MELISSA TREMBLAY: Man arrested in 1988 killing of 11-year-old girl from Salem, New Hampshire

You may remember this case:

Former Massachusetts corrections officer arrested for 1988 slaying of 11-year-old girl

A 74-year-old man was arrested this week for the 1988 murder of an 11-year-old girl in Massachusetts.

www.foxnews.com

Melissa Ann Tremblay disappeared in Lawrence, Massachusetts, at the age of 11 on a Sunday evening in 1988 and was found the next day after being stabbed to death and hit by a train.

More than three decades later, her alleged killer was arrested in Alabama and will be returned to Massachusetts to face justice. Marvin McClendon, Jr., a 74-year-old retired Massachusetts Department of Corrections officer, was taken into custody by the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office and will be arraigned in an Alabama court later this week.

Tremblay went with her mother to LaSalle Social Club in Lawrence on September 11, 1988.

"While her mother and mother’s boyfriend remained inside the club, Melissa played in the adjacent neighborhoods and was last seen by a railroad employee and pizza delivery driver during the late afternoon hours," Blodgett said.

Tremblay's mother and her mother's boyfriend searched the area before reporting her missing to police that evening around 9:00 p.m.

Law enforcement located her body in a railway yard a couple of blocks from the social club the next day and an autopsy determined that she had been stabbed to death.

 

[Tresir]

This link takes you to a map showing both the crossing and the CSX office. It looks to be about 200 yards from the Andover St crossing based on the map scale. Click on the "Location and phone number" box to go to the map.

CSX Transportation Lawrence Yard Office - 327 Andover Street, Lawrence, Massachusetts, United States

CSX Transportation Lawrence Yard Office is a vital hub for the transportation and logistics industry in Lawrence, Massachusetts.

guide.in.ua

Ok i have done a screenshot so we can see exactly where the mentioned locations are. The junction between Parker and Andover is where she was seen talking to the occupant of the tan van. That is also where the entrance to the CSX yard is located which is shown with the red marker. The multiple rail lines are shown which is where her body was found. Her purse and the struggle/murder was 60 feet from these tracks. It is a relatively small area. Andover is the unmarked street going right to left and meeting with Parker and Winthrop to make the crossroad point where she was seen at the tan van.

 

[Guess Who]

I think that's one reason and that the scene was in an area where only an rr employee should be.


(You're welcome.


Btw, I wonder where the store was that Maryann referenced.

"should" being the key word here. People sit on the tracks here to fish in the river even though it is a federal offense to do so.

 

[Tresir]

By Quintos, are you referring to the neighborhood mother by the name of Lisa? Bummer you don't remember where she lived!
So what about another neighborhood mother, Maryann? Did she say she saw Melissa on that Sunday? There's an article I came across that mentions Maryann and that she said the last time she saw Melissa, she was outside with her children breaking bottles.

Re the rr worker, I'd like to know where he said he saw Melissa in relation to where her body was found. And while I'm at it, was she alone?

I think i saw that Maryanne lived next to the La Salle club which was at 385 Andover but the club is no longer there. It looks like a store and car parking is there now. If you click on the street view you can go up and down Andover and see the layout, the tracks, the railyard, the Andover rail crossing and the crossroad at Andover/Parker.

 

[Tresir]

There was 60 feet of struggle in the dirt they are confident she was killed there. The concrete rock she was beaten with was found right by her. Thrown There to be hidden with her.I assume

What i meant was she wasnt killed where she was found under the train right? Killed somewhere between 60 feet away and where she was left on the track.

Also, the initial post on here says she was stabbed to death so i just assumed the cause of death was that.

 

[Tresir]

I didn't find the unsolved case of Cheryl Noone among our other cold cases.
Despite similarities with this case, authoritites say the cases aren't connected.

Family of 1980 murdered Lawrence girl still seeking justice

This week’s arrest in the decades old Lawrence murder of Melissa Tremblay has the family of another murdered Lawrence girl hoping for justice.

www.yahoo.com

Oh my it does sound similar but LE say no connection. They must have DNA to be able to say that. Perhaps we can add her to this thread as they are both 80's Lawrence victims?

 

[GrandmaBear]

Are you sure it isn't just that they weren't transcribed?
I've seen it in another case of acquittal that since it's a lot of work to transcribe the record, it isn't always done.

