Cold and Missing: Melissa Crabtree

100:00:00,000 --> 00:00:13,780The views and opinions expressed in Cold and Missing are exclusively those of the hosts.200:00:13,780 --> 00:00:18,400All parties mentioned are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.300:00:18,400 --> 00:00:22,160Cold and Missing also contains adult themes and languages.400:00:22,160 --> 00:00:24,560Listener discretion is advised.500:00:24,560 --> 00:00:27,280I'm your host, Ali McLaughlin-Sulkowski.600:00:27,280 --> 00:00:29,680And I'm your co-host, Eli Sulkowski.700:00:29,680 --> 00:00:34,480And this is Cold and Missing, where we cover cold cases and missing person cases.800:00:34,480 --> 00:00:37,000Hello everyone and welcome back to Cold and Missing.900:00:37,000 --> 00:00:42,840I'm your host, Ali McLaughlin-Sulkowski, and it will just be me coming to you this week.1000:00:42,840 --> 00:00:48,960Well, actually, in this episode, you will have the opportunity to hear from the family1100:00:48,960 --> 00:00:55,840of a missing person, the brother and sister-in-law of the person we are covering today, who1200:00:55,840 --> 00:00:57,960is Melissa Crabtree.1300:00:57,960 --> 00:01:02,160So I think we should just go ahead and just get right into this because there's a lot1400:01:02,160 --> 00:01:03,580to cover here.1500:01:03,580 --> 00:01:08,160Just as a quick content warning at the top, the case we are covering today does have brief1600:01:08,160 --> 00:01:10,740mentions of death by suicide.1700:01:10,740 --> 00:01:15,680If you or someone you love is struggling with thoughts of suicide, you can dial 988 if you're1800:01:15,680 --> 00:01:22,760in the United States, or you can visit 988lifeline.org to speak with somebody.1900:01:22,760 --> 00:01:28,920Today we are covering the missing person case of Melissa Crabtree, and this takes place2000:01:28,920 --> 00:01:33,520in March of 2020 in Taos, New Mexico.2100:01:33,520 --> 00:01:37,800And also throughout the timeline today, you will be hearing from Peter, this is Melissa's2200:01:37,800 --> 00:01:41,400brother, and Paige, Melissa's sister-in-law.2300:01:41,400 --> 00:01:44,320Peter and Paige are married.2400:01:44,320 --> 00:01:46,840First things first, a little bit about Melissa.2500:01:46,840 --> 00:01:50,240Melissa is 51 years old in 2020.2600:01:50,240 --> 00:01:52,920She would be 55 years old today.2700:01:52,920 --> 00:01:54,440Melissa is legendary.2800:01:54,440 --> 00:01:56,960Her brother Peter had this to say about her.2900:01:56,960 --> 00:02:01,280She was always the best at everything.3000:02:01,280 --> 00:02:07,800And I both glorified her as a sister.3100:02:07,800 --> 00:02:10,080I was four years younger.3200:02:10,080 --> 00:02:17,120So it was tough to follow in her footsteps in elementary school back then because she3300:02:17,120 --> 00:02:23,400had set the bar so high, both athletically and academically.3400:02:23,400 --> 00:02:29,640And that really came through sheer determination and hard work, especially with her grades.3500:02:29,640 --> 00:02:38,880She worked her butt off studying and training for anything that was her goal at the time.3600:02:38,880 --> 00:02:44,040Yeah, she always had a big personality.3700:02:44,040 --> 00:02:47,320And she was funny.3800:02:47,320 --> 00:02:50,160Her top choice for college was actually Dartmouth.3900:02:50,160 --> 00:02:56,840And she applied early admission for her college essay and instead of doing a traditional 4000:02:56,840 --> 00:03:11,320Essay, she puts together a rap using the background music of the Chicago superbowl shuffle.4100:03:11,320 --> 00:03:25,600And she could be really intense when she got angry, her anger could be just as intense.4200:03:25,600 --> 00:03:33,480One thing throughout it was she always had very unhealthy relationships.4300:03:33,480 --> 00:03:44,800And she ultimately often remained friends with her old partners, many of whom I'm in4400:03:44,800 --> 00:03:46,280touch with today.4500:03:46,280 --> 00:03:52,720And they all admit it was very unhealthy relationships.4600:03:52,720 --> 00:04:04,080But like I said, they get very, very, very loud and just a lot of screaming.4700:04:04,080 --> 00:04:05,080Yeah.4800:04:05,080 --> 00:04:14,760Well, as far as the sister in law, I knew Melissa as sort of a legend before I even knew her4900:04:14,760 --> 00:04:17,080because of the veggie band thing.5000:04:17,080 --> 00:04:27,240And she put together this vegetable band tour based out of Berkeley in the late 90s.5100:04:27,240 --> 00:04:37,520It's like one of the first people to bring mass attention to the ability to use cooking5200:04:37,520 --> 00:04:44,280oil as a source for youth in a combustion engine.5300:04:44,280 --> 00:04:45,280Yeah.5400:04:45,280 --> 00:04:50,360So she went around the country, doing this veggie band tour.5500:04:50,360 --> 00:04:56,640Melissa excelled at what she put her mind to and