CA CA - Tracy Melton, 32, Stockton, 6 May 1998

[STEADFAST]

I can't find a thread on WS for this case (the missing woman or the finding of the bone) but I have seen Tracy mentioned in posts.

Tracy Melton went missing in May of 1998. A bone was found in 2003. California identified the bone as Tracy's in April of 2011, but her family wasn't notified until January of 2012.

http://www.news10.net/news/article/...ing-Stockton-woman-not-told-of-bone-discovery

 

[OkieGranny]

From January 2012:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/california...ng-woman-remains-identified/story?id=15476554

Carter, now 20, said she and her family don't believe detectives' phone call to notify the family about Melton's remains was coincidental. Her aunt, Sharon Melton, has long suspected that her sister was murdered by serial killers Shermantine and Herzog. Melton reached out to famous bounty hunter Leonard Padilla about two weeks ago. He has been active in the case and has worked closely with retired FBI agent and investigator Jeff Rinek.

Rinek conducted an interview with Shermantine regarding locations of victim's remains, police said. After learning about the interview, Padilla phoned Herzog at his trailer by the High Desert Prison to inform him Shermantine was speaking out. Herzog committed suicide shortly after that phone conversation.

Cold case flyer from Stockton CrimeStoppers:

http://www.stocktongov.com/files/111512_VIC_MELTON.pdf