They don't get transcribed until the first person requests a copy and the first person pays a small fortune. After that they are cheaper for subsequent people who request.

I don't think that has anything to do with them being sealed.

In general they are public record and I see no reason with an acquittal why they should be sealed. I think it is b.s.

 

[GrandmaBear]

No they exist they have been sealed by the commonwealth it's the law in Massachusetts..... one I disagree with

I vehemently disagree with it as well. Such are to be public records and this is changing in places in the WRONG direction.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Yes he saw her on Sunday, the day she went missing and told her she had to leave and not play on or in the box cars because it wasn't safe there.

Sounds to me like he was looking out for her and warning her.

 

[Regina]

"should" being the key word here. People sit on the tracks here to fish in the river even though it is a federal offense to do so.

Indeed.
I'd like to know who else rr employees may have seen anywhere around the rail yard that day.

 

[Tresir]

I vehemently disagree with it as well. Such are to be public records and this is changing in places in the WRONG direction.

How about if several of us requests copies. Could that make it cheaper? Also there must have been copies alresdy done for the mistrial because the lawyers would have needed them for the retrial. How about ordering the mistrial transcript detail?

 

[Takeitfromme]

What i meant was she wasnt killed where she was found under the train right? Killed somewhere between 60 feet away and where she was left on the track.

That is correct or believed. 60 feet of struggle which I believe is 60 feet worth of her fighting for her life

 

[Regina]

I think i saw that Maryanne lived next to the La Salle club which was at 385 Andover but the club is no longer there. It looks like a store and car parking is there now. If you click on the street view you can go up and down Andover and see the layout, the tracks, the railyard, the Andover rail crossing and the crossroad at Andover/Parker.

Yeah, I went all around the area on street view before I even posted on the case.
After I've gathered info as to locations, it's the next thing I'll do, especially in cases like this.

 

[GrandmaBear]

How about if several of us requests copies. Could that make it cheaper? Also there must have been copies alresdy done for the mistrial because the lawyers would have needed them for the retrial. How about ordering the mistrial trsnscript detail?

I don't know. If some are truly sealed, there is no way one will get those. If they are available for public purchase, nothing will make it cheaper until someone pays for the first expensive initial transcription. If that's already been done, say by a lawyer, then getting a copy would be much more reasonably priced. I take sealed to mean NO access. Are any available from EITHER trial?

 

[Takeitfromme]

Indeed.
I'd like to know who else rr employees may have seen anywhere around the rail yard that day.

There were others seen and dealt with. They were suspects and the first to be ruled out by DNA

 

[Takeitfromme]

How about if several of us requests copies. Could that make it cheaper? Also there must have been copies alresdy done for the mistrial because the lawyers would have needed them for the retrial. How about ordering the mistrial transcript detail?

They can't be obtained they are sealed. There are a few people who have requested them and a few who are going to try to see if something can be done about this

 

[GrandmaBear]

They can't be obtained they are sealed. There are a few people who have requested them and a few who are going to try to see if something can be done about this

And that's from BOTH trials and ALL transcripts?

 

[Tresir]

They looked all night then the next day. A rail worker went to move the train on the following day (Monday) something was wrong did a walk around and found her under the train. TOD was Sunday probably PM after 7-8ish

Did they determine exact TOD by body temperature, rigor mortis etc ?

 

[Regina]

What i meant was she wasnt killed where she was found under the train right? Killed somewhere between 60 feet away and where she was left on the track.

You know, it really isn't clear to me whether her body was actually between a set of tracks not...
And I'm aware of the impression that her body was placed where it was found but I'm not sure what formed that impression.
Anyway, yes, I'm convinced that she was killed if not precisely where her body was found, it was within feet.

 

[Guess Who]

There were others seen and dealt with. They were suspects and the first to be ruled out by DNA

I live by a rail hub and those guys are CONSTANTLY running people off every day.

 

[Regina]

Oh my it does sound similar but LE say no connection. They must have DNA to be able to say that. Perhaps we can add her to this thread as they are both 80's Lawrence victims?

What strikes me right off the bat is that it''s not only the same town but same area of town!
Although, I haven't been able to find any other info about the case, I think it should have it's own thread.