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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Adam May

Woman who went missing 22 years ago still not found as mystery of disappearance goes on

A woman who went missing 22 years ago has still not been found as the mystery of her disappearance continues.

Debbie Melo has been not been seen since June 20, 2000 with her husband Luiz reportedly being the last person to see her.

Her husband has never been ruled out as a suspect, with police now opening the case files for the first time as part of the 22nd anniversary.

Her family have all but given up hope that the mum from Taunton, Massachusetts, is alive and well - but they still want her found and back home.

At around 4pm on June 20, 2000, police say that Debbie's husband Luis told officers that after he drove her to a doctor's appointment the couple got into an argument on Route 18 in Weymouth.

Debbie Melo has been missing since June 20, 2000 (CBS Boston)

Debbie's sister, Pattie White, told CBS Boston's WBZ I-Team : "He just said that he dropped her off at the side of the road, they got into an argument, he let her out, he drove down to the end of the street turned around came back -- and that she was gone.

"That was his story. I asked him did you do something to her?' He said "No, no, no."

Lieutenant John Fanning, who works with the Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Norfolk County District Attorney's Office, has said that detectives have never been able to corroborate Luis' story.

Debbie Melo has been missing since June 20, 2000, and her husband was the last person to see her (CBS Boston)

Instead, he believes someone did something to Debbie that caused her to not come home and that person may have told someone else.

Lieutenant Fanning says there is no evidence to suggest that the car stopped on Route 18, and confirmed that Luis has never been ruled out as a suspect.

Both Bristol and Norfolk County District Attorney's offices are investigating Debbie's case because she lived in Taunton and her husband said she went missing in Weymouth, and detectives say they will investigate any information sent their way.

Debbie's husband Luis has never been ruled out as a suspect in her disappearance (CBS Boston)

According to Debbie's family, Luis didn't report her missing until the next day and failed two lie detector tests.

Patty also said his behavior has been very suspicious.

In 2017, police dug up a yard of a home in Taunton after receiving a tip-off that her body may have been there, but they found nothing.

Debbie's family said they had a troubled marriage, with Debbie mentioning that they were getting a divorce before she went missing.

The couple had worked together, managing a few Dunkin Donut's stores.

In 2017, police dug up a yard of a home in Taunton after receiving a tip-off that her body may have been there, but they found nothing (CBS Boston)

A photo of Debbie wearing a blue and white dress may have been what she was wearing on the day she went missing.

Home video footage from 1995 has also been shared, showing some of the last happy memories Debbie's family have of the young mum five years before she vanished.

CBS News reports that Debbie's case was recently put on Massachusetts Unsolved Cases playing cards.

These are distributed in jails and prisons, with police hoping they get tips that will finally help solve the mystery and bring Debbie home more than two decades later.

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