Name: Melanie Marie James
Nickname: Mel
Age: 21 years old
Last seen: April 20, 2014
Location: Farmington, New Mexico
Status: Still Missing
Case Information
21-year-old Melanie James was last seen in Farmington, New Mexico on April 20, 2014. She was last seen walking down 20th Street and Butler Avenue.
Background
Melanie Marie James was born on July 5, 1992. She is Native American, part Walker River Paiute and Comanche. She grew up with her family in Farmington, New Mexico, a city bordering the Navajo Nation.
Melanie was living in Farmington, New Mexico at the of her disappearance. She was unemployed, but had plans to enroll in classes at San Juan College and get a job.
Disappearance
On April 20, 2014, Melanie James was last seen by her sister walking down 20th Street and Butler Avenue near McKinley Elementary School in Farmington, New Mexico.
Melanie was accompanied by an unidentified African-American male, described as about 6’ tall with curly hair and a thin beard. She was described as being her usual self, and the two sisters had a casual conversation.
Melanie said that she was going to Albuquerque later that day. She didn’t have her belongings with her, nor a cellphone, but wrote down a phone number on her sister’s hand with a highlighter pen.
Her sister didn’t write the number down on on a piece of paper and it ultimately got lost when she washed her hands.
Melanie hasn’t been seen or heard from since. On June 12, 2014, a missing person’s report for Melanie was officially filed with the Farmington Police Department, 53 days after when she was last seen.
Investigation
The last activity on Melanie’s Facebook account was on April 14th, and the last activity on her cell phone was April 19, 2014.
According to authorities, the last person known to have contact with Melanie admitted to being with her the night she disappeared but says they haven’t seen her since.
On April 24, 2014, Melanie’s purse was found abandoned in an alleyway in the area of Yucca Avenue and 20th Street in Farmington, New Mexico.
In September 2015, a woman matching Melanie’s description was captured on surveillance camera at a Family Dollar store in Farmington, New Mexico. The woman was described as acting weird, as if someone was watching her.
Whereabouts
The circumstances of Melanie James’s disappearance remain unclear and her case is currently classified as missing. Her case remains unsolved.
Appearance
Physical Description:
Native American female born on July 5, 1992. Melanie has brown hair, brown eyes, stands 5’0 tall, and weighs 115-120 pounds.
Distinctive Physical Features:
Melanie has a tattoo of a spade on the knuckle on her right index finger. She has a chip on one of her top front teeth and her ears are pierced.
Clothing and accessories:
Melanie was last seen wearing a blue bandana tank top, light blue jeans, and black and white Converse sneakers.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Melanie Marie James please contact the Farmington Police Department at (505) 599-1070. Agency Case Number: 32011-14
Resources & Further Information
Melanie Marie James #MP38010 – National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
Missing Person – Endangered: Melanie Marie James – New Mexico Department of Public Safety
News & Media Links
The disappearance of Melanie Marie James – KOAT 11/22
Is There Hope for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women? – The New Yorker 02/24
‘We’re waiting here’: New update in Melanie James case – KOAT 02/24
“10 years has been a long time,” Farmington, New Mexico family, authorities seek info about 2014 disappearance of Melanie James – NBC News 05/24
Videos & Flyers
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