Circumstances of Disappearance
Melissa was abducted from her home in the 600 block of Lamberton Street. One day after the baby's disappearance, a neighbor said she took the child and threw her into the river in a fit of jealousy.
She also told investigators infant slipped from her lap at Riverview Executive Park, and at one point said the baby was snatched by a kidnapper -- a black male who just walked up to the woman and grabbed the baby. She constantly changed her story. The neighbor, who has the mentality of a 4-or 5-year-old, was charged with kidnapping. She was later ruled to be incompetent to stand trial and the kidnapping charge against her was dropped in December 1989.
Though Trenton police and divers searched the Delaware River, the child's body was never found.