With a lack of domestic violence shelters in the region, as well as no housing for single women on the reservation, Melissa kept living with her boyfriend.
Then, on March 9, 2001, she mysteriously disappeared.
That evening, Melissa had visited a local bar – the Apache House of Liquor but nicknamed “The Zoo” – for a St. Patrick’s Day party.
Melody was actually there as well, and the pair spoke for over an hour. Melody learned about Melissa’s plans after apparently leaving her boyfriend.
“She told me where she was going. She told me she was newly single. She told me all these, you know, really good things. And I was really happy because then I thought, you know, ‘Now we can interact with you more,'” Melody remembered.
Yet, while Melissa was speaking with a friend, Ree Vicenti, later that night, her demeanor reportedly changed. According to Ree, Melissa seemed worried, and eventually, a man believed to be Melissa’s boyfriend approached and spoke to her.
“I had no idea what they were saying. They kind of got into a little argument right there. She kind of told him, ‘Okay, all right. Leave me alone. I’m sitting over here talking to my friend,'” Ree detailed.
Afterward, the two friends proceeded to talk for around an hour before the man claimed it was time to go. At that point, Melissa reportedly walked out of the bar first, and the man followed behind.
That was the last time Melissa was ever seen or heard from again.
An investigation into her disappearance was reportedly launched “within a month” by the Jicarilla Apache Nation Police Department. The Bureau of Indian Affairs was involved as well – surveying and interviewing people on the property.
According to Chris Rafferty, Jicarilla Apache Nation Police Department Criminal Investigator, authorities knew about Melissa’s relationship issues as the couple had gotten into arguments in the past.
