MA MA - Melissa Fadden, 14, Lowell, 3 March 1997

[Moonwalker9]

Melissa Fadden – The Charley Project
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
Melissa Fadden

• 

Melissa, circa 1997

• Missing Since03/03/1997
• Missing FromLowell, Massachusetts
• ClassificationEndangered Missing
• Age13 years old
• Height and Weight5'4, 110 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry DescriptionA black shirt with maroon stripes, black jeans, a gold necklace and gold earrings.
• Distinguishing CharacteristicsCaucasian female. Blonde hair, green eyes. Melissa has a tattoo of the letter "M" on her right shoulder. Her ears are pierced. At the time of her March 1997 disappearance, she wore braces on her teeth.

Details of Disappearance
Melissa was last seen by her mother inside their home on March 3, 1997. Her mother reported her missing two days later, on March 5. She had run away from home on several prior occasions.

In September 1999, a 32-year-old Lowell man named James Howley hanged himself after being questioned in the kidnapping and murder of an eleven-year-old Lowell girl, Tabitha Potter. Potter's body was found in Shedd Park three days after she was reported missing.

After Howley's death, police were able to identify him as the killer through DNA and other forensic testing. He knew Melissa and they were reportedly seeing each other, and Melissa and Tabitha Potter were friends.

Howley is considered a suspect in Melissa's disappearance. There have been many reports with regards to her whereabouts over the years, but none have panned out. Authorities are not ruling out the possibility of foul play in her disappearance, which remains unsolved

 

[Maccoombs]

I can't believe I couldn't find anything about Melissa's disappearance here.
Melissa Fadden – The Charley Project
Potential link to kidnapper and murderer James Howley who was questioned in the disappearance and murder of young Tabitha Potter.
Lowell girl's killer named

 

[Darling136]

Adding Namus link to support thread launch

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

 

[CastlesBurning]

Bumping for Melissa - it's now been over 24 years.

 

[Crazyjster]

It makes me sad that they closed the book on this with Howley. Comparing Tabby's case to Melissa's, I think the two cases are very different. The main reasons are that Howley are (mentioned in all news reports):

1. He committed suicide after killing Tabby.
and

2. Why, if he had already gotten away with at least one murder? Why would he leave her in Shedd Park and not hide her like Melissa?

I will say this much...during the late 1990s, Lowell was a breeding ground for predators. It was also where many vulnerable teenage girls who needed foster care, residential treatment, and inpatient hospitalization were sent to live. As a result, it had a high "runaway" rate. That's not considering kids who had "issues" and ran from home. Kids went missing all of the time, and many agencies that should have taken it seriously did not take it seriously. Some girls went voluntarily; some met with foul play. It would have been a perfect place for someone who wanted teenage girls as victims because no one would know, for the most part, if the girls went missing, and if they did, it would not be right away.

 

[Pennysmom1]

2661DFMA - Melissa Fadden

Article clipped from The Boston Globe

Clipping found in The Boston Globe published in Boston, Massachusetts on 3/16/2000.

www.newspapers.com