was passionate and had strong convictions.5600:04:56,640 --> 00:05:02,000From being a star athlete who just missed the Olympics by a hair to a white water and5700:05:02,000 --> 00:05:07,920ocean kayaking guide and excelling in folk music that she wrote herself.5800:05:07,920 --> 00:05:12,600I'm going to include links to Melissa's music in the show notes and I highly recommend that5900:05:12,600 --> 00:05:14,040you check it out.6000:05:14,040 --> 00:05:20,320She's an incredible artist and especially if you like folk music, which I do, I really6100:05:20,320 --> 00:05:21,320enjoyed it.6200:05:21,320 --> 00:05:23,760So please check it out.6300:05:23,760 --> 00:05:28,920Everything started to slow down a bit for Melissa when she was diagnosed with Lyme disease.6400:05:28,920 --> 00:05:33,480The disease had been slowly taking over her body and by the time she caught up with it,6500:05:33,480 --> 00:05:35,260she was in the clutches of it.6600:05:35,260 --> 00:05:41,040She was supported in part by Sweet Relief, an organization that helps support musicians.6700:05:41,040 --> 00:05:44,440And she also had friends in her life that would support her financially.6800:05:44,440 --> 00:05:48,400But still she struggled with facing houselessness.6900:05:48,400 --> 00:05:53,160She jumped from place to place and because of her Lyme disease, it was difficult to find7000:05:53,160 --> 00:05:57,480accommodations that suited everything she needed or required.7100:05:57,480 --> 00:06:00,680And now a timeline of events.7200:06:00,680 --> 00:06:07,100On February 6th, 2020, Melissa had been going through a mental health crisis.7300:06:07,100 --> 00:06:12,600She was sick with her Lyme disease, facing houselessness, had been going through a tough7400:06:12,600 --> 00:06:14,960breakup and had lost her father.7500:06:14,960 --> 00:06:18,040Were all kind of things leading up to this event.7600:06:18,040 --> 00:06:23,000She drives a car to the Taos Gorge Bridge with the intention of jumping off of it.7700:06:23,000 --> 00:06:27,780However, at the bridge, she calls her ex girlfriend and asks for help.7800:06:27,780 --> 00:06:32,600When Melissa's ex comes and picks her up from the bridge, she takes Melissa to a psychiatric7900:06:32,600 --> 00:06:36,960hospital where Melissa voluntarily checks in for the next five days.8000:06:36,960 --> 00:06:42,000On February 9th, Melissa's car is still in the Gorge Bridge parking lot and has been8100:06:42,000 --> 00:06:44,460sitting there for around three days.8200:06:44,460 --> 00:06:47,840So it's tagged to be towed if it's not moved.8300:06:47,840 --> 00:06:52,840Upon her release from the hospital, Melissa is still working the sedation medication out8400:06:52,840 --> 00:06:57,920of her system when she calls her brother, Peter, using somebody else's phone.8500:06:57,920 --> 00:07:00,320Here's how Peter remembers this phone call.8600:07:00,320 --> 00:07:10,840Yeah, the last time I talked to her was the day after she got released from psychiatric8700:07:10,840 --> 00:07:14,600hospital, which she had checked into on her own.8800:07:14,600 --> 00:07:19,600And she was still really drugged up from whatever they put her on.8900:07:19,600 --> 00:07:21,600She was not happy about it.9000:07:21,600 --> 00:07:23,240She was hard to understand.9100:07:23,240 --> 00:07:24,720And she knew she knew it.9200:07:24,720 --> 00:07:26,920She was hard to understand.9300:07:26,920 --> 00:07:30,480Like her awareness was fully there.9400:07:30,480 --> 00:07:36,360She knew that she was like, she's like, yeah, and she listed the drugs that they had put9500:07:36,360 --> 00:07:39,520her on and I was like, wow.9600:07:39,520 --> 00:07:46,160Yeah, like, yeah, they were giving her psychotropic medicine that was meant to like knock9700:07:46,160 --> 00:07:47,160you out and shit.9800:07:47,160 --> 00:07:48,160Right.9900:07:48,160 --> 00:07:56,480So yeah, she was just really desperately asking if I knew anywhere for her.10000:07:56,480 --> 00:08:08,040She tried to shelter and she's like, people were openly doing drunks and bad stuff going on and she just feels unsafe there.10100:08:08,040 --> 00:08:09,040Right.10200:08:09,040 --> 00:08:12,480She had a place that she was saying in the actual house.10300:08:12,480 --> 00:08:13,480Okay.10400:08:13,480 --> 00:08:23,800And she got freaked out there because according to her and the person whose house it was also10500:08:23,800 --> 00:08:30,960said that most of us made these same claims to her was that a pickup truck kept driving10600:08:30,960 --> 00:08:35,920by and I was like, call the police.10700:08:35,920 --> 00:08:38,360And she's like, I can't call the police.10800:08:38,360 --> 00:08:41,360They're in on it.10900:08:41,360 --> 00:08:48,080And like everything she was saying was paranoid and delusional.11000:08:48,080 --> 00:08:49,080Sure.11100:08:49,080 --> 00:08:55,280But I had lived in New