[ Indistinct conversations ]
Narrator: some time during a
Neighborhood christmas party in
Disappeared.
She loved it.
She really did.
We had a great time.
But it's late.
We're gonna have to go.
Melissa, will you go get the
Coats?
Narrator: none of the adults
Or other children at the party
Saw where she went or noticed
Anything unusual.
It took science to see what
Witnesses did not.
Tammy brannen and her 5-year-old
Daughter melissa had moved from
Texas into this suburban
Apartment complex in
Lorton, virginia.
Tammy was a single mother,
Recently divorced, working as an
Accountant and beginning a new
Phase in her life.
Tammy is a very good mother.
She's a very sweet, very caring
Person.
Kept to herself more or less.
You know, she wasn't what I
Would call extremely outgoing,
Although she did participate in
Just about everything.
Narrator: one of the
Attractive features of the
Apartment complex was the active
Social program for the
Residents.
Every friday night was some sort
Of social gathering in the
Clubhouse.
And during the holidays, there
Were special events.
The night of december 3rd, at
The christmas party, that's
Something that they basically
Did for almost every holiday.
People looked forward to it.
They always had a nice layout
Within the clubhouse, and people
Spent time getting to know their
Neighbors.
Narrator: tammy brannen and
Her daughter, melissa, both
Attended that christmas party in
Altogether, about 200 residents
Of the complex were there.
Everybody was very upbeat,
Having a very good time.
The children played with each
Other all through the night,
Going around and snatching all
The food and having a good time.
Narrator: when it was time to
Leave, tammy asked melissa to
Get their coats.
Oh, man.
You know how that is.
[ Laughs ] yeah.
Oh, sure.
It's ridiculous.
Yeah, packages and
Everything.
Narrator: shortly after
Handing the coat to her mother,
Melissa disappeared.
Merry christmas.
Merry christmas to you, too.
Yeah.
I've got to get going.
Okay.
Oh, I know.
Yeah, where is...where
Is...where is melissa?
She was just here a minute ago.
Narrator: tammy looked for
Her daughter throughout the
Clubhouse.
Melissa.
Yeah, where is melissa?
Narrator: in the utility room
Off the lobby marked "private,"
A full-length window leading to
The outside was wide open.
The window faced a wooded area
Behind the apartment complex.
It's a possibility that
Somebody could have went out
That window and not been seen
By anybody outside.
And it's in an area where it's
Secluded so the inside
Partygoers wouldn't have seen
Anybody exiting through that
Window, also.
Narrator: fairfax county
Police searched the entire area
And questioned everyone who
Attended the party.
It was very cold out that
Night.
It was pretty imperative that we
Try to locate her as quickly as
Possible.
It was hard to imagine a young
Child with a dress on and a
Small coat surviving the
Temperature that night.
Narrator: although no one at
The party noticed anything
Unusual, police feared that
Melissa had been abducted.
Tammy brannen pleaded for her
Daughter's safe return during a
Televised news conference.
The person who took melissa,
I beg you to please call
Somebody, anybody, and tell us
Where she is.
[ Sobs ]
No matter what's happened, she's
All that I have.
Please bring her back to me.
Melissa...if you can hear mommy
And get to a telephone...call
Our number like I taught you to
And call me.
We love you and miss you very
Much.
Please come back to us.
Mommy is waiting.
All the way down to davis
Fort road.
Narrator: police could find
No trace of 5-year-old
Melissa brannen, despite the
Help of hundreds of volunteers.
We had hundreds of police
Officers down there.
We had hundreds of people from
The military bases.
We had people volunteering their
Airplanes, their helicopters.
The search was phenomenal.
It just showed how this case
Touched so many people.
Narrator: yellow ribbons were
Placed throughout the
Neighborhood, a symbol of
Concern and hope for melissa's
Safe return.
Police questioned melissa's
Father, who was in texas on the
Night of melissa's
Disappearance.
He was immediately ruled out as
A suspect.
I also ask that if the
Person who took my daughter can
Hear me, please let her go.
We love her very much.
If anyone has any information
That may help, please contact
Someone who will pass the
Information on to us.
