The Vanished Podcast

On August 18, 1971, a classified ad was published for a single day in the Fort Worth, Texas newspaper, the "Fort Worth Star-Telegram." The ad read, "Babysitter wanted from 8 to 3:30 days, Spanish Gate apartments, call after 3 pm" with a phone number listed. On August 23, 1971, a woman who said her name was Ruth Johnson came to the door of Alta Highsmith, who had placed the ad, and said she was there to pick up Alta's 21-month-old daughter, Melissa Highsmith. Alta's roommate gave the baby to the woman named Ruth, who promised to return her that afternoon. Melissa Highsmith has never been seen again. The story of Melissa's abduction is a tale we will unfold for you with exclusive interviews, new information, and questions that seem as though they should be easy to answer.UPDATE: In September, the Highsmith family contacted us about covering Melissa Highsmith’s story. We interviewed multiple family members for a two-episode series. We were already aware of possible DNA connections when the episodes aired, but we