Mexico for several years and graduated nursing school in Albuquerque11200:08:55,280 --> 00:09:00,960and I can tell you, I've seen and heard things that maybe someone's not paranoid when they11300:09:00,960 --> 00:09:06,960say that about that happening in New Mexico because I've experienced things happening11400:09:06,960 --> 00:09:11,640to people I knew that would sound insane and paranoid to other people too.11500:09:11,640 --> 00:09:13,880But it's really happening.11600:09:13,880 --> 00:09:14,880It's not paranoia.11700:09:14,880 --> 00:09:20,120So I was like, it scared me when he told me that.11800:09:20,120 --> 00:09:24,160On February 13th, Melissa's car is towed from the parking lot.11900:09:24,160 --> 00:09:26,880Her phone was found in the car.12000:09:26,880 --> 00:09:30,840Family didn't necessarily find it odd that she left her cell phone behind since this12100:09:30,840 --> 00:09:35,660is something that she would often do when she wanted to unplug or get away.12200:09:35,660 --> 00:09:41,520On February 23rd, a good friend of Melissa sees her at the Hanuman temple in Taos.12300:09:41,520 --> 00:09:45,880The Hanuman temple is open to all people and will provide meals.12400:09:45,880 --> 00:09:51,400Later, when this friend spoke to Peter and Paige, she is sure that she saw Melissa there12500:09:51,400 --> 00:09:54,880and said that they spent hours together talking.12600:09:54,880 --> 00:10:00,000She even says that later that evening, Melissa and her talked on the phone.12700:10:00,000 --> 00:10:03,360Melissa was calling from an unknown number.12800:10:03,360 --> 00:10:08,560On February 29th, after not being able to get a hold of his sister, and after her not12900:10:08,560 --> 00:10:12,240contacting him, Peter reports her missing.13000:10:12,240 --> 00:10:16,400Peter and Paige begin making plans to get to Taos, but COVID shutdowns are starting13100:10:16,400 --> 00:10:19,340up and this complicates their travel.13200:10:19,340 --> 00:10:25,160On March 3rd, the under sheriff, Steve Mira, does conduct a search focusing on the area13300:10:25,160 --> 00:10:27,080where her car was last seen.13400:10:27,080 --> 00:10:32,480He says, quote, we are in the process of exhausting all means to pursue leads, one of which is13500:10:32,480 --> 00:10:37,120because her vehicle was found at the bridge, the probability that she may have jumped,13600:10:37,120 --> 00:10:38,880unquote.13700:10:38,880 --> 00:10:44,280Peter and Paige arrive in Taos just as the COVID shutdowns are beginning to take effect.13800:10:44,280 --> 00:10:45,280Here's Peter and Paige.13900:10:45,280 --> 00:10:49,640We got there, we were able to get there.14000:10:49,640 --> 00:10:51,680We just had to secure a place.14100:10:51,680 --> 00:10:56,880Unfortunately, we had an acquaintance at a place out there that they usually rented out14200:10:56,880 --> 00:10:59,720as a B&B, but it was COVID.14300:10:59,720 --> 00:11:03,520So, right, they just, fortunately, they let us stay there.14400:11:03,520 --> 00:11:09,120So once we secured a place to stay, we laid for a week, we flew out and did as much stuff14500:11:09,120 --> 00:11:15,520as we could on foot, talking to people, got to the sheriff's office just in time as they14600:11:15,520 --> 00:11:18,400were putting the COVID signage on the bus.14700:11:18,400 --> 00:11:19,400Oh.14800:11:19,400 --> 00:11:22,120And getting ready to close for the day.14900:11:22,120 --> 00:11:24,560That was the first place we went.15000:11:24,560 --> 00:11:30,720To find out that the detective had been handling Melissa's case, they promised it to pass on,15100:11:30,720 --> 00:11:35,400pass the information and file onto the next oncoming person assigned to that duty.15200:11:35,400 --> 00:11:41,400And done so, and so her file had just been sitting there in the week or so before we15300:11:41,400 --> 00:11:44,520got there, just sitting there and nobody working on it.15400:11:44,520 --> 00:11:45,520Gotcha.15500:11:45,520 --> 00:11:51,920So we were at least able to like prompt them to get started on it, but the vibe wasn't15600:11:51,920 --> 00:11:54,280like super friendly.15700:11:54,280 --> 00:11:59,360Peter and Paige scramble to talk to everyone that knows Melissa, and again and again, they15800:11:59,360 --> 00:12:04,800talk to folks that swear they have seen her within the last week or few days.15900:12:04,800 --> 00:12:06,800Here's Peter and Paige with more.16000:12:06,800 --> 00:12:10,480Numerous people that had spotted her at a supermarket.16100:12:10,480 --> 00:12:14,720Yeah, we went to that supermarket and asked for video.16200:12:14,720 --> 00:12:21,160And by the time that we were able on our own to work up the chain of command, it had already16300:12:21,160 --> 00:12:22,640restarted itself.16400:12:22,640 --> 00:12:24,960Right, like we recorded over itself.16500:12:24,960 --> 00:12:25,960Yeah.16600:12:25,960 --> 00:12:32,920Do