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 Psychiatrist, Dr. Angela Arnold who has worked on Melissa’s unsolved case. Dr. Arnold and Sheryl discuss their perspectives on trauma bonds, domestic violence, and what relationship imbalances look like in families.
They also discuss how childhood trauma can ultimately lead you to exactly what you were trying to get away from. In this case, they discuss how Melissa’s childhood and experience shaped how she ended up with a guy like Christopher.
Dr. Arnold also gives her advice on how to detect a narcissist and signs of domestic violence and more.
About the ‘Zone 7’ Host
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-area Atlanta Police Department. She is the co-author of the textbook, “Cold Case: Pathways to Justice.”
McCollum 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. They come 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 McCollum’s work by visiting the CCIRI website https://coldcasecrimes.org
Social Links:
- Email: coldcase2004@gmail.com
- Twitter: @ColdCaseTips
- Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum
