Man Arrested 25 Years Later For Murdering Wife And Scattering Remains Around Atlanta
Christopher Wolfenbarger has been arrested for murdering and dismembering his wife — a crime that took place in the late 1990s.
Melissa Wolfenbarger was last in contact with her mother on Thanksgiving Day of 1998. Investigations suggested that she was last seen outside by witnesses in 1999. Her mother filed a missing persons report in 2003, and her remains were found and identified that same year.
This week Tuesday, according to 'PEOPLE,' a man was arrested for her murder. That man is the late woman's husband, Christopher Wolfenbarger.
The case has remained active for many years, largely due to the disgusting and perverse nature of the crime. In both April and June of 1999, Melissa's remains were found scattered through different parts of Atlanta in different trash bags. At the time, the remnants were misidentified. It was not until four years later that authorities were connected the body parts they were finding were in fact those of Melissa Wolfenbarger.
21 years elapsed between the proper identification of the dismembered parts and the arrest of Christopher Wolfenbarger. It is reported that when authorities finally arrested the suspect, he was hiding behind a washing machine. Why authorities were now able to arrest the man after all this time remains confidential. He is currently behind bars in Fulton County.
Melissa's family has come forward both to mourn and to give thanks that justice, after 25 years, has been served. Melissa's mother shared, "Finally, hopefully, we can get justice for Melissa. Melissa didn't deserve what she got."
It is believed that the reason behind the murder was domestic-violence related. In 1998, Melissa Wolfenbarger left her husband. However, her sister recalled that she returned to him, likely with her children's lives in mind.
Her sister Norma spoke to the press saying, "She loved her kids, and there's no way on this earth that she would leave them," Norma, Melissa's sister said. "That's why she went back to him. That's why she kept going back to him."