Thank you.
Narrator: police questioned
Everyone who lived at the
Apartment complex, as well as
All of the employees.
State department.
Narrator: caleb hughes worked
At the apartment as a
Maintenance man and attended the
Christmas party.
Police interviewed hughes at his
Home a few hours after the party
Around 2:00 a.m.
Mr. Hughes, mr. Caleb hughes?
I'm sergeant garcia from the
Fairfax police department.
I'd like to ask you a couple
Questions about the party at the
Apartment complex that you work
At.
Narrator: they asked him
Where he had been since leaving
The apartment complex.
What did you do after you
Left the party?
I drove straight home.
I stopped off for a six-pack,
And I got home about 12:30,
Quarter to 1:00.
He said he stopped just
Before he got home near his
House.
Well, if he got home at 12:30,
Quarter to 1:00, they stop
Selling beer in virginia at
So he didn't stop for beer.
He couldn't.
What did you do after you got
Home?
I did chores, laundry, you know,
Stuff like that.
You mind if we look around?
No, go ahead.
Narrator: during the search,
Police noticed something
Unusual.
Hughes told police he had been
Doing his laundry, but the
Clothes he was washing were the
Ones he wore to the party.
Do you always wash your sneakers
With your clothes, mr. Hughes?
Narrator: he was also washing
His belt and the knife holder.
I said, "why would you wash
All your clothes?
You don't have another pair of
Blue jeans?
And why would you wash your
Sneakers?
Caleb had no response.
Narrator: the side of hughes'
Sneakers had been shaved away.
Although the sneakers had been
Washed, tests showed traces of
Human protein, possibly blood,
Deep in the fibers.
Caleb hughes wasn't cooperating,
Either.
Hughes told police he did not
Speak to melissa brannen at the
Christmas party, but several
Witnesses contradicted him.
Hello.
Hi.
Did you have something to
Eat?
I said, "caleb, I think you
Know more.
I think you took melissa out of
That party."
And all caleb would do is just
Sit there.
And finally, caleb said, "prove
It."
Looked me straight in the face
And no emotion at all.
Narrator: and that's what
Investigators set out to do.
Narrator: weeks passed, and
Still, there were no signs of
The community of
Lorton, virginia, held a
Candlelight vigil at the
Brannens' apartment complex
Just a few feet from the
Clubhouse where melissa was
Abducted.
Bumper stickers, yellow ribbons,
And flyers with melissa's
Picture were everywhere.
It was all anybody talked
About because this wasn't one
Girl and one family.
This was any child, all of our
Families.
If this could happen to
Tammy brannen's daughter, this
Could happen to anyone's
Daughter, and there was a
Desperate outcry to find who
Would have taken this child.
Narrator: the remaining
Suspect was caleb hughes.
Hughes attended the christmas
Party, but he denied having
Anything to do with melissa's
Disappearance.
Forensic scientists began their
Investigation with a look inside
Hughes' car.
The interior of the car was
Cluttered with a lot of
Debris -- dirt, bags of books,
Dog hair.
I just looked at it and thought,
"Holy mackerel, how am I going
To be able to find any type of
Evidence that will link melissa
To this car?"
Narrator: the car was sprayed
With the chemical luminol, which
Fluoresces when it comes into
Contact with the hemoglobin
Component of blood.
Luminol revealed blood on the
Steering wheel, foot pedals, and
Floor mat.
The blood was collected for dna
Analysis, but the results were
Inconclusive.
The car was also searched for
Trace evidence, specifically,
Hair and fibers, and was sent to
Special agent doug deedrick of
The fbi for analysis.
The first thing that I do is
Look at the tapings that came
From the front seat of the car.
I try to identify what types of
Materials are there and, if
Possible, anything that may have
Come from the victim if she had
Been in that car.
Narrator: deedrick discovered
Quite a bit of animal hair in
The car, most of it dog hair.
But three of the hairs from
Hughes' front seat were
Different.
They were rabbit hairs that had
Been dyed black.
The rabbit hairs were
Microscopically similar to a
German rabbit-hair coat
Tammy brannen wore to that
Christmas party.
When tammy brannen was
Leaving the apartment, she told
Melissa to get her fur coat.
Melissa got the fur coat.
And as a child will do, she
Draped that coat across her
Shoulders.
And, of course, those hairs from
That coat, certain of them,
Transfer to her.
Narrator: deedrick also
Discovered blue and red fibers
On hughes' front passenger seat.
The red fibers were cotton, an
Extremely common fiber.
But the blue fibers were
Extremely rare.
The 50 blue fibers were man-made
And acrylic.
They were all the same shape,
Length, and diameter, an
Indication they were from the
Same manufacturer.
Gas chromatography revealed that
The blue fibers were dyed with
The same blue dye.
But the chemical composition of
The blue dye was unusual.
Melissa brannen was wearing a
Blue sweater and red plaid skirt
On the night she disappeared.
The outfit had been a gift from
Melissa's grandmother, who could
Not recall where she bought it.
All she could remember was that
The sweater had a picture of
Big bird on it, a character from
The "sesame street" television
Series.
Prosecutors needed more evidence
Than the three rabbit hairs from
Mrs. Brannen's coat found in
Caleb hughes' car.
They knew that any good defense
Attorney would argue that
Caleb hughes could have brushed
Up against tammy brannen's coat
At the party and transferred
Those rabbit hairs onto the seat
Of his car.
Doug deedrick was convinced
That the blue fibers held the
Key to melissa brannen's
Disappearance.
But there was no way to tell if
The fibers were from melissa's
Clothing.
After work one night,
Doug deedrick shared his
Frustration with his wife.
He told her he needed to find
The manufacturer of the outfit
Melissa was wearing at the
Christmas party.
Some sort of blue
Winnie the pooh thing or a
"Sesame street" outfit with a
Red plaid skirt.
I don't know anything about
Winnie the pooh, but if it's
"Sesame street," that's sold by
Jcpenney.
Hold on a second.
Narrator: mrs. Deedrick had
Kept a number of store catalogs,
Some going back a few years.
Red plaid skirt.
I see that.
She proceeded to bring a catalog
Down from the year before
Christmas.
And, sure enough, on page 11 of
That catalog, there was an
Outfit that looked darn close to
What they were describing to me
As the one melissa brannen wore
The night of her disappearance.
Narrator: when tammy brannen
Was shown the picture from the
Catalog, she identified it as
The one melissa was wearing at
The party.
The fbi asked jcpenney for one
Of the outfits in order to
Analyze the fibers, but they
Were sold out.
The item was a catalog-only
Item.
Jcpenney sold all 7,000
Garments in a matter of months.
But jcpenney located a customer
In kentucky who had purchased
One of these outfits a year
Earlier.
The customer bought the outfit
As a present for his
Granddaughter, but it was the
Wrong size, so it had never
Been worn.
The customer sent the outfit to
The fbi for analysis.
The idea of just being able
To find an outfit that's exactly
The same outfit that a victim
Wore in a case, that's an
Extremely good stroke of luck.
Narrator: when doug deedrick
Examined the garment, he made a
Startling discovery.
When jcpenney had this outfit
Manufactured, they wanted to
Make it unique.
Instead of using a standard dye,
And there are 10,000 of them,
Penney's decided to create a
Brand-new color.
Jcpenney specifies a
Particular color.
Then they'll work with the dye
Manufacturer to find some
Combination of chemicals that
Will produce exactly that tone.
In this particular case, they
Went an additional step and made
Sure that it was a dye that
Nobody else had access to so
That they could trademark this
Sweater from its color point of
View.
Narrator: they called their
New color "plum navy" number
Jcpenney patented that
Signature dye and used it only
Once, when they produced the
When deedrick compared the
Fibers from the duplicate
Sweater to those found in
Hughes' automobile, they were
The same.
With several hundred million
People in the country and only
Of that particular sweater being
Located in an individual car is
Very small.
You can just work out the ratios
Of the two.
And there is no question in
My mind that melissa brannen had
Been in the front seat of
Cal hughes' car.