you know when it was after you last talked to her when she was seen at the supermarket16700:12:32,920 --> 00:12:43,200or between the we had an exact date and time at the time and it was the same week that16800:12:43,200 --> 00:12:44,760we were down there.16900:12:44,760 --> 00:12:45,760Okay.17000:12:45,760 --> 00:12:49,420So it was in March sometime.17100:12:49,420 --> 00:12:52,720And it was like a supermarket in Taos right there.17200:12:52,720 --> 00:12:53,720Yeah.17300:12:53,720 --> 00:12:54,720Okay.17400:12:54,720 --> 00:12:55,720Okay.17500:12:55,720 --> 00:13:02,640So people at the ashram so they feed her at a few different places.17600:13:02,640 --> 00:13:03,640Yeah.17700:13:03,640 --> 00:13:04,640Interesting.17800:13:04,640 --> 00:13:05,640Hmm.17900:13:05,640 --> 00:13:08,640So, oh, I'm sorry, go ahead.18000:13:08,640 --> 00:13:16,080There were multiple sightings in the weeks after, but none from people that I had known18100:13:16,080 --> 00:13:20,000or knew how well they knew Melissa.18200:13:20,000 --> 00:13:25,960So that they were numerous, I'd say probably 25.18300:13:25,960 --> 00:13:28,520Oh, wow.18400:13:28,520 --> 00:13:30,560In that month.18500:13:30,560 --> 00:13:36,640On March 5, 2020, investigators searched the rim of the canyon and scan the river and the18600:13:36,640 --> 00:13:40,360banks below to search for any sign of Melissa.18700:13:40,360 --> 00:13:45,600The local rafters in the area show up in droves since they all knew Melissa.18800:13:45,600 --> 00:13:49,360Rafters with experience in search and rescue volunteered their time searching the river18900:13:49,360 --> 00:13:55,760and there was no sign of Melissa, nor has any sign of Melissa turned up in the river.19000:13:55,760 --> 00:13:58,760Investigators do go back to the home where she was staying.19100:13:58,760 --> 00:14:03,440They don't process anything in the home evidence wise, according to family, but they do take19200:14:03,440 --> 00:14:06,280a look at the room that Melissa was staying in.19300:14:06,280 --> 00:14:09,460Inside the bedside table, they find her wallet.19400:14:09,460 --> 00:14:14,640They also noted that a Native American artifact was left in disarray.19500:14:14,640 --> 00:14:18,560According to everyone that knows Melissa, she would have never left this particular19600:14:18,560 --> 00:14:21,820item in disarray or mess.19700:14:21,820 --> 00:14:28,320Melissa was not an organized person with her items necessarily, but with this artifact,19800:14:28,320 --> 00:14:30,960she was always very careful and tidy.19900:14:30,960 --> 00:14:35,160So this is something that is strange to those that know Melissa.20000:14:35,160 --> 00:14:40,860At the beginning of this case, everything is not only complicated by COVID and shutdowns,20100:14:40,860 --> 00:14:45,440but it's also complicated by the fact that police believe that Melissa jumped off of20200:14:45,440 --> 00:14:50,660the bridge and for weeks this is the theory that they work off of and they believe they20300:14:50,660 --> 00:14:53,600will find her body when the water levels change.20400:14:53,600 --> 00:15:00,520However, as the weeks creep on and the rafters in the community still find no trace of Melissa20500:15:00,520 --> 00:15:05,660and even though her family is finding more and more people who have seen her, police20600:15:05,660 --> 00:15:09,020still rely on this theory.20700:15:09,020 --> 00:15:13,200Rafters in the community still find no trace of Melissa and the river reaches historic20800:15:13,200 --> 00:15:18,480lows and still no sign of Melissa is found.20900:15:18,480 --> 00:15:24,740Search and rescue have concluded, she absolutely did not jump from the bridge.21000:15:24,740 --> 00:15:29,800Over the next several months in 2020, Peter and Paige will work to track down all of Melissa's21100:15:29,800 --> 00:15:31,640personal items.21200:15:31,640 --> 00:15:36,360Melissa had put a bunch of her stuff into a storage unit before going on tour a while21300:15:36,360 --> 00:15:38,800before she went missing in 2020.21400:15:38,800 --> 00:15:43,480But Peter and Paige also discover that just weeks before she went missing in March of21500:15:43,480 --> 00:15:48,7002020, she put most of the items she had with her in a storage unit.21600:15:48,700 --> 00:15:52,620As Peter and Paige worked their way through all of Melissa's belongings looking for21700:15:52,620 --> 00:15:57,480any clue of what might have happened to her or where she might have gone, one thing they21800:15:57,480 --> 00:16:03,760do take note of is that all of her outdoor gear, her best outdoor gear, is missing.21900:16:03,760 --> 00:16:04,760Here's Peter.22000:16:04,760 --> 00:16:11,360What's still saying something to me is all her best gear is not with any of her stuff.22100:16:11,360 --> 00:16:14,920Does that lead you to believe that she has it with her?22200:16:14,920 --> 00:16:16,880Yeah, either.22300:16:16,880 --> 00:16:17,880Yeah.22400:16:17,880 --> 00:16:30,720It's possible the police have it and she had multiple units of, you know, the top equipment22500:16:30,720 --> 00:16:34,520and I don't see any of it.22600:16:34,520 --> 00:16:40,160And I'm sure her friends wouldn't have taken it.22700:16:40,160 --> 00:16:45,240Around March 2021, so Melissa has been missing for a full year.22800:16:45,240 --> 00:16:52,480Someone that knew Melissa very well was in Pueblo, Colorado, when she believes, 99% sure,22900:16:52,480 --> 00:16:53,880that she sees Melissa.23000:16:53,880 --> 00:17:04,680About a year after she disappeared, a person that knew Melissa well said they were 99%23100:17:04,680 --> 00:17:13,280they saw her leaving in a soup kitchen and then cross the street and disappear into the23200:17:13,280 --> 00:17:20,680woods by a river and go back in Pueblo, Colorado.23300:17:20,680 --> 00:17:21,680Yeah.23400:17:21,680 --> 00:17:22,680In Pueblo?23500:17:22,680 --> 00:17:25,360Yeah, about five from Taos, you know.23600:17:25,360 --> 00:17:26,360Yeah.23700:17:26,360 --> 00:17:27,360Hmm.23800:17:27,360 --> 00:17:28,360And this was a year, you said?23900:17:28,360 --> 00:17:29,360Yeah.24000:17:29,360 --> 00:17:30,360Okay.24100:17:30,360 --> 00:17:31,360So like March 2021 ish?24200:17:31,360 --> 00:17:32,360Yeah.24300:17:32,360 --> 00:17:33,360Yeah.24400:17:33,360 --> 00:17:34,360Okay.24500:17:34,360 --> 00:17:39,600She, she talked to Peter on speakerphone and she said that she was so sure it was her24600:17:39,600 --> 00:17:41,600that she went around the block.24700:17:41,600 --> 00:17:45,240But she didn't want to go after her and scare her.24800:17:45,240 --> 00:17:49,280So she asked me what I thought she should do.24900:17:49,280 --> 00:17:51,880I said, just keep your eyes.25000:17:51,880 --> 00:17:54,320I said, I thought she was right.25100:17:54,320 --> 00:17:59,760If it was her and she's safe, he probably shouldn't scare her.25200:17:59,760 --> 00:18:00,760Right.25300:18:00,760 --> 00:18:09,560And to keep her eyes open and you know, around the soup truck and if he stood around to,25400:18:09,560 --> 00:18:12,760you know, approach her carefully and lovingly.25500:18:12,760 --> 00:18:20,160I wouldn't go after her because if she's safe, she doesn't want to be found and it could25600:18:20,160 --> 00:18:22,640just put her in more danger.25700:18:22,640 --> 00:18:23,640And right.25800:18:23,640 --> 00:18:30,960And you know, that's at least that would be a good sign that she's safe and being taken25900:18:30,960 --> 00:18:31,960care of.26000:18:31,960 --> 00:18:37,960And I mean, that's something that I think regardless of whatever mental state Melissa26100:18:37,960 --> 00:18:49,760is in or innate ability or just primal instinct to survive is in her knowledge of all these26200:18:49,760 --> 00:18:56,640different environments is one that she can survive pretty much anywhere in any environment.26300:18:56,640 --> 00:19:02,400So Melissa has all that knowledge and I think regardless of what mental state she's in,26400:19:02,400 --> 00:19:04,000she'd be able to use that.26500:19:04,000 --> 00:19:12,880So yeah, I mean, I think that that is that's a plausible theory that she disappeared.26600:19:12,880 --> 00:19:15,800I think it's plausible that she got taken.26700:19:15,800 --> 00:19:20,040I think it's plausible that she she killed herself.26800:19:20,040 --> 00:19:21,040Yeah.26900:19:21,040 --> 00:19:27,600And there's also there's also the thing where, you know, even though she's one of those experienced27000:19:27,600 --> 00:19:34,000outdoors women in North America, people still can break their ankle.27100:19:34,000 --> 00:19:35,000Totally.27200:19:35,000 --> 00:19:36,000Yeah.27300:19:36,000 --> 00:19:38,600It's such a long time to go on.27400:19:38,600 --> 00:19:47,360I was from someone who had known her for years, wouldn't call you to just be scandalous or27500:19:47,360 --> 00:19:50,720stir up some drama that could be the center.27600:19:50,720 --> 00:19:52,720She's not that type of person.27700:19:52,720 --> 00:19:53,720Right.27800:19:53,720 --> 00:19:56,280And she didn't she say, I want to make sure I get this right.27900:19:56,280 --> 00:20:01,200She went around the block and saw her a second time and said her name.28000:20:01,200 --> 00:20:06,360And when she said her name, the woman turned or the pressure to say the person with long28100:20:06,360 --> 00:20:08,960hair that looks like Melissa.28200:20:08,960 --> 00:20:15,120Wearing gear, tight and stacked like Melissa would have the gear.28300:20:15,120 --> 00:20:16,120Right.28400:20:16,120 --> 00:20:20,840And she under the bridge and to the by the river and to the woods, which would also be28500:20:20,840 --> 00:20:21,840on Melissa move.28600:20:21,840 --> 00:20:26,120And then she come from an area where people were getting food.28700:20:26,120 --> 