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. 

On this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum, a Crime Scene Investigator, is joined by news anchor for WBS Channel 2 news, Karyn Greer. They comb through the details surrounding Melissa’s case and discuss in length the importance that media has in cases such as Melissa’s. Karyn also discusses her experience of what it’s like to follow a case for such a length of time.    

Show Notes:

• [0:00] Welcome back to Zone 7 with Crime Scene Investigator, Sheryl McCollum. If you missed part one episode of Melissa Wolfenbarger’s case check it out here: Melissa Wolfenbarger: Norma and Tina Patton | Part 1 
• [2:00] Sheryl introduces the news anchor for WBS Channel 2 news, Karyn Greer to the listeners
• [5:00] Question: Seeing as though you have covered this case for quite some time, do you have a method for when witnesses or people want to be interviewed? Can you tell us what that looks like?
• [8:08] “But something really incredible happened when the assistant district attorney got on the scene. What was that?...” 
• [8:45] Question: When Adrian love stood where the skull was found and saw its proximity to where the husband worked, What was her reaction?
• [12:12] The media can do things law enforcement just can't do, and one of those things is that they can reach a ton of people with one episode 
• [20:19] Everyone remembers Scott Peterson
• [21:16] Question: Have you ever seen a case like this before in your career?
• [24:11] Crime Con
• [29:04] “Always remember these stories belong to the families. All we can do for them, and the loved ones they've lost is to tell the story. It's for their families. And when the teleprompter keeps rolling, just speak from the heart.”
• [29:30] Tune in next week when Sheryl is joined by canine search and rescue expert, Trace Sargent
• Thanks for listening to another episode! If you’re loving the show and want to help grow the show, please head over to Itunes and leave a rating and review! How to Leave an Apple Podcast Review: First, Open the podcast app on your iPhone, Mac, or iPad. Then, hit the “Search” tab at the bottom right-hand corner of the page and search for Zone 7. Select the podcast, scroll down to find the subheading “Ratings & Reviews”. and select “Write a Review.” Next, select the number of stars you’d like to leave. Please choose 5 stars! Using the text box which says “Title,” write a title for your review. Then in the text box, write the review itself. The review can be up to 300 words long, but doesn’t need to be much more than: “Love the show! Thanks!” or Once you’re done select “Send” in the upper right-hand corner.

 

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Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an Emmy Award winning CSI, a writer for CrimeOnLine, Forensic and Crime Scene Expert for Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, and a CSI for a metro Atlanta Police Department. She is the co-author of the textbook., Cold Case: Pathways to Justice. Sheryl 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 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 Sheryl’s work by visiting the CCIRI website https://coldcasecrimes.org

Social Links:

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

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