ATLANTA (Court TV) — A Georgia man has been indicted for the cold case murder of his wife, who was the daughter of a convicted serial killer.
Christopher Wolfenbarger is charged with the murder of his wife, Melissa Wolfenbarger, who was killed in the 1990s. (Fulton County Sheriff’s Office/Atlanta Police Department)
Christopher Wolfenbarger was arrested earlier this month for the murder of Melissa Wolfenbarger. Her remains, including her severed head, were found in trash bags in April and June 1999. At the time, her remains were misidentified and weren’t positively identified until 2003, according to Atlanta police.
This week, a grand jury indicted him on charges of murder and felony murder.
Melissa disappeared in late 1998. At the time, Christopher claimed she left on her own accord and never returned, reports NBC News. At a press conference, authorities said Christopher was always a person of interest but did not detail what led to his arrest decades later.
Her mother, Norma Patton, appeared with authorities, saying, “We’ve finally made it. He’s in custody.” Norma shared her daughter with husband Carl Patton, a convicted serial killer dubbed the “Flint River Killer.” Norma has admitted to being an accessory to her husband’s crimes.
(L) Norma Patton speaks at a press conference (City of Atlanta Police Department), (R) Carl Patton (Georgia Dept. of Corrections)
Carl was arrested for the 1977 murder of 31-year-old Liddie Matthew Evans, and ultimately linked to four other murders, reports News Nation. Norma told former Court TV special host Ashleigh Banfield that Carl was “devastated” about their daughter’s murder but “deliriously happy” to learn of Christopher’s arrest.
Banfield pointed out to Norma that some people may not sympathize with her and Carl, to which Norma said Melissa’s death “showed them what they put the other families through, and nobody deserves that.”
