The Girl I Never Knew
Who Killed Melissa Witt?
LaDonna Humphrey
The Girl I Never Knew
Copyright 2022 LaDonna Humphrey
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means without the written permission of the publisher, except for short passages used in critical reviews.
Published by:
Genius Book Publishing
4850 North 89th Street
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53225 USA
https://GeniusBookPublishing.com
220409
Contents
This book is dedicated to Melissa Ann Witt
I didnt think it would end this way.
End? No, the journey doesnt end there. Death is just another path, one which we all must take. The gray curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass. And then you see it.
What? See what?
White shores, and beyond, a far green country under a sunrise.
Well, that isnt so bad.
No, no it isnt.
J.R.R. Tolkien
PREFACE
It seems strange to me to type out the words: I did not know Melissa Witt.
Technically, those words are true, I did not know Melissa in the traditional sense. I never saw her flash her dazzling smile. We never went shopping together. We never even had a conversation. I never knew Melissa Witt. And yet our lives are deeply connected and forever intertwined.
How could that be possible? Its simple. Ive spent seven years searching for the man who murdered her. Ive spent countless hours poring over police case files, autopsy records, and crime scene photos. Ive conducted hundreds of interviews, sent and received thousands of emails and Facebook messages, and stood in painful silence at the very spot where Melissas lifeless body was discovered on a cold mountaintop in January of 1995.
Ive sat in reverence as Ive read the words that were penned by Melissa in her diary. As I write my own words in this diary of sorts, and openly share my heart about the Melissa Witt case in ways that I have never done before, my goal is that you, too, will come to know her. That you, the reader, will become so incensed with her murder that you, like me, will find it impossible not to seek and demand justice.
In an effort to be transparent and vulnerable, I have decided to write this story from my point of view, with only one goal: to find justice for a girl I never knew.
FOREWORD
Who shall tell the True Crime tale this week?
That is a question that is always on my mind. As a host and writer for True Crime Garage, a weekly podcast covering a new true crime case each week, the answer is almost alwaysme. However, that was not the case for the last week of November 2017. That week we would be releasing two episodes. I chose LaDonna Humphrey to tell the True Crime tale that week by describing to our listeners her passion for the unsolved murder of a girl I never knew. The case was that of Melissa Witta 19-year-old college student who was abducted on December 1st, 1994. It was unplanned, but the release date of our episodes would be less than a week before the 23-year anniversary of that nightmare.
There are so many twists and turns in the Melissa Witt case but one of the biggest surprises for me was the fire of this woman telling me about Melissa and the strange details surrounding her disappearance and murder. I was surprised because when LaDonna was just 15 minutes or so into our conversation, I asked, And so you are someone who went to school with Melissa, or a family friend? I was shocked to hear her say, No, I never knew Melissa.
LaDonna and I spent hours on the phone that day. She told me every detail about the case and answered all of my questions, significant or otherwise. Her words were full of passion and intrigue. She spoke of Melissa not in a way that would suggest that she knew her; no, she spoke of Melissa in a way that told me that she cared for her. I left the conversation enlightened and with the knowledge that this forever 19-year-old Melissa Witt truly had an advocate. One of the best kind.
Along with my partner in crime who goes by the moniker The Captain, we have been covering real life crime stories for years. During our time together on this dark journey we have encountered many, many tellers of true crime tales. Some, like us True Crime Garage boys, tell many different true crime tales. We cover just about everything under the sun. And because we cover a new case every week, just like anything else, it has its pros and cons. But we have also met many like LaDonnapeople, that for one reason or another, have found themselves dragging along with them one tale. One story of hurt, loss and mystery that they have tasked themselves with spreading the word to any and all that will listen. Many do it for a multitude of reasons. Some because theyve fallen in love with the mystery of their particular story. Some because they like telling the story and the reaction and response that comes with it. Some because they believe they may someday hold the solution that will unlock the mystery. Im sure in some regard all of the reasons I have listed fall somewhere on the fringe of motives that drive LaDonna to carry Melissas unsolved murder with her everywhere.
But what I know to be at the core of reasons for LaDonna are pretty simple and are as follows: OneLaDonna for some unique reason identifies with this forever 19-year-old Melissa Witt. Maybe she sees some of herself in Melissa. Or maybe if Melissa would have been allowed to grow up then perhaps the two would have become friends. Twoit is very important to LaDonna that Melissa is remembered always and even more so how she is remembered. Melissa was someone entirely so much more than a victim. She was really only a victim that one day of her short life, and victim is not a bad word. We dont choose to be victims, and Melissa certainly did not. She unfortunately became a victim by someone who lacks the ability to love. A person incapable of normal human thoughts and feelings victimized this young woman and has been hiding like a coward ever since. ThreeLaDonna refuses to let Melissa Witt fade away. She has chosen the not so simple task of continuing Melissas story. A story cut way too short against every fight and effort Melissa could muster. Some kind of monster with true evil in their heart got the best of that young woman on that night and none of us should ever be the same again.
This book is LaDonnas reminder to all of us that somewhere out there in the shadows evil lurks, and if this real-life nightmare happened to Melissa Witt, it can happen to any of us. That is why you and I stand up beside champions like LaDonna and say, HELL NO! Not one more girl. Not one more boy. Never again.
The first step to snuffing out evil is to recognize that it exists. Thats the easy part. Next is to understand or attempt to understand evil. That is a dark journey that many cannot complete. Third is to seek evil out. Find it and confront it. My advice is to let your intellect guide you, not your heart. Last, when you find evil, hold its feet to the flames. The comfort only comes when its all over.
LaDonna took up this fight. A fight for a girl she never knew. When that girl could no longer fight for herself, LaDonna was there and she will be in it neck deep until the end. That is her commitment. What is the end? See the previous paragraph. This book is one hell of a start.
