help find her daughter.

2003 became a pivotal year for the investigation and for the Patton family. While trying to break through the brick wall of silence about their daughter’s disappearance, Carl Patton Jr. was charged with multiple murders and his wife, Norma, cooperated with law enforcement and testified against her husband. Norma’s testimony would reveal what transpired during a series of murders in 1973 and 1977, over 25 years prior to Carl being charged.

Many people began to question if the crimes of Carl Patton Jr. were related to the disappearance of Melissa, except Patton’s family. They had no doubt about who was responsible for her disappearance, and it wasn’t Carl. 

Carl Patton Jr. quickly became known to the media as the “Flint River Killer,” a reference that he allegedly despises. In the years since his arrest, Carl has shown a unique remorse for the crimes he committed in contrast to the crime he became a victim of when he lost his daughter, Melissa, to what is alleged to have been a domestically violent relationship. As Carl faced his own crimes in court, the Patton’s recalibrated their daily lives and the effort to find their daughter.

This is the point in the story where I always pause and have to recalibrate as well. On the homepage of The Mourning Feed is a tagline that reads, “Investigating Crimes of Duality.” I have no ability to better explain what my role is in investigations and victim advocacy. The determination and resilience of Carl Patton in relation to his family is separate from his crimes of murder. I believe that is also why he despises being called by the nickname given to him by people who only knew one side of his duality, the side he tried to keep secret from the world. Understanding crime and psychology while also maintaining respect for an individual’s humanity is the only way to approach victim advocacy in my mind. I am unsure of a better way to lead by example and leave a positive ripple effect on the lives who are affected by violent crime. That includes victims, the people who care about them, and the people who care about the perpetrator. No one wins in these circumstances. Justice does not erase the trauma for anyone involved.

This is not to say that Carl’s crimes against Liddie Evans, Richard Jackson, Fred Wyatt, Betty Jo Ephlin, and Joe Cleveland should be dismissed. Their lives are also worthy of remembrance and justice. Carl seemingly agrees and lives with the heavy burden he placed on himself by taking their lives. In contrast to his own daughter, he perhaps feels the weight of this more than we will ever truly know. He has expressed remorse for the pain he inflicted on his victims in a way that is rarely heard from a convicted murderer.

As the Patton’s recalibrated their lives after Carl’s arrest, they decided to try and find a silver lining in a storm that had resulted in so much pain. No one had heard from Melissa in almost four years and law enforcement did not seem to have any reliable information about what might have happened to her. The Patton’s turned to an unlikely resource to help them find Melissa, the man who investigated and brought Carl to justice after 25 years, Bruce Jordan from the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia.

Bruce Jordan agreed to look into Melissa’s disappearance after Norma approached him with the request. Jordan began checking with jurisdictions across Georgia to find out if anyone had unidentified remains. Jordan would soon learn that a male’s skull and limbs were found in Atlanta in 1999. But where it was found sent off a five alarm fire bell in Jordan’s mind. The male remains were located ironically close to the place where Melissa’s husband was working in 1999 before he was fired for theft.

It was not all that ironic after testing confirmed that male remains were actually female and identified as Melissa Wolfenbarger. At last, a piece to the puzzle was finally obtained. It seemed as though the investigation had a major break, and it did, but it stopped there. Thankfully, Norma did not stop. The new information only added fuel to her journey for the truth.

The following years after 2003 brought another standstill in the case itself, but Norma kept moving closer to the finish line. She reached out to more people who agreed to help her with the investigation, media, and general awareness about the case in hopes of finding answers to the remaining questions about what happened to Melissa. Meanwhile, the daughter of Christopher and Melissa began searching for her mother and happened to run into her grandma, Norma, on social media trying to bring awareness to the investigation.

With all eyes on one particular person of interest, suspicion and efforts only grew. Norma’s work and dedication to finding answers began to pay off more each day. Melissa’s story grabbed the interest of Nancy Grace, Dateline, podcasters and national media. As the media picked up the case, work behind the scenes continued with Norma bringing in individuals who could offer suggestions and possible methods to advance the case.

On July 25, 2024, a criminal warrant for the arrest of Christopher Wolfenbarger was issued by Fulton County through the Atlanta Police Department. The warrant states that the Atlanta Police Department alleges that Christopher Wolfenbarger murdered and dismembered Melissa Wolfenbarger sometime between April 29, 1999 and April 30, 1999.

With Melissa’s sister by her side, Norma Patton joined the Atlanta Police Department for a long awaited press conference to announce the arrest of Melissa’s husband, Christopher Wolfenbarger.

Norma approached the microphone and quickly exclaimed, “We finally made it. He’s in custody and now we just have to get over the last hurdle and get him convicted.” Melissa’s sister responded to questions and stated, “from day one, we knew it was Christopher.”

While executing the arrest warrant, police claim that Christopher hid inside his home behind a dryer. As for the details that made an arrest possible, in due time. As the case against Christopher moves forward in court we will continue to report the updates in the timeline below.