The case of Melissa Ann Moore, who went missing on March 26, 1984, remains one of the most perplexing and tragic mysteries in Oklahoma cold case history.
A resident of Tulsa whose body was found in rural Mayes County in 1984, Moore's fate has baffled investigators for over 4o-years.
Melissa, 22, vanished under mysterious circumstances, leaving her family and the community in anguish.
On the night of March 25, 1984, Melissa went out with friends and left them at the Chi Omega sorority house on the Tulsa University campus around midnight. She told her friends she was heading to her apartment, only a few blocks away.
However, she never made it home. The following day, her car was found on East Easton. A witness reported seeing a man park the car, sit in it for a few minutes, then get out, lock the door, and walk away around 4:30 p.m.
Composite sketches of this man, depicting what he looked like in 1984 and what he might look like now, have been circulated.
The search for Melissa ended tragically on April 17, 1984, when her body was discovered in Mayes County by workers inspecting bridges.
She was found naked from the waist down in the water of Pryor Creek. Authorities determined that she had drowned and was likely sexually assaulted. From the outset, there were few clues for investigators to follow.
Witnesses described seeing a suspicious man on the bridge above where Melissa's body was found, driving an El Camino, but he has never been publicly identified.
In June 1984, Gary Alan Walker briefly became a suspect. Walker, who led police to the bodies of two women he had killed, was eventually executed for murdering six people during a 1984 crime spree in Oklahoma. However, he was cleared of any involvement in Melissa's murder.
Mayes Couty Girl Scout Killer Gene Leroy Hart at one point was considered a "person of interest" in Moore's murder due to the time frame of his activities.
In 2010, a former OSBI agent revealed to the media that DNA evidence in Melissa's case had been linked to a known suspect. This suspect drove a car matching the description of the vehicle seen near where Melissa's body was found.
The agent, who worked for the OSBI cold case unit, had offered to help expedite testing through the cold case department. However, the agent in charge of Melissa's case refused the help, citing insufficient evidence to charge the suspect and later complained to the cold case agent's supervisor.
The cold case agent later told the media that the identity of Melissa's killer had been known for years, but no arrest had been made.
In 2011, a detective with the Tulsa Police Department reopened the case and submitted new evidence for testing. Despite these efforts, no arrests have been made to date in the murder of Melissa Moore.
Melissa's parents passed away in 2005 and 2006, leaving only her brother to continue seeking justice for his sister. The case remains open, and authorities urge anyone with information to come forward.
If you have any information regarding the murder of Melissa Ann Moore, please contact the Tulsa Police Department at 918-596-9222.
