April 29th, 1999. A skull is found in a trash bag outside Action Glass in Atlanta, Georgia.

Soon after, in different trash bags, various other body parts are found. The remains are identified as the remains of Melissa Wolfenbarger, a 21-year-old married mother of two who is reported missing several months prior.

In a remarkable twist, Melissa’s remains are verified only after her Father is arrested in connection to an unrelated murder.

In this episode of Zone 7, Crime Scene Investigator, Sheryl McCollum, is joined again by forensics expert Joseph Scott Morgan as they discuss the details of Melissa’s murder case. 

They dissect potential thoughts from a murderer’s perspective, reasons proper tools are necessary when dismembering a body, the importance of understanding the anatomy of a body, initial problems with the case that could have saved time, and more.  

Show Notes:

• [0:00] Welcome back to Zone 7 with Crime Scene Investigator, Sheryl McCollum. For this specific episode, listener discretion is advised. This information is not for shock value, but for the facts
• [0:34] Sheryl gives listeners an overview of Melissa’s case
• [0:36] If you missed the beginning of Melissa Wolfenbarger’s case check out those episodes here: Melissa Wolfenbarger: Norma and Tina Patton | Part 1, Melissa Wolfenbarger: Karyn Greer | Part 2, Melissa Wolfenbarger: Trace Sargent | Part 3, Melissa Wolfenbarger: Letters From Carl Patton | Part 4, Melissa Wolfenbarger: Victims of Carl Patton - Liddie Evans Children Speak | Part 5, Melissa Wolfenbarger: Joseph Scott Morgan’s Insight on Melissa’s case | Part 6
• [2:16] Question: Joe Scott Morgan, What happened to Melissa after she was murdered?
• [12:52] “Some people rely on their faith. Some people rely on Jack Daniels. I tend to rely on just the human level, and I know when I get in there and I work alone as a crime scene investigator, it's just me and the body.”
• [15:31] Joe discusses unanswered questions surrounding the type of death Melissa experienced 
• [21:12] Initial problems with this particular case 
• [24:50] Question: Do you think the perpetrator was trying to make sure somebody misidentified her, or do you think it was part of the punishment in domestic violence cases?
• [25:42] “When you defile a person like this in death, that, that says so much about the psychopathology of the individual that's doing this.”
• [27:04] Question: What else should we be looking for as investigators?
• [34:17] “Just remember when you get frustrated by difficult cases. One should not pursue goals which are easily achieved.” 
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Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an Emmy Award-winning CSI, a writer for CrimeOnline, a forensic and crime scene expert for “Crime Stories with Nancy Grace,” and a CSI for a metro-area Atlanta Police Department. She is the co-author of the textbook, “Cold Case: Pathways to Justice.”

McCollum is also the founder and director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, a collaboration between universities and colleges that brings researchers, practitioners, students, and the criminal justice community. They come together to advance techniques in solving cold cases and assist families and law enforcement with solvability factors for unsolved homicides, missing persons, and kidnapping cases.

You can connect and learn more about McCollum’s work by visiting the CCIRI website https://coldcasecrimes.org

Social Links:

• • Email: [email protected]
  • Twitter: @ColdCaseTips
  • Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum

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