Melissa Highsmith was a little child when she vanished without a trace, and her parents would not give up looking for her. The family was ultimately reunited after being apart for a total of 51 years.

When Melissa’s family found out that she was still alive and well, the only term that adequately described how they felt was “overwhelmed.” Melissa herself felt the same way.

The Highsmith family was able to meet a little girl who had been taken from her home when she was only a newborn thanks to a 23 & Me DNA test. The child had been missing since she was a baby.

After finding out that Melissa had been living only 10 minutes away, they started referring to her as Melanie Walden rather than Melissa Highsmith.

The family eventually learned that their babysitter, who they had hired but had not yet seen, had taken their daughter Melissa when she was at home in Fort Worth.

Melanie had questioned the lady who had reared her, the woman who had taken care of her, whether or not she was baby Melissa before she was reunited with her family.

When she found out that she was really Melissa Highsmith, who had been reported missing, she was astonished.

Melissa reached out to her biological family after it was established that the other lady was really who she claimed to be.

“It brought up a lot of feelings. The thought “I finally have a mother and a father who want me, and who love me” was one of the first thoughts that came into my head when I found out that I was adopted.

I can now say that I have individuals in my life that adore me.” Melissa stated.

She has decided that she wants to go by her given name going forward.

After that, she will devote the remainder of her life to getting to know her biological relatives.