The murder of Melissa Ann Tremblay is an unsolved child murder which occurred in Lawrence, Massachusetts, on the afternoon of September 11, 1988, in which an eleven-year-old girl from Salem, New Hampshire, was beaten, then murdered by three stab wounds to her torso before her body was intentionally left upon a section of the Boston and Maine Railroad. Her partially severed body was discovered beneath a freight train by a railroad employee the morning after her murder. Despite exhaustive contemporary efforts, the investigation into Tremblay's murder gradually became a cold case, although her case remained open.[2]
Via advancements in DNA analysis, skin and flesh scrapings discovered beneath Tremblay's fingernails were considered a sufficient match to a retired prison guard from Alabama who had lived in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, at the time of the murder and who had always been considered a suspect in Tremblay's murder; this individual was subsequently arrested on April 25, 2022,[3] and was held without bail.[4][5][6]
The prime suspect in Tremblay's murder would be tried for her murder on two occasions in 2023 and 2024, pleading not guilty to the charges on both occasions. The jury at his initial trial would inform the judge they were unable to reach a decision due to being deadlocked as to his guilt;[7] the jury at his second trial initially also being deadlocked, but informing the judge after six days of deliberations they considered the suspect not guilty.[8]
Early life
Melissa Ann Tremblay was born in Massachusetts on March 1, 1977. Approximately one month after her birth, she was adopted by Janet and Robert Tremblay, and was raised in Salem, New Hampshire. Tremblay had no siblings and grew into a friendly and confident child who, by 1988, had grown her brown hair long and which she wore in the contemporary feathered fashion. Tremblay was known as "Missy" to family and friends alike and, although popular among her peers at Lancaster School, was known to have a rebellious streak.[9] Her adopted parents later separated, with the mother retaining custody of her only child.[10]
Following Tremblay's parents' separation, her mother began dating a man named Ronald Lacroix, whom she frequently met at the La Salle Social Club in Lawrence, approximately thirty miles north of Boston and close to the state border with New Hampshire.[10] Her mother would frequently bring Tremblay with her on these dates, with the child occasionally waiting in her mother's car as she socialized with her boyfriend, passing the time waiting outside the bar, perusing stalls at a nearby corner market, or simply playing nearby with local children before her mother drove her home.[11]
September 11, 1988
By prearrangement, Tremblay's mother drove to meet her boyfriend at the La Salle Social Club in the early afternoon of Sunday, September 11, 1988. Tremblay accompanied her mother on this occasion, and shortly after entering the club, the child asked the bartender, Robert Nadeau, to make her some popcorn before venturing outside the premises at approximately 2:45p.m., informing Nadeau and her mother of her intention to meet some friends close to the railroad tracks and promising she would be "right back".[9]
Tremblay's precise movements upon leaving the La Salle Social Club are unknown, although she is known to have visited the home of a local resident to inquire whether her four children could play with her. Upon learning the four children were grounded, Tremblay left the residence. The two people who last saw Melissa were a pizza delivery employee and a railroad worker. The railroad worker observed the child loitering near the Boston and Maine Railroad, reasonably close to the La Salle Social Club, at approximately 3p.m.;this individual would later inform police he had told Tremblay she should not be in the area for safety reasons. According to this eyewitness, Tremblay followed his advice and left the scene without argument.[9] Shortly thereafter, a pizza delivery driver also observed the child.[12]
Disappearance
By 4p.m., Tremblay's mother had become concerned as to her daughter's whereabouts, with her concerns heightening as the hours passed. She and Lacroix then began searching nearby streets for the child—also searching sections of the railroad tracks close to the club—before reporting her as missing to the Lawrence Police Department at approximately 9p.m.[13]
Discovery
On the afternoon of September 12, Tremblay's body was discovered in a freight yard close to Andover Street and South Broadway.[14] Her body was discovered lying face-down on the tracks of the Boston and Maine Railroad, with her left leg evidently amputated by the freight carriage beneath which her body partially lay. Evidence of a ferocious physical struggle approximately sixty yards from where the body was discovered indicated the child had been attacked at this location and her body carried to the location of her discovery.[15] An autopsy conducted at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center at Worcester on September 14 revealed the child had died of stab wounds and was already deceased at the time the passing train had severed her left leg. Footprints and blood spatterings were found near the scene. An examination of the wounds inflicted revealed Tremblay's killer was left-handed. Despite contemporary police efforts and numerous persons of interest interviewed, Tremblay's murder remained unsolved and the case gradually became cold.[12]
The community was rattled, and kids were closely supervised in reaction to Melissa's murder. A plaque was placed at Lancaster Elementary School in Salem, New Hampshire, where Melissa attended, under a tree and around flowers and pinwheels in her honor.[16]
In recent years, Melissa's childhood friends reportedly spread notices of her murder to prevent her case from being forgotten in the interest of answers.[17][18][19][20][21]
Suspect
Police worked with a cold case team composed of assistant district attorneys and state police detectives, which garnered fresh evidence from Tremblay's person in 2014 linking the suspect to her murder. This individual had been employed as a carpenter in Chelmsford, Massachusetts at the time of Tremblay's murder. He and his family provided DNA samples, and matching with forensic evidence in Tremblay's postmortem examination. In addition, the suspect was the only member of his entire family who was left-handed.[12]
Tremblay's surviving family members released a statement after the arrest, saying they were hoping for justice for years and never stopped thinking about Melissa.[22][23][24][25][n 1]
The suspect was classified as a fugitive and arrested in Alabama, under according charges placed in a warrant, in April 2022. He waived a rendition hearing and was transported back to Massachusetts, and in May 2022, the presiding judge remanded the defendant without bail. Bail request paperwork was withheld from the public eye due to holding personal history information of the defendant's, and arguments of third party involvement. An Essex County grand jury indicted him for Melissa's murder. Massachusetts has no capital punishment for murder in the first degree, but he faced a potential life sentence without parole from a successful conviction on charges.[26][27][28][29] The suspect pleaded not guilty. On December 27, 2023, a mistrial was declared due to a deadlocked jury.[7]
Outlining the state's primary physical evidence against the suspect, Assistant District Attorney Jessica Strasnick argued the DNA evidence retrieved from beneath Tremblay's fingernails "[excluded] 99.8 percent of the male population". Strasnick also informed the jury the suspect was knowledgeable regarding key details pertaining to Tremblay's murder which were not common public knowledge, including the fact the child had been beaten prior to her murder. In response, defense attorney Henry Fasoldt argued no solid proof existed the DNA retrieved from Tremblay's body sourced from his client, or that the DNA had been retrieved from beneath her fingernails.[12]
Following five days of deliberations, on November 4, the jury informed the judge they remained deadlocked upon the issue as to whether the DNA discovered beneath Tremblay's fingernails actually sourced from the suspect. The following day, the defendant was found not guilty. He later returned to Alabama.[8]
Following the suspect's acquittal, his lawyer issued a statement in which he informed the media his client was "greatly relieved" by the verdict, adding: "We appreciate the jury's careful and thoughtful deliberations." Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker stated to the press he was "disappointed with the verdict", although he praised the efforts and conduct of all prosecutors and law enforcement officials who had brought the case to trial, also adding: "I recognize the work and dedication of the jury during their long deliberations in this case."[31]
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