The Unsolved Disappearance of Melanie Melanson — Woburn, Massachusetts (1989)
On October 27, 1989, 14-year-old Melanie Jo Melanson attended a party in a wooded area along the Woburn–Stoneham line near her house with friends. Melanie was a freshman at Woburn High School, just days away from celebrating her 15th birthday and getting her braces removed.
The woods were a common gathering place for local teens and approximately 20 people were there that night, most of whom knew one another as friends, classmates, or girlfriends of members of the group.
As the party ended, everybody else left and Melanie was last seen with two older boys she knew: James “Jimmy/Jim” Treska and Eugene “Gino/Gene” Bertini. Investigators believe Jim & Gene were the last known people to see Melanie alive.
Both men repeatedly told police that they left the woods without Melanie. Each claimed that when he left, Melanie was unharmed and still with the other guy.
Melanie never came home, and she was never seen again. Her case remains open and unsolved, and her remains have never been found.
Investigators believe Melanie was killed that night and that her remains may still be hidden somewhere in the surrounding area.
Over the decades, law enforcement officers, private investigators, volunteers, forensic specialists, divers, cadaver-dog teams, psychics, and countless searchers have looked throughout Woburn, the Middlesex Fells, and surrounding communities. Excavations and aerial searches have also been conducted in response to tips.
No one has ever been arrested or charged in connection with Melanie’s disappearance. According to authorities, several people who attended the party—including the girlfriends of both Jim and Gene at the time and members of their closest circle of friends—have repeatedly declined requests to be interviewed or otherwise cooperate with the investigation over the years.
This website was created by Melanie’s family to preserve the factual record of her case, honor her life, keep her story alive, and ensure that she is never forgotten. It was also created to give anyone with information a safe and anonymous way to come forward—so Melanie can finally be located, and her family can lay her to rest.
Anyone with information, no matter how small, is encouraged to contact law enforcement at:
Woburn Police Department
Detective Mark Roffi
Tipline Phone Number: 781-933-1212 Ext: 4547
Tipline Email: [email protected]
Or click the ‘Anonymous Tips’ link below.