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]

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

Really? So how come she wasn't found till the next day? Did LE determine a TOD?

 

[Takeitfromme]

I don't know the answer to these, at this point, but if there are trial transcripts, the details could likely be in there.

The transcripts are sealed due to his acquittal......real nice huh?

 

[Takeitfromme]

Really? So how come she wasn't found till the next day? Did LE determine a TOD?

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

 

[Takeitfromme]

I'd like to share some of the questions I have at this point.
When did the bartender last see Melissa?
When did anyone else who knew her last see her and where is that in relation to where her body was found?
Did the RR worker know Melissa and where did he see her?

I believe it was around 230 last time bartender saw her
At some point that afternoon (after 230) she showed up at a friend's house (the Quintos) and was turned away only because the kids were grounded and not allowed to have friends over that afternoon it was walking distance from the tracks but I forget the address
RR worker did not know Melissa but saw her earlier in the day playing on the box cars and told her she had to leave because it was dangerous there.... he remembered what she was wearing and when the worker who found her notified him and he started walking towards the area he saw her clothing and said he didn't need to go any further he knew it was the girl he asked to leave the previous day

 

[Tresir]

The transcripts are sealed due to his acquittal......real nice huh?

From both of the trials?

 

[Takeitfromme]

From both of the trials?

Unfortunately.....yes.... a bunch of us have tried to get them even at least the first trial....but nope.... sealed

 

[Takeitfromme]

Unfortunately.....yes.... a bunch of us have tried to get them even at least the first trial....but nope.... sealed

I will say I am PISSED about that

 

[GrandmaBear]

The transcripts are sealed due to his acquittal......real nice huh?

Are you serious? WTH difference does that make? You'd think he'd "want" it shown what was said in court that a jury acquitted him... UNREAL.

 

[Regina]

It is pretty neat to click on the map I posted and the google street view (which is 5 years ago) and actually move around the area (including the rail yard the crossing and all the rail tracks) to see what it is like. Lots of areas to park and to see the location. It really is not that big an area and it is easy to get to the houses nearby and walk around too by the look of it. I found where the La Salle club would have been too and it was 385 Andover whereas the Railyard office ( near where she was found) was 327. She wasn't found till the next day so she may not have been killed where she was found.

Btw, it was the fact that her body wasn't discovered until late the next afternoon that I've been asking for the exact location.
I'd like to mention that the vantage point of the pic I saw appears to be from Inman St.

 

[Regina]

I believe it was around 230 last time bartender saw her
At some point that afternoon (after 230) she showed up at a friend's house (the Quintos) and was turned away only because the kids were grounded and not allowed to have friends over that afternoon it was walking distance from the tracks but I forget the address
RR worker did not know Melissa but saw her earlier in the day playing on the box cars and told her she had to leave because it was dangerous there.... he remembered what she was wearing and when the worker who found her notified him and he started walking towards the area he saw her clothing and said he didn't need to go any further he knew it was the girl he asked to leave the previous day

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?

 

[Regina]

The transcripts are sealed due to his acquittal......real nice huh?

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.

 

[Regina]

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

 

[Tresir]

Btw, it was the fact that her body wasn't discovered until late the next afternoon that I've been asking for the exact location.
I'd like to mention that the vantage point of the pic I saw appears to be from Inman St.

From the narrative i posted, it almost sounded like she was between
trains. Maybe that was why she wasnt found sooner if the carriages hid the scene.

Does anyone know who the court reporters were in both trials? We might be able to find details of the trials from their accounts.

 

[Takeitfromme]

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.

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

 

[Takeitfromme]

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?

MaryAnn was a friend of Melissa's mother. She did see her but I do not know what time. She Told her to go back to her mom.
The Quintos is yes Lisa and her family.
The RR worker yes Melissa was alone. I do not recall where she was other than playing in box cars closer to where it was a shorter walk to the street. He was cleared by investigators as a suspect just to add that in.

 

[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?

Could you post a link to the article that you saw, about Melissa playing with Maryann's kids? TIA.

 

[Tresir]

MaryAnn was a friend of Melissa's mother. She did see her but I do not know what time. She Told her to go back to her mom.
The Quintos is yes Lisa and her family.
The RR worker yes Melissa was alone. I do not recall where she was other than playing in box cars closer to where it was a shorter walk to the street. He was cleared by investigators as a suspect just to add that in.

The RR worker is the one who told her not to play on the box cars right?

 

[Takeitfromme]

The RR worker is the one who told her not to play on the box cars right?

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.

 

[Regina]

From the narrative i posted, it almost sounded like she was between
trains. Maybe that was why she wasnt found sooner if the carriages hid the scene.

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

Could you post a link to the article that you saw, about Melissa playing with Maryann's kids? TIA.

(You're welcome.


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

 

[Kimster]

I have come to not trust eye witnesses, especially if it has been years since they witnessed the crime and people lie.

I agree with you.