Melissa Brannen was 5 years old when she was abducted from Fairfax County, Va., in December 1989. The man who abducted her is set to be released from prison this summer. By Tom Jackman Tom Jackman Reporter covering criminal justice locally and nationally Email Bio Follow April 19 at 12:24 PM If you lived in the Washington area in 1989, you remember 5-year-old Melissa Brannen.
Tammy Brannen, Melissa Brannen's mother, during a press conference shortly after her daughter's disappearance in December 1989.. Her father, Larry Pigue, stands next to her. At the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Alexandria, Va., the Forensic Imaging Unit which handles photos of missing children is named for Melissa Brannen. “We’ve had a longtime relationship with the family caused by Melissa’s disappearance,” said Robert G.
Caleb Hughes, convicted in 1991 of abducting Melissa Brannen, could be released in August 2019. The Brannen case was one of the most high-profile cases in Fairfax County history, in part because of the intense media coverage of Melissa’s disappearance, which included a prompt public focus on Hughes just days after the girl vanished.
Fairfax police responded quickly and began trying to track down Hughes. In the time before cellphones, they called his home repeatedly, but his wife said he was not there, though he lived less than 10 miles from Woodside. Sometime after 12:30 a.m., Hughes arrived home, his wife testified. Instead of returning the calls from police, he took a shower and tossed his clothes and his shoes in the washing machine. Around 1 a.m.
Larry Pigue, Melissa’s grandfather, told reporters after the verdict,"The only regret I have today is it is only 50 years. But you take what you can get, and maybe as a 75-year-old, he’ll be less likely to do those kinds of things.”
He murdered that child! Since Melissa’s body was never recovered, Hughes dodged 1st degree murder charges and the Death Penalty. God bless her soul. God condemn his soul to eternal damnation.
If she was my daughter he wouldn't see a second day of freedom
GraysonDerulo where we stand on this one?
WTF? There will be a lot of Fathers out there that would love to get their hands on him. He murdered that little girl, but wasn't charged for Murder because Virginia requires a body. Injustice
Death penalty case
I remember when she went missing. Sad.
Karma will get him
Once he is released from prison it is expected he will become the GOP's candidate in the 2020 election.
Did she die, because if she did, he should NEVER be released!