00:20:27,120Right.28800:20:27,120 --> 00:20:28,120Right.28900:20:28,120 --> 00:20:30,640That adds up in a geographical area.29000:20:30,640 --> 00:20:31,640Not too far.29100:20:31,640 --> 00:20:34,600That actually gives me a lot of hope.29200:20:34,600 --> 00:20:38,720Melissa's family has searched other areas that were meaningful to Melissa for any sign29300:20:38,720 --> 00:20:41,440of her and nothing has come up to date.29400:20:41,440 --> 00:20:46,400The family acknowledges that everything is on the table until it's proven otherwise.29500:20:46,400 --> 00:20:48,840They know she did not jump from the bridge.29600:20:48,840 --> 00:20:50,840So what did happen to Melissa?29700:20:50,840 --> 00:20:54,560When I asked what people should do if they believe they see her, this is what they had29800:20:54,560 --> 00:20:55,560to say.29900:20:55,560 --> 00:21:04,920I think just really just approach her slowly and just casually as they would ordinarily30000:21:04,920 --> 00:21:07,160as if she hasn't been missing.30100:21:07,160 --> 00:21:09,920Like they would see her every day.30200:21:09,920 --> 00:21:10,920Yeah.30300:21:10,920 --> 00:21:20,440And then just say to let her know that her brother's got all her stuff safely stored30400:21:20,440 --> 00:21:26,360at home and has a clean room for her to live in anytime she wants.30500:21:26,360 --> 00:21:31,560You know, without any allergies and other specs.30600:21:31,560 --> 00:21:37,400And if she just wants to go away, that's fine too.30700:21:37,400 --> 00:21:40,360Just right now that she's alive.30800:21:40,360 --> 00:21:41,360Yeah.30900:21:41,360 --> 00:21:50,360And then just let people know that anywhere that there might be in any part of the country,31000:21:50,360 --> 00:22:00,520that Melissa loved, which could be anywhere in the Rockies, the Canyon Islands, in Utah,31100:22:00,520 --> 00:22:06,000in Mexico, that she could look completely different.31200:22:06,000 --> 00:22:10,560Her hair could be short, her hair could be dark.31300:22:10,560 --> 00:22:11,680She could be dirty.31400:22:11,680 --> 00:22:14,520She could be cut up.31500:22:14,520 --> 00:22:22,960So don't be scared to look in the eyes of homeless people or people that appear homeless.31600:22:22,960 --> 00:22:26,480And my opinion was so.31700:22:26,480 --> 00:22:27,480Yeah, absolutely.31800:22:27,480 --> 00:22:28,480Yeah.31900:22:28,480 --> 00:22:41,200As far as any foul play, I mean, I think that's is strong a possibility as any to, I mean,32000:22:41,200 --> 00:22:49,520I think it's quite equal between doing something to herself or disappearing or foul play.32100:22:49,520 --> 00:22:52,640And I think they're all pretty equal.32200:22:52,640 --> 00:22:59,800But of course, if you know that Melissa Crabtree was met with foul play or something bad has32300:22:59,800 --> 00:23:07,360happened to Melissa, please call the Taos police at 575-758-3361.32400:23:07,360 --> 00:23:14,920The sources for the timeline today come from Taos News, KRQE News, and Melissa's family.32500:23:14,920 --> 00:23:18,680So that is the case of Melissa Crabtree.32600:23:18,680 --> 00:23:24,160And hopefully, if you've listened to last week's episode in this one, you see why I32700:23:24,160 --> 00:23:27,160wanted to tell these two with each other.32800:23:27,160 --> 00:23:34,120And I don't tell them necessarily because I think they're related to each other.32900:23:34,120 --> 00:23:39,600There doesn't appear to be any like strong patterns between the two.33000:23:39,600 --> 00:23:46,400But just because of the location, I think with Melissa's case, what seems very obvious33100:23:46,400 --> 00:23:50,120is that police dropped the ball.33200:23:50,120 --> 00:23:56,160And maybe if we didn't see like kind of a history of this with Holly's case as well,33300:23:56,160 --> 00:24:01,000we could chalk it up to COVID because, you know, just as Melissa goes missing and is33400:24:01,000 --> 00:24:04,920reported missing, the COVID shutdown start happening.33500:24:04,920 --> 00:24:09,400And that was like a very chaotic time for everybody.33600:24:09,400 --> 00:24:13,400So maybe you could chalk it up to that.33700:24:13,400 --> 00:24:19,260But the fact is, we know that this is kind of a history for them that if they have any33800:24:19,260 --> 00:24:27,160reason to believe that somebody jumped from the Gorge Bridge, then they'll simply kind33900:24:27,160 --> 00:24:32,880of give themselves six months before they start looking or considering anything else34000:24:32,880 --> 00:24:35,600because that will just be like the most likely.34100:24:35,600 --> 00:24:41,400And yeah, there were searches done, you know, of the river of the canyon kind of immediately34200:24:41,400 --> 00:24:42,400afterwards.34300:24:42,400 --> 00:24:47,880But there was no proof that that had that's what had happened.34400:24:47,880 --> 00:24:53,720In fact, there was a lot of evidence