Authorities believe they have finally solved a cold case murder that goes back more than three decades. These same authorities have stated that Marvin “Skip” C. McClendon Jr., who is now 74 years old and a former corrections officer, stabbed 11-year-old Melissa Ann Tremblay to death back in 1988.
“Melissa has never been forgotten,” Essex County District Attorney Jonathan W. Blodgett went on to say in a press conference Wednesday.
A report from Law & Crime has revealed that Tremblay, who is from Salem, New Hampshire, was with her mother and her mother’s boyfriend at a local establishment called the LaSalle Social Club in the city of Lawrence located in the state of Massachusetts on Sept. 11, 1988.
“While her mother and mother’s boyfriend remained inside the club, Melissa played in the adjacent neighborhoods and was last seen by a railroad employee and pizza delivery driver during the late afternoon hours,” Blodgett stated.
Here are more details from the Law & Crime report:
That night, the mother and her boyfriend frantically searched and reported her missing to local police, Blodgett said.
Tremblay was found dead the next day at the old Boston & Maine Railway Yard. A train car ran over her leg after her death, amputating it, Blodgett said.
“Evidence recovered from the victim’s body was instrumental to solving this case,” the district attorney commented.
McClendon was arrested Tuesday in Bremen, Alabama, officials said. He was arrested, charged as a fugitive from justice, and is in the custody of the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office.
McClendon in 1988 lived in nearby Chelmsford, Massachusetts and had “multiple ties to Lawrence,” including the Seventh-day Adventist Church on Salem Street, Blodgett said. The 74-year-old is a former corrections officer for the Massachusetts Department of Corrections, though the D.A. was unclear as to whether he was one at the time of the murder.
Members who work for Blodgett’s office contacted Melissa’s family on Tuesday night Wednesday morning to let them know about the arrest. A reporter then pointed out that the young murder victim’s mother had passed away. Blodgett stated they were in contact with Melissa’s cousins and aunts.
Blodgett declined to mention the evidence they have against McClendon, citing the upcoming arraignment which is set for Thursday.
“We believe we have the right person,” he remarked.
Let’s hope they do, and that the sickening monster gets the book thrown at him for his crime.
This story syndicated with permission from Chad Prather
This story syndicated with permission from The Blue State Conservative