Melissa Highsmith went missing when she was kidnapped by a babysitter at her parents’ Fort Worth home in 1971. She was just 22 months old at the time of her disappearance.

Over the next 51 years, Highsmith’s family and police searched diligently for her, even following up on recent tips about possible sightings in North Carolina.

In the end, however, Melissa was found living in Fort Worth under the name Melanie Walden. …

“Our finding Melissa was purely because of DNA, not because of any police or FBI involvement, podcast involvement, or even our family’s own private investigations or speculations,” Sharon Highsmith wrote on Facebook.

(via Daily Caller)