Every other week I receive a heartbreaking message from someone asking about a missing friend, or a missing or murdered relative that no one has heard from or about in decades. Mostly, they want to know if that person was ever found or if their murder was eventually solved. I start by looking up the case on newspapers.com, and when I have more information, I write up a post and put it up on my Facebook page on the last day that person was seen or found murdered.
Last November, Carrie-Lynn put up a post on my Cold Case Canada group page attached to a Province newspaper clipping from August 29, 1986. She said: “Melody Dobson, 20 years old. Only days away from due date. Missing about seven days before this article was released. This is the only information I can find regarding her. Seems like there wasn’t much interest from police or media. Such a sad situation. Her brother is a friend of mine. Any information would help.”
This sad post garnered 41 comments, and several people posted more newspaper articles, some with photos showing an attractive young strawberry blonde, blue-eyed woman. The comment that caught my attention though was from Melody’s daughter Amanda: “I would really love to know what happened to my mother and my unborn sibling. I’ve been searching for years, but there have been no answers.”
1986:
On August 23, 1986, Melody Dobson was eight-and-a-half-months pregnant. She was also separated from her husband, on maternity leave from her job at the Army and Navy’s cafeteria, and living in a basement suite at 245 East 63rd.
That Saturday night in August, Melody was visiting her friend Roseanne Garton at Main and 60th just a few blocks from her house. She was wearing yellow maternity pants and a green shirt.
When she left around 9:00 p.m. she and Roseanne had plans to meet the next morning. Melody never made it home. Her suitcase was found in her home, packed ready for her trip to the hospital along with all her other possessions.
Roseanne Garton told a Province reporter: “I’m going crazy with worry. Melody’s due to have her baby in five to seven days, and we’ve heard nothing from her.” Garton says she called the Province in desperation after checking that Melody wasn’t with other friends or in the hospital. Detectives wouldn’t tell her anything. “We don’t want reporters stepping in and screwing things up,” a VPD member from the missing persons squad is quoted as saying.
Childhood:
Melody (Bone) Dobson was born in New Denver, BC in 1966, the youngest of six kids—four brothers and a sister. Pregnant with Amanda at 16, she moved to Yellow Knife to live with her sister Sherry, a nurse. When Amanda was born, she was adopted by a nurse colleague of Sherry’s and they took her to live in Nova Scotia.
Amanda has always known she was adopted and she’s been looking for information about her mother since she was 10 years old. Amanda, it turns out is quite a sleuth. Over the years she figures she’s phoned more than 3,000 people. “I would go M Bone or S Bone for Sherry Bone. I would call them and say: ‘Hi, I’m just calling to see if you knew Melody Bone.” One day she got lucky and found a distant relative.
Meeting her family:
Her grandfather Bert Bone sent her a plane ticket in 2009, and she travelled to BC and was able to meet a few of her biological family members.
Amanda has sent her DNA to genealogical database 23andme and found more family members, but she still doesn’t know the name of her biological father.
An RCMP officer from Vancouver came to see Amanda when she lived in Thunder Bay in 2010 and took her DNA, in case her mother’s remains were ever found. She hasn’t heard anything since. “A couple of months ago I got hold of the Vancouver police and the guy was supposed to get back to me, but he never did.”
I asked Amanda what she would like to see happen next. “I want answers, that’s all I want. Whether they are good answers or bad answers, it doesn’t matter.”
If you have information about Melody’s disappearance please call the VPD at 604-717-3321 or anonymously at Crime Stoppers: 800-222-8477. You can also send me a message at eve@evelazarus.com.
© All rights reserved. Unless otherwise indicated, all blog content copyright Eve Lazarus.
Related:
7 comments on “The Disappearance of 20-Year-Old Melody Dobson”
I hope a query into another case is not deemed inappropriate here, if so please delete it, I’m going to 1964 and the camping trip of four friends which led to the deaths of three I believe by one of them, this was in the news through the summer of ‘64 but I can find no history of the story, If anything could be pointed my way or info on the reporting it would much appreciated, thank you.
Did this happen in BC?
Yes, in Vancouver
Jakob: Did this happen in Mission? The murderer was Dalton Grey? I’m not sure if this link will work but there are articles about it on ProQuest, a newspaper archive. https://www.proquest.com/hnptheprovince/results/6B20034B675B422APQ/1?accountid=210590
I went to highschool with Melody and her stepbrother, along with many cousins of Melodys in Summerland, B.C. This saddends me and breaks my heart. Hope is all there is to hang on to for finding answers and getting closure for Melodys family and friends. Praying for you Amanda , never give up hope
Have the police questioned any of the medical staff she was in contact with over the period she was pregnant. Perhaps one of them was desperate to have a baby and could not.
Reminds me of a true story about a woman who was abducted around her due date she was murdered for her unborn child sad story