And where she went from there,
Well, I guess that's a mystery
Right now.
Narrator: a mystery police
Were desperately trying to
Solve.
Narrator: the search for
Melissa brannen's body continued
For almost a year.
Statistics show that children
Abducted by strangers are
Usually m*rder*d within three
Hours of the abduction.
The prime suspect, caleb hughes,
Was asked to take a polygraph
Test.
Are you the one who abducted
Melissa?
No.
Right now, can you take me to
Melissa's body?
No.
Narrator: the results of this
Polygraph examination indicated
Deception.
As soon as he realized that I
Knew that he had failed that
Test, he didn't want anything to
Do with that room, didn't want
Anything to do with me, and
Pretty much bolted out of there.
Narrator: but there was a
Problem.
In the state of virginia,
Prosecutors must be able to
Prove where a homicide occurred.
Since the blood in caleb hughes'
Automobile could not be
Identified as melissa's,
Prosecutors could not reach the
Threshold of homicide.
They could only prove
Kidnapping, which carried a
Maximum sentence of only 10
Years.
But prosecutors were convinced
That the blue and red fibers in
Caleb hughes' car indicated more
Than kidnapping.
The last tammy brannen saw
Her daughter, she was wearing
The pink nylon coat, winter
Coat, over top of this big bird
Outfit.
If the child remained in that
Winter coat in the automobile,
You wouldn't have the collection
And the population of blue
Acrylic fibers that are found on
The seat because they'd be
Inside the nylon coat.
They weren't.
Narrator: prosecutors believe
That hughes removed melissa's
Ski jacket in the car, an
Indication that hughes committed
A sex act.
Hughes had the child's coat
Off in the automobile.
And it seems to me the
Inferences that flow from that
Are legitimate inferences of an
Intent to defile.
Are you all settled in, or
Are you still living with boxes?
Oh, man.
You know how that is.
[ Laughs ] yeah.
Narrator: while melissa was
Waiting for her mother to say
Her good-byes at the christmas
Party, prosecutors believe that
She left for a moment to get a
Drink from the water fountain in
The hallway near the utility
Room.
This is where hughes abducted
Her.
Hughes took melissa through the
Window in the utility room and
Fled in his car.
Hughes removed melissa's ski
Jacket in the car, causing the
Transfer of the blue and red
Fibers onto the front seat.
Also in the car, there were
Three rabbit hairs from
Tammy brannen's coat, the one
Melissa handed her mother
Seconds before she was abducted.
Where hughes took
Melissa brannen and left her
Body remains a mystery.
Hughes tracked blood onto his
Foot pedals and floor mat from
His sneakers.
Luminol revealed blood on the
Car's steering wheel as well.
When hughes arrived home, he
Immediately washed his clothes
In order to remove trace
Evidence.
He also scraped away the blood
Stain from the sides of his
Sneakers before washing them
Along with his clothes.
But he didn't remove evidence
That he couldn't see.
The tiny fibers from melissa's
Clothing left on the passenger
Seat of his car.
Caleb hughes was arrested and
Charged, not with kidnapping,
But with the abduction of
Melissa brannen with intent to
Defile her.
He was found guilty and
Sentenced to 50 years in prison
Without parole, the maximum
Sentence.
Caleb hughes has never confessed
To the crime, and the search for
Melissa's body continues to this
Day.
Each piece of evidence, no
Matter how small, whether it's a
Car or whether it's a strand of
Dna, all have a story to tell of
Where they've been, who they've
Been with, how long they've
Been around.
And this is the type of
Information that I look at and
That I decipher and try to
Determine what value it has.
So one piece of evidence can be
Significant when you add
Multiple pieces of this puzzle.
And you never get the whole
Puzzle.
You only get pieces, but you
Don't need the whole puzzle to
See what that picture's gonna
Say.
And in this case, 50 fibers,
04x05 - Innocence Lost
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Documentary that reveals how forensic science is used to solve violent crimes, mysterious accidents, and outbreaks of illness.
Documentary that reveals how forensic science is used to solve violent crimes, mysterious accidents, and outbreaks of illness.