In 1998, a young woman named Melinda Brown went to a party and never came home. The 18-year-old told her parents goodbye around 7 p.m. on November 15th, heading to a house party in Simi Valley, California.
Later that night, police broke up the party due to noise complaints. Melinda and some friends went to a smaller gathering at an apartment nearby. That was the last time anyone saw her alive.
When Melinda didn’t show up for work at In-N-Out Burger two days later, her family reported her missing. Ten days after that, her body was found in a shallow grave in a remote area of Los Padres National Forest. She had been shot.
For 27 years, detectives have been trying to piece together what happened to Melinda. Witnesses said she was dropped off at a liquor store near her home around 1 a.m. after the second party. However, police doubt this, as the store was closed.
Investigators are unsure where Melinda was killed. They believe she was murdered and then taken to where her body was found. There’s no sign that she was kidnapped.
Police are now looking at the people who last saw Melinda. They say the original investigation was difficult because her friends weren’t very helpful.
Detectives are hoping that new DNA technology will help them solve the case. They are re-testing DNA samples taken from the crime scene. They hope to find a DNA profile that will lead them to the killer.
Police believe that Melinda knew her killer. They don’t think it was a stranger. They are asking anyone with information about the case to come forward. They hope that after so many years, people who were afraid to talk before will now feel safe to share what they know.
If you have any information about Melinda Brown’s case, please contact the Ventura County Sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit at (805) 383-8739 or coldcase@ventura.org. You can also report anonymously by calling Ventura County Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477 or visiting www.venturacountycrimestoppers.org.
