Melanie Davis’ cell phone, purse, checkbook, clothes and car were still at her home in Richmond, Virginia, when she went missing in May 2016.
The 51-year-old former nurse hasn’t been seen since or spoken with any of her loved ones.
For Melanie’s sister Clarice, not knowing what happened has been one of the hardest parts of the last six and a half years.
“That’s what I need, no matter what the outcome. We need closure. We need to put it to rest because until I hear anything, she’s alive in my mind and in my heart. She’s still out there,” Clarice told WTVR-TV.
Melanie worked for 22 years as a registered nurse at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center before she resigned for reasons that are not fully clear.
There are also conflicting reports about the period preceding Melanie’s disappearance. A story from WTVR-TV says Melanie was working as a nurse in May 2016 and that shortly before she vanished, she had dealt with several deaths at the hospital that affected her mental health.
But WWBT-TV reports that Melanie had resigned a year before she went missing and was living on disability payments. Family members perceived her to be depressed and she stayed home most of the time, according to the television station.
In any event, both news organizations report that Melanie checked herself into a psychiatric hospital at some point and stayed there for about a week before she went missing.
“She checked herself into Tucker’s Hospital,” Clarice told WTVR-TV. “We didn’t know where she was for about a week. Eventually, she gave one of the nurses permission to call us. I guess in my mind, she was okay and she really wasn’t.”
Melanie is said to have told staff at the psychiatric facility that she was leaving and going to another state, but authorities have not been able to confirm that she actually left Virginia.
Police say Melanie’s bank account has been untouched except for a $10 withdrawal out of state several years ago, although the investigation into this transaction proved fruitless, according to the Charley Project.
Melanie was last seen on May 28, 2016, in the 3000 block of Woodrow Avenue in Richmond and may have gotten into a white vehicle with someone, Richmond Police Detective Clarence Key told WTVR-TV.
Clarice’s memories of her sister help keep her hope alive, recalling moments when Melanie’s energy brightened those around her.
“She was so full of life when she came into the house laughing and joking and dancing, it filled the whole house,” Clarice told WTVR-TV.
At the time she went missing, Melanie was about 5-foot-10 and weighed between 170 and 180 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. She had burn scars on her neck and shoulders in addition to a lower back tattoo depicting vines. Her ears were also pierced. Melanie may use the last name of Walker.
To report information about the case, call Detective Key at 804-646-5100.
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[Feature Photo: Melanie Davis/The Charley Project]
