Tipster reports possible sighting of woman kidnapped as child from Fort Worth 51 years ago

Officials with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children have passed along a tip to Fort Worth police from a South Carolina caller who reported seeing Melissa Highsmith, who went missing 51 years ago after a babysitter picked her up and never returned.

The Center for Missing and Exploited Children received the tip last week. The caller reported the possible sighting in the Charleston, South Carolina, area.

Fort Worth police could not immediately be reached Tuesday for comment on the report.

Highsmith was 21 months old when she disappeared from Fort Worth on Aug. 23, 1971, according to the center’s records.

“Even though we don’t know if this tip will lead to answers, we know law enforcement is working steadfastly and we hope that his information and the renewed attention the public has for Melissa will continue to bring awareness that she is still missing,” said John Bischoff, vice president of the missing children division at NCMEC, in a news release. “We know that answers are always possible. The public is vital to bringing home missing children and we know that it only takes one person to see the right thing, report it and help bring a missing child home.”

The center provided these details on the case:

Melissa’s mother was 22, and worked as a waitress in Fort Worth. The child’s mother had just separated and had just moved to Fort Worth. She placed an ad in a newspaper looking for someone to care for her child. Melissa was born on Nov. 6, 1969.

A woman answered the ad and agreed to meet Melissa’s mom at the restaurant where she worked, but she never showed up. The babysitter called the mother later, saying she really wanted the job, had a nice big yard and cared for other children as well.

The mother hired her, and the babysitter picked Melissa up at their apartment when the mother was at work. Melissa was in the care of the mother’s roommate at the time.

The roommate said the woman who picked up Melissa seemed nice and was dressed to impress, wearing white gloves..

Melissa was not returned to her mother, who called Fort Worth police. At that time, Melissa had brown eyes and hair, and she was about 2 feet and 8 inches tall and weighed about 27 pounds.

Melissa’s mother never saw her again.

The tipster told officials last week that Melissa may have been spotted in the area of Daniel Island. Melissa would be 52 years old now.

“The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children never stops searching,” Bischoff said. “We’ve never forgotten about Melissa, and we’re happy to see that the community has not forgotten about her either. Receiving a tip on a case this old is rare, but not unheard of. The fact that a person looked at our age progression photo, recognized something, and called in potential information is the reason we do what we do every day.”

If you have any information, please call NCMEC at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678.)