against that because she had been seen in like very34500:24:53,720 --> 00:24:58,920reputable and checkable places since her car had been parked in the parking lot.34600:24:58,920 --> 00:25:02,260Melissa's car is tagged on the ninth.34700:25:02,260 --> 00:25:05,280So that means it had been sitting there for a while already.34800:25:05,280 --> 00:25:10,080But it's like she was, you know, in a hospital.34900:25:10,080 --> 00:25:13,540There are records like those are things that police can check.35000:25:13,540 --> 00:25:20,400And so maybe if they had done that, they would have done things like, you know, take a little35100:25:20,400 --> 00:25:22,240closer look at her room.35200:25:22,240 --> 00:25:25,640It was common for Melissa to kind of have a messy room.35300:25:25,640 --> 00:25:32,000But for this, you know, kind of sacred object to her to be left in a disarray, that was35400:25:32,000 --> 00:25:35,080weird to everyone who knew her.35500:25:35,080 --> 00:25:38,460Everyone said that that was something that was weird.35600:25:38,460 --> 00:25:43,760It just feels like the police really put themselves at a disadvantage when they just kind of lean35700:25:43,760 --> 00:25:52,640on a theory that's like kind of thin, especially in this case where there are known instances35800:25:52,640 --> 00:25:57,880of Melissa being seen after her car is like ditched in this parking lot, essentially.35900:25:57,880 --> 00:26:03,080So it's like always frustrating, you know, when you're looking at it years later to just36000:26:03,080 --> 00:26:09,580like, just like want to like be like, why didn't police do more in those weeks following36100:26:09,580 --> 00:26:12,160to like, maybe they could have tracked her down.36200:26:12,160 --> 00:26:16,840And she would have said, hey, like, I, I want to be missing, I want to be gone, like, I36300:26:16,840 --> 00:26:18,520don't, I don't need to be found.36400:26:18,520 --> 00:26:23,500And then they would have said, like, okay, and communicated that to, you know, her family.36500:26:23,500 --> 00:26:28,480And then she could go live off of the grid, which could be a possibility.36600:26:28,480 --> 00:26:31,640I think it's always like a beautiful reminder.36700:26:31,640 --> 00:26:36,800Something that Peter said is like, you know, look at people who are facing houselessness36800:26:36,800 --> 00:26:40,800in the eyes, like you just like, don't really know who they are.36900:26:40,800 --> 00:26:46,240And like, maybe it's somebody who is missing and is having like a really tough time.37000:26:46,240 --> 00:26:51,400So just like, you know, if you're listening to this podcast, I assume like you are interested37100:26:51,400 --> 00:26:53,680in missing person advocacy.37200:26:53,680 --> 00:26:58,380So like, that's just such a great reminder that like, there are people, you know, living37300:26:58,380 --> 00:27:02,000on the fringes of society that like a lot of the times we don't want to look at.37400:27:02,000 --> 00:27:06,400But like, that might be where a lot of missing folks are.37500:27:06,400 --> 00:27:14,580I do hope that, you know, in the future, someone can get the message to Melissa that, you know,37600:27:14,580 --> 00:27:19,860she is loved, her brother has a place ready for her whenever she wants to come home, like,37700:27:19,860 --> 00:27:20,980she can come home.37800:27:20,980 --> 00:27:24,080I hope that message gets to her.37900:27:24,080 --> 00:27:27,920And I hope she really hears that message and feels that and even if that's not what she38000:27:27,920 --> 00:27:32,480wants to be doing, like I hope she I just like really want Melissa to get that message38100:27:32,480 --> 00:27:38,200and just know that she is deeply loved by her family and is thought about and, you know,38200:27:38,200 --> 00:27:42,400talked about like very highly and I hope that message gets to her.38300:27:42,400 --> 00:27:47,360I do agree with the family that it's like, everything is equally possible right now.38400:27:47,360 --> 00:27:52,800Like maybe she did want to completely disappear and go live off of the grid.38500:27:52,800 --> 00:27:57,000Maybe there is a foul play element here.38600:27:57,000 --> 00:28:01,260Or maybe she did want to die by suicide.38700:28:01,260 --> 00:28:06,160All of those things are possible, but until something is completely ruled out with evidence,38800:28:06,160 --> 00:28:09,400like everything has to be considered right now.38900:28:09,400 --> 00:28:13,400It's almost like if you pick up Melissa's case and kind of look at it from one angle,39000:28:13,400 --> 00:28:16,700you can you see her gear is missing.39100:28:16,700 --> 00:28:20,800You hear her paranoia and in the days leading up to her disappearance, she's kind of moving39200:28:20,800 --> 00:28:22,400around a lot.39300:28:22,400 --> 00:28:27,340And then in the weeks after she's hopping around and calling from people