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

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You may remember this case:

www.foxnews.com

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 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.
 
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Tresir said:
That makes sense the DNA could be used to rule out others. How did they rule out any accomplice(s) though who may have helped him.
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I've never had any sense there was any accomplice. Is there a reason you think there may have been?
 
Tresir said:
I thought it was only traced to the male line in his family? Are you saying it was a complete match to him alone?

If so, then i do not understand the jury decision at all.
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It was not a full SNP it was traced to the male line. From there They were able to eliminate who was not in the area As many had not even ever been to massachusetts... It came down to him and his Brother And then between the two of them marvin is left handed Had the van was in the area Was known to be in the area and worked in the area Whereas his brother had nothing to do with the area. If that made any sense Sorry have to use voice text today
 
Tresir said:
What about the van evidence and where he parked it and worked? Put together with the left handed evidence and the DNA, that seems quite a bit to me. Plus there seems to be more evidence, by the sound of it. Like she was seen talking to him. IMO, if it gets to a situation where there is too much for it to be coincidence, then my hinky meter is over 50% and i would convict.

Comparing it to Delphi, perp in his 40's, no DNA, no evidence re right or left handedness, car and perp seen at CS on video, admits being there, confessea numerous times, perps bullet at scene, there are some similarities.
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I'm not sure why you'd compare this case with the Delphi case; in any case, evidence is either strong or not.
Re the van, to me, involvement of a van wouldn't fit the circumstance of where body was found.
As for left-handed, I don't know how that conclusion was reached and so I can't speak to that.
 
Regina said:
I'm not sure why you'd compare this case with the Delphi case; in any case, evidence is either strong or not.
Re the van, to me, involvement of a van wouldn't fit the circumstance of where body was found.
As for left-handed, I don't know how that conclusion was reached and so I can't speak to that.
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The conclusion to left handed was reached by an FBI expert who studied her autopsy. The rail yard a van easily could get in there at the time and the last time anyone saw her she was talking to someone in a rusted dark tan van, however mcclendon had a maroon van that in court everyone in his family testified it had tools and a mattress in the back
 
Tresir said:
I was sharing what I thought was significant about what i have read, not responding that there are no exceptions. There can always be exceptions, like a relative or friend of his was involved too, who knows. The DNA would have been used to rule out irrespective of right or left handedness, then i guess they were just left with him and he happened to be a left hander.

Do you have a suspect in mind.
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Re exceptions, you'd pointed out the Delphi perp as an exception to what I said in regard to age of perp but what ever.
Re suspect, I think it's perhaps needless to say that the perp was familiar with that rail yard.
 
Takeitfromme said:
The conclusion to left handed was reached by an FBI expert who studied her autopsy. The rail yard a van easily could get in there at the time and the last time anyone saw her she was talking to someone in a rusted dark tan van, however mcclendon had a maroon van that in court everyone in his family testified it had tools and a mattress in the back
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I'm not concerned with who reached but how reached.

Where in the rail yard was her body?

I find that the most reliable winesses are those who knew her and besides that, it appears to me that she was missing before the van sighting.
 
Regina said:
I'm not concerned with who reached but how reached.

Where in the rail yard was her body?

I find that the most reliable winesses are those who knew her and besides that, it appears to me that she was missing before the van sighting.
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I did know her. Her body was under a train. Track 17. It was the FBI expert that came to the conclusion about left handedness due to the angle her throat was slashed. Because I knew her and loved her I'd rather not be the one to describe details I guess you could read up on how they come to these conclusions it's gory....
 
Takeitfromme said:
It was not a full SNP it was traced to the male line. From there They were able to eliminate who was not in the area As many had not even ever been to massachusetts... It came down to him and his Brother And then between the two of them marvin is left handed Had the van was in the area Was known to be in the area and worked in the area Whereas his brother had nothing to do with the area. If that made any sense Sorry have to use voice text today
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From what I understand about the cricumstances surrounding genealogy, there could be unknown relatives and although unknown have a location in common.
 
Takeitfromme said:
It was not a full SNP it was traced to the male line. From there They were able to eliminate who was not in the area As many had not even ever been to massachusetts... It came down to him and his Brother And then between the two of them marvin is left handed Had the van was in the area Was known to be in the area and worked in the area Whereas his brother had nothing to do with the area. If that made any sense Sorry have to use voice text today
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That was similar to what i thought. Thanks for clarifying.
Regina said:
From what I understand about the cricumstances surrounding genealogy, there could be unknown relatives and although unknown have a location in common.
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I don't really follow this. What do you mean "unknown relatives"? Someone adopted out of the family at some point? Perhaps you can give an example. What is a "location in common" in relation to DNA?
 
Regina said:
I'm not concerned with who reached but how reached.

Where in the rail yard was her body?

I find that the most reliable winesses are those who knew her and besides that, it appears to me that she was missing before the van sighting.
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Her body was on the tracks. She was seen earlier.
 
Tresir said:
That was similar to what i thought. Thanks for clarifying.

I don't really follow this. What do you mean "unknown relatives"? Someone adopted out of the family at some point? Perhaps you can give an example. What is a "location in common" in relation to DNA?
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I'm lost myself. I see little for questions in this case.
 
Regina said:
I'm not sure why you'd compare this case with the Delphi case; in any case, evidence is either strong or not.
Re the van, to me, involvement of a van wouldn't fit the circumstance of where body was found.
As for left-handed, I don't know how that conclusion was reached and so I can't speak to that.
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I am interested in the sImilarities. Both perps in early forties, both ex mil, cause of death knife wounds to throat, young female victims involved, vehicle sightings involved. One convicted, one acquitted.

Melissa was seen talking to someone in a van that had the same description as the accused's vehicle.

Physical analysis of the wound and blood splatter probably determined handedness of the perp IMO.
 
Tresir said:
I don't really follow this. What do you mean "unknown relatives"? Someone adopted out of the family at some point? Perhaps you can give an example. What is a "location in common" in relation to DNA?
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That people unidentified by the genealogists could live in or have ties to Lawrence.
 
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