Dateline: Missing In America

Melanie James, 21, was last seen in the spring of 2014 in Farmington, New Mexico. Melanie’s sister, Melissa, saw her walking down the street with an unidentified man on April 20. Days later, police discovered Melanie’s purse and duffel bag in an alleyway in Farmington, but saw no sign of Melanie. Dateline’s Josh Mankiewicz talks to Melanie’s sister, Melissa James, her mother, Lela Mailman, as well as Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe and Detective Daven Badoni. Melanie is 5’ and weighed about 115 lbs. when she was last seen. At the time of her disappearance, she had dark black hair and a chip on one of her top front teeth. Melanie would be 32 years old today. If you have information about Melanie’s case, please call the Farmington Police Department at 505-334-6622. Get more information and see pictures of Melanie James here: https://www.nbcnews.com/datelinemissing Visit the New Mexico Department of Justice's website for missing and murdered Indigenous people: https://mmip.nmdoj.gov/

Tyler Goodrich left his home in Lincoln, Nebraska on November 3, 2023. On the night of his disappearance, Tyler and his husband, Marshall Vogel, were arguing, and Marshall called 911. Home security video shows a figure running from their house minutes after the call. Dateline’s Josh Mankiewicz speaks with Marshall, as well as several of Tyler’s family members and close friends. UPDATE: On March 8, 2025, remains later identified as Tyler were found about 967 yards from his house in a wooded area previously searched by volunteers. The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office believes Tyler’s body had been there more than a year. They confirmed Tyler died by suicide. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.

25-year-old Arelie Garcia was last seen leaving her Salinas, California apartment on September 22, 2022. Later that day, Arelie’s bright red Honda Accord was found abandoned in Big Sur on Highway 1. Dateline’s Josh Mankiewicz speaks with her sisters Veronica Garcia and Elizet Mendoza, and Detective Arras Wilson of the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office. Arelie is 5’5” and about 150 lbs. She has brown hair and brown eyes. When she was last seen, she was wearing a black hoodie, black leggings, and sneakers. Anyone with information about her case is asked to call Detective Edwin Cruz with the Salinas Police Department at 831-758-7393 or the anonymous tip line at 831-775-4222. Get more information and see pictures of Arelie Garcia here: https://www.nbcnews.com/datelinemissing

On June 6, 2020, 65-year-old Lydia Abrams disappeared from her ranch near Idyllwild, California. Left behind were her phone, purse, keys, wallet and truck. Dateline’s Keith Morrison sits down with Dia’s son, Clinton Abrams, her friend Julie Stanford and Keith Harper, who describes himself as Dia’s fiancé. While those closest to her have different theories about what may have happened to Dia, one thing they all agree on is that she would never have left behind her animals, including her beloved dog, Ruby. Dia Abrams is 5’6” with blue eyes and blonde hair, and weighs 135 lbs. Anyone with information about her case, is asked to call the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office at 951-791-3400. Get more and see pictures of Dia Abrams here: https://www.nbcnews.com/datelinemissing

On June, 13, 1965, 2-year-old Elizabeth Ann Gill, known as “Beth,” vanished while playing in her yard in Cape Girardeau, Missouri – just a few blocks from the Mississippi River. Dateline’s Josh Mankiewicz speaks with two of her nine siblings, Martha Gill Hamilton and Jeannie Gill Hinck, and Bobby Newton of the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Both police and the family believe Beth may have been abducted and raised by another family, and could still be alive. They are hopeful DNA and ancestry websites will lead them to Beth, who likely would not remember being abducted. Beth would be 60 years old today. If you have any information about her case, or you believe you might be Beth, call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST.

On October 22, 2021, 15-year-old Nevaeh Kingbird, a member of the Red Lake Nation, left her family’s house in Bemidji, Minnesota at around 1 a.m. At 2 a.m. she left another home in a nearby trailer park. She was last seen in the Nymore neighborhood of Bemidji. Andrea Canning talks to Nevaeh’s mother, Teddi Wind, her sister, Lakaylee, her uncle Daniel Wind, and Indigenous missing persons advocate Lissa Yellow Bird Chase. Nevaeh was 5’4” and weighed 120 lbs. at the time of her disappearance. She has brown eyes and dark brown hair with blonde highlights. She has two scars: one on her left eyebrow, another on her left thigh. If you have information on Neveah’s case call the Bemidji Police tip line at 218-333-9111 or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE LOST.

Are you the key to solving a mystery? That question is at the heart of this original series from Dateline. Correspondents Josh Mankiewicz, Andrea Canning and Keith Morrison report on perplexing missing person cases brought to Dateline’s attention by our social media followers. Each episode focuses on one person’s story, as told by those left behind. Listen carefully to the details, descriptions and clues offered by family, friends and investigators. Something you hear might jog a memory that could help authorities crack a case. Follow and subscribe now and join us for Season 2 beginning May 30, 2023.

29-year-old Alexis Ware was last seen around 7:30 p.m. at a 7-Eleven off Highway 29 in Anderson, South Carolina on January 30, 2022. Calls to her phone went directly to voicemail after that. On February 1, Alexis was officially reported missing. Alexis’s mother, Alberta-Gray Simpkins, and half-brother, Travis Ware, speak with Dateline’s Andrea Canning about the disappearance. Alexis was last seen wearing a black bonnet, a black jacket with a purple shirt, blue jeans, and black Crocs. Alexis has multiple tattoos and dimple piercings. She has long black hair and brown eyes, is about 5’6” and weighs around 215 lbs. If you have information, please contact the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office at (864) 260-4405 or CrimeStoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC.