20 Years Ago, 13-Year-Old Disappeared, Never Seen Again

On the last day of January, 20 years will have passed without answers to what happened to Rachel Mellon, a 13-year-old girl who stayed home sick from school and was never seen again.

On the anniversary of her disappearance, Rachel and 200 other missing persons will be remembered during a ceremony at B.J. Ward Middle School. Rachel was a student there but vanished before she got to graduate.

The 201 names of the missing will be read aloud Jan. 31.

Rachel had a sore throat on the last day she was seen. The only other person with her was her unemployed stepfather, Vince Mellon.

The first time anyone realized Rachel was not sleeping off her illness in her room was when her mother, Amy Mellon, arrived home from work that evening and went to get her daughter for dinner. Later, the stepfather told police he last saw Rachel about 2:30 p.m., just before he took the family dog out for a walk. All the while, Vince Mellon’s story went, he presumed Rachel was in her room asleep.

No one has ever been charged with harming Rachel. But two days after the fourth anniversary of her disappearance, her mother and stepfather were pulled before a grand jury. Vince Mellon also was compelled to surrender samples of his blood, saliva and hair as part of what the police called a first-degree murder investigation, one that apparently remains open, although little action has taken place over the ensuing 16 years.

Rachel’s father, Jeff Skemp, is scheduled to attend the Jan. 31 ceremony.