Kidnapping of Melissa Brannen
Melissa Brannen | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 12, 1984 Virginia, U.S. |
| Disappeared | December 3, 1989 (aged 5) Lorton, Virginia, US |
| Status | Missing for 35 years, 6 months and 16 days |
| Parents |
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Caleb Daniel Hughes | |
|---|---|
Hughes shortly before he was released from prison in 2019 | |
| Born | January 1966 (age 59) Virginia, U.S. |
| Criminal status | Incarcerated (Violated probation 9/2024) Detained Rocky Mount VA - Held in SW Regional Jail / will serve full sentence |
| Conviction | Abduction with intent to defile |
| Criminal penalty | 50 years imprisonment |
The kidnapping of Melissa Brannen occurred on December 3, 1989, at the Woodside Apartments in Lorton, Virginia, United States. The five-year-old daughter of Michael and Tammy Brannen, she was raised by her single mother who lived in the complex. She disappeared while attending a party held at the complex for its residents. Caleb Daniel Hughes, a handyman for the complex, was convicted of abduction with the intent to defile and sentenced to 50 years in prison. Her body has never been found, she has never been proven to be dead, and murder charges have never been filed. The case is considered an unsolved homicide by local police.