that she knows39400:28:27,340 --> 00:28:32,040from different numbers, so maybe she wants to disappear and cover her tracks and like39500:28:32,040 --> 00:28:35,560get off the grid and go.39600:28:35,560 --> 00:28:40,980And then if you look at it from another angle, you know, you can see that she was struggling39700:28:40,980 --> 00:28:48,640with mental health, that, you know, she initially drove to the bridge to die by suicide.39800:28:48,640 --> 00:28:52,900So maybe it wasn't the bridge, maybe she found another way to do it.39900:28:52,900 --> 00:28:55,760And then you turn the case another way.40000:28:55,760 --> 00:29:00,000And there's also a possibility of like maybe she was met with foul play.40100:29:00,000 --> 00:29:03,880You know, she was hopping around from place to place.40200:29:03,880 --> 00:29:08,820Maybe somebody took advantage of the vulnerable state that she was in.40300:29:08,820 --> 00:29:15,680You know, you hear Paige's fear of New Mexico and of the strangeness that's happening in40400:29:15,680 --> 00:29:16,680Taos.40500:29:16,680 --> 00:29:20,760You hear Melissa talking about a pickup truck and that's, you know, really what is making40600:29:20,760 --> 00:29:23,560her nervous and the police even being in on it.40700:29:23,560 --> 00:29:30,280And then the police kind of having this delayed response to her case and to searching for40800:29:30,280 --> 00:29:31,880her and all of that.40900:29:31,880 --> 00:29:35,080And then the artifacts left in disarray in her room, like, you know, then you see all41000:29:35,080 --> 00:29:37,860those things and think, well, maybe that's a possibility too.41100:29:37,860 --> 00:29:41,960So really it's like everything is on the table until it's off.41200:29:41,960 --> 00:29:47,560And, and I really hope that as this case progresses, that we can get some of these things off the41300:29:47,560 --> 00:29:51,280table one way or the other for Peter and Paige.41400:29:51,280 --> 00:29:55,800And for those who knew and loved Melissa, so many people have been reaching out to Peter41500:29:55,800 --> 00:29:57,500and Paige.41600:29:57,500 --> 00:30:01,700Somebody reached out to me on this case and then put me into contact with Peter.41700:30:01,700 --> 00:30:09,640So Melissa is deeply loved by a community and people who want the best for her and want41800:30:09,640 --> 00:30:14,960answers as to what happened to her because she's a part of their lives still.41900:30:14,960 --> 00:30:19,200So yeah, when this case came to me, you know, through an email, I knew it was something42000:30:19,200 --> 00:30:26,640that I had to cover and couldn't just be written off as like the police kind of wanted to do.42100:30:26,640 --> 00:30:30,120They wanted to like write it off as that, you know, she jumped off of the bridge, but42200:30:30,120 --> 00:30:33,320like we can't let that happen here.42300:30:33,320 --> 00:30:37,000We'll be posting pictures of Melissa throughout the week on our Instagram.42400:30:37,000 --> 00:30:43,200So you can follow us there at Cold and Missing to get an idea of what she looks like and42500:30:43,200 --> 00:30:48,220what she could be looking like if she is living off of the grid.42600:30:48,220 --> 00:30:51,780If you could just take a moment before you move on to your next podcast or the next thing42700:30:51,780 --> 00:30:56,000you're doing around your house, if you could just review us, if you're an Apple podcast,42800:30:56,000 --> 00:31:02,680you can leave us a written review or you can leave us a five star, a thumbs up, a heart,42900:31:02,680 --> 00:31:10,560whatever the whatever the metric is in your podcast player is perfectly fine.43000:31:10,560 --> 00:31:12,600And we appreciate every single one we get.43100:31:12,600 --> 00:31:14,960So thank you if you've already done that.43200:31:14,960 --> 00:31:20,480And we will have transcripts of this episode and the rest of our episodes on our website43300:31:20,480 --> 00:31:28,560www.coldandmissing.com and you can go there and find all our past episodes along with43400:31:28,560 --> 00:31:30,920transcripts for all of those episodes.43500:31:30,920 --> 00:31:33,320But that's all that I have for this week.43600:31:33,320 --> 00:31:38,640I just want to give a quick thank you again so much to Peter and Paige who carved some43700:31:38,640 --> 00:31:44,880time out of their week to sit down with me and tell me more about Melissa and their memories43800:31:44,880 --> 00:31:51,280of her which was so fun to hear about and then also to go through the painful memories43900:31:51,280 --> 00:31:56,320of what those days were like realizing that she was missing.44000:31:56,320 --> 00:31:59,920So thank you again to Peter and Paige.44100:31:59,920 --> 00:32:01,760Thank you for listening to Cold and Missing.44200:32:01,760 --> 00:32:03,240I'm your host Allie.44300:32:03,240 --> 00:32:18,240Have a good week and stay safe y'all.