<\/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.<\/p>\n
Texas DPS<\/p>\n
Melissa Highsmith was abducted from her Fort Worth home in 1971 and reunited with her family 51 years later. Now she\u2019s publicly sharing her story for the first time on a seven-episode podcast series.<\/p>\n
FULL STORY: \u2018Inspirational\u2019: Fort Worth woman abducted as toddler shares story in new podcast<\/a><\/p>\n Here are key takeaways:<\/p>\n Highsmith was 21 months old when she was taken on Aug. 23, 1971, by a woman who responded to her mother Alta Apantenco\u2019s newspaper ad for a babysitter under the name Ruth Johnson.A DNA test confirmed her identity on Nov. 26, 2022, reuniting her with her parents. Highsmith, then 53, had no idea she\u2019d been kidnapped or that her family had spent decades searching for her.The podcast \u201cBaby: The Melissa Highsmith Story\u201d<\/a> premiered Sept. 21, with the final two episodes set to air Oct. 26 and Nov. 2 on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Host and producer Sean Kipe said Highsmith\u2019s outlook stands out despite the trauma she endured as a child raised under the name Melanie. \u201cTo 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 Kipe said.Because the statute of limitations expired long before she was found, Highsmith\u2019s abductor cannot be prosecuted. She is backing \u201cMelissa\u2019s Law,\u201d proposed legislation to remove the statute of limitations on kidnapping in Texas. A petition has gathered nearly 225 of a 10,000-signature goal.<\/p>\n The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Fort Worth Star-Telegram<\/p>\n
![\"Profile](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1793155211_715_Headshot.png\")