April 29th, 1999. A skull is found in a trash bag outside Action Glass in Atlanta, Georgia. Soon after, in different trash bags, various other body parts are found. The remains are identified as the remains of Melissa Wolfenbarger, a 21-year-old married mother of two who is reported missing several months prior. In a remarkable twist, Melissa’s remains are verified only after her Father is arrested in connection to an unrelated murder.

In this episode of Zone 7, Crime Scene Investigator, Sheryl McCollum, is joined by her husband, Walt McCollum, as they read the letters between Sheryl and Melissa’s father, Carl Patton. Carl’s letters detail out the importance of including him in the investigation of Melissa’s murder, the viewpoints from both a victim and a suspect, and insights on the relationship between Melissa and husband, Christopher Wolfenbarger.

Show Notes:

• [0:00] Welcome back to Zone 7 with Crime Scene Investigator, Sheryl McCollum. If you missed the beginning of Melissa Wolfenbarger’s case check out those episodes here: Melissa Wolfenbarger: Norma and Tina Patton | Part 1, Melissa Wolfenbarger: Karyn Greer | Part 2, Melissa Wolfenbarger: Trace Sargent | Part 3
• [1:15] Sheryl introduces the significance of including Carl Patton in Melissa’s investigation 
• [5:42] Flint River Murders
• [7:14] Timeline of events - In 2003, Carl Miller Patton Jr. Was arrested. He was later convicted of the 1977 murders of Fred. Lidy Matthews Evans and Evan's boyfriend, Joe Cleveland 
• [10:36] Walt McCollum, Sheryl’s husband reads the letters of Carl Patton to the listeners
• [16:06] “A guilty conscience is a hell on earth that continues to punish and convict, and I deal with it every day.”
• [21:31] Snippets of Douglas McGregor 
• [23:30] One final letter from Carl...
• [28:18] “Never look down at anyone unless extending a hand to pick them back up.” -J.R
• [28:51] Join us next week as we talk exclusively to the children of Liddy Evans. We will have an opportunity to look at Carl's crimes and see if they factor in to the murder of Melissa Wolfenbarger
• [29:09] Thanks for listening to another episode! If you’re loving the show and want to help grow the show, please head over to Itunes and leave a rating and review! How to Leave an Apple Podcast Review: First, Open the podcast app on your iPhone, Mac, or iPad. Then, hit the “Search” tab at the bottom right-hand corner of the page and search for Zone 7. Select the podcast, scroll down to find the subheading “Ratings & Reviews”. and select “Write a Review.” Next, select the number of stars you’d like to leave. Please choose 5 stars! Using the text box which says “Title,” write a title for your review. Then in the text box, write the review itself. The review can be up to 300 words long, but doesn’t need to be much more than: “Love the show! Thanks!” or Once you’re done select “Send” in the upper right-hand corner.

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Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an Emmy Award-winning CSI, a writer for CrimeOnline, a Forensic and Crime Scene Expert for "Crime Stories with Nancy Grace," and a CSI for a metro Atlanta Police Department. She is the co-author of the textbook., Cold Case: Pathways to Justice. Sheryl is also the founder and director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, a collaboration between universities and colleges that brings researchers, practitioners, students and the criminal justice community together to advance techniques in solving cold cases and assist families and law enforcement with solvability factors for unsolved homicides, missing persons, and kidnapping cases.  

You can connect and learn more about Sheryl’s work by visiting the CCIRI website https://coldcasecrimes.org

Social Links:

• Email: coldcase2004@gmail.com
• Twitter: @ColdCaseTips
• Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum