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Melissa Highsmith was reunited with her parents, Alta Apantenco and Jeffrie Highsmith, 51 years after she was kidnapped in Fort Worth, Texas, the family announced on Nov. 27.<\/p>\n
Courtesy of the family<\/p>\n
The Fort Worth woman who was kidnapped as a toddler and reunited with her family 51 years later is publicly telling her story for the first time on a seven-episode podcast series<\/a> this fall.<\/p>\n The first episode of \u201cBaby: The Melissa Highsmith Story\u201d aired Sept. 21. Host and producer Sean Kipe said Highsmith\u2019s case is unique both for the length of time she was missing and the fact she was found safe after so many years.<\/p>\n \u201cHearing that story, I want to know more. I want to know what happened and how this all really came together, and who, if anyone, is held accountable,\u201d Kipe told the Star-Telegram in a phone interview Wednesday. \u201cAnd so I imagine there\u2019s probably a lot of other people who are curious about that too.\u201d<\/p>\n Melissa Suzanne Highsmith was just 21 months old when she was abducted<\/a> from her Fort Worth home on Aug. 23, 1971. Her parents had recently separated, and her mother, Alta Apantenco, was working as a waitress to support herself and her young daughter. A woman who identified herself as Ruth Johnson responded to Apantenco\u2019s newspaper ad looking for a babysitter.<\/p>\n Apantenco asked the woman to meet her at the downtown restaurant where she worked, but the prospective babysitter never showed up. But when Johnson called again later and really seemed to want the job, Apantenco arranged for her to watch Melissa the following Monday, according to Star-Telegram archives.<\/p>\n Apantenco was already at work when the woman \u2014 wearing long white gloves and dark glasses \u2014 came to pick up Melissa from the apartment. \u201cI\u2019ve come to pick the baby up,\u201d she told Apantenco\u2019s roommate, according to Star-Telegram archives. \u201cIt\u2019s all been arranged with the mother.\u201d<\/p>\n The roommate handed over the toddler, along with an extra set of clothing and diapers. A short time later she heard a car with a loose muffler driving away, according to Star-Telegram reporting at the time. The woman never brought Melissa back, leaving a heartbroken Apantenco wondering what had become of her baby.<\/p>\n On Nov. 26, 2022, Melissa Highsmith was reunited with her parents<\/a> after a DNA test confirmed her identity. The then-53-year-old Highsmith had no idea she\u2019d been kidnapped or that her family had spent decades searching for her.<\/p>\n The lost years<\/p>\n Kipe, who is based in Atlanta, said this is the first Texas true-crime story that he\u2019s featured on his podcast.<\/p>\n \u201cI know that there was a story here to tell,\u201d he said. \u201cI know that there\u2019s a lot of horrible, traumatic things involved in this story, but I know there\u2019s also a lot of beautiful aspects to the story, and so that really appealed to me.\u201d<\/p>\n In \u201cBaby,\u201d Highsmith recounts her life as Melanie, the name she was raised under. She\u2019s previously alluded to the abuse she endured in her kidnapper\u2019s home, but this is the first time she has shared those details publicly.<\/p>\n \u201cHearing her speak, hearing her family speak, you know about \u2026 everything that\u2019s transpired in these 50-plus years is so sad and just infuriating,\u201d Kipe said. \u201cBut to hear Melissa talk on the other side of all of this, and hear her outlook on life, and her positivity, and her hope for the future, and not holding, you know, hate in her heart, and holding no grudges \u2014 that\u2019s just so inspirational.\u201d<\/p>\n The statute of limitations expired on Highsmith\u2019s case decades before she was found. Even though her abductor can never be prosecuted, Highsmith is working to change that for other families through \u201cMelissa\u2019s Law.\u201d<\/p>\n The proposed legislation would remove the statute of limitations on kidnapping in Texas. A petition for \u201cMelissa\u2019s Law\u201d<\/a> has garnered nearly 225 signatures toward a 10,000-signature goal.<\/p>\n \u201cWe think it\u2019s time that these statutes are removed,\u201d Kipe said.<\/p>\n The sixth and seventh episodes of \u201cBaby\u201d will air on Oct. 26 and Nov. 2 respectively. The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.<\/p>\n Ultimately, Kipe said, the podcast is about helping others who are looking for answers.<\/p>\n \u201cThat really is her reason for doing this,\u201d Kipe said. \u201cShe wants to provide a little hope where she can, that, \u2018Look, if it can happen to me, I\u2019m living proof, you know, it can happen to you too. You can find your loved one. You can get help, you know, there\u2019s some light at the end of the tunnel.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n This story was originally published October 24, 2026 at 3:13 PM.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Fort Worth Star-Telegram<\/p>\n![\"\u201cBaby:](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Show_Cover-Bab_fitted.jpeg\" "\\"Show_Cover-Bab_fitted.jpeg\\"")
\u201cBaby: The Melissa Highsmith Story\u201d is airing as a podcast this fall. The last two episodes will be released Oct. 26 and Nov. 2 respectively. Courtesy of Sean Kipe <\/p>\n A Texas Department of Public Safety missing person bulletin for Melissa Highsmith, who was kidnapped as a toddler in 1971 and found in November 2022 in Fort Worth, according to her family. Texas DPS <\/p>\n
Melissa Highsmith was raised under the name Melanie Miyoko in Fort Worth, just 10 minutes away from the apartment where she\u2019d been abducted as a toddler in August 1971. Now Highsmith is sharing her story publicly for the first time on the podcast series \u201cBaby: The Melissa Highsmith Story.\u201d Courtesy of Sean Kipe Melissa\u2019s Law<\/p>\n
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