Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Christopher Wolfenbarger Found Not Guilty of Dismembering Wife | Crime Alert 6AM 08.25.25

Episode Date: August 25, 2025

Christopher Wolfenbarger was acquitted of the murder of his wife, Melissa, after jurors in GA reached their verdict in just two hours.  OK parents arrested after 11-yr-old gives birth at home. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Crime alert, hourly update. Breaking Crime News now. Nancy, in a shocking turn of events, Christopher Wolfenberger, was acquitted of the murder of his wife, Melissa, after jurors in Fulton County, Georgia reached their verdict in just two hours. Count one, we the jury find to the defendant not guilty, this 22nd day of August 2025. Wolfenbarger had been charged with her murder last year following the efforts of a task force that believed they had sufficient evidence to secure conviction. The victim's family last communicated with her on Thanksgiving in 1998, but concerns heightened when she fell to contact her mother on her birthday a few months later. In April 1999, investigators discovered a severed head in a black

trash bag at Mr. Wolfenbarger's workplace in Atlanta, and additional remains were found a month later. Unfortunately, these remains were initially misidentified as belonging to another missing person and were not confirmed to be Melissa's until 2003, following the arrest of her father, Carl Patton, for a series of murders known as the Flint River murders from the 1970s. Mr. Patton has since died in prison. Authorities believe that the murder occurred sometime between December 10, 1998 and April 29, 1999, when interrogated Christopher Wolfenberger maintained he was innocent, saying he believed his wife had relocated to California to start over. In an interview in 2021 with Dateline, he said, yes, I have a criminal history, but I'm not a murderer.

Prosecutors, however, contended that he had killed her due to their tumultuous relationship. A family member revealed that during the summer before Melissa's disappearance, Christopher allegedly assaulted her and dragged her down a sidewalk by her hair. With this not-guilty verdict, Wolfenbarger avoided a potential life-in-prison sentence. Nicole, thank you. More crime and justice news after this. A mother and stepfather of an 11-year-old girl in Oklahoma faced felony child neglect charges after their daughter gave birth at home.

Local news reports from KOTV indicate that 34-year-old Dustin Walker and 33-year-old Sherry Walker are accused of neglecting to provide necessary supervision and medical care for the girl following the birth of a full-term baby on August 16 in Muskogee. Muskogee County Assistant District Attorney Janet Hudson said that the couple claimed they were unaware of their daughter's pregnancy until she gave birth, despite court documents suggesting she was. 36 weeks along. Investigators revealed in the court documents that the girl had not seen a doctor in over a year and had received no prenatal care. Hudson reported to KJRH that the authorities became aware of the situation when the girl was admitted to the hospital post-delivery. I was horror-stricken to find out that it's an 11-year-old little girl who's given birth and that she had no medical care and she had no one to be with her.

It's our understanding the child had not seen a doctor in over one year. The district attorney mentioned that further charges against the parents are likely, and they are currently awaiting paternity results to identify the baby's father. This child has been through a traumatic experience, Hudson expressed. Not only has she been pregnant, but she also gave birth at home without medical existence. The situation will impact her the rest of her life. Hudson added that the girl and possibly other children in the household might, have been homeschooled. Currently, both guardians are being held at the Muskegee County Jail,

each with a bond set at $100,000. Hudson indicated that she would likely be filing additional charges soon. The 11-year-old's grandmother, identified by K-H-R-H as Michelle, defended the couple, saying, I want people to understand they were not aware of what was happening. None of us knew she was pregnant. They've turned my daughter and son-in-law into monsters, but they are not. she asserted, emphasizing their love for their children and expressing hope to reunite with her grandchildren. The couple is scheduled to appear in court again on Wednesday, September 3. Hudson urged the public to be aware of the resources available for reporting suspected child neglect. If you notice anything that might indicate abuse or neglect, please reach out to law enforcement,

she advised. Yvonne Mulligan lives in Prescott Valley, Arizona, with her two dogs. She often talks on the phone with her daughter who lives out of state. After two days of Yvonne not answering calls, the daughter asked for a welfare check. Prescott Valley PD finds no one home and Yvonne's car missing. Three weeks later, her cars found abandoned in a remote area 50 miles away. She left a note on the car that she had called for roadside assistance and listed a repair shop to which she'd like to have the car towed. Not far from the car, police find two dog leashes belonging to Yvonne. No sign of the dogs. Yvonne Mulliken, 66, 5-5, 170 pounds, shoulder-length, brown hair, green eyes. If you have info on Yvonne Mulliken, now missing several weeks, please call Prescott Valley, Arizona, PD, 928-772, 9267. For the latest, crime and justice news, go to crimeonline.com, and please join us for our daily podcast, crime stories, where we do our best to find missing people, especially children, and help solve unsolved homicides. With this crime alert, I'm Nancy Grace. This is an IHeart podcast.