Search Ends After 51 years, Texas Woman Reunites With Her Family

Isn't it amazing when all hope of getting something vanishes, that is the time you just get it all! Similarly, the parents became happy when they met their long-lost daughter after 50 years of her kidnapping. The daughter was a 21-month-old child when she was kidnapped.

The abducted Melissa Highsmith, today 53 reunited with her family. She was stolen from her Fort Worth, Tex., home. The kidnapper was a person posing as a babysitter, the incident took place on August 23, 1971, as per her family.

The Highsmith siblings spoke to People and said that a DNA match confirmed the news they were waiting for all these years. Melissa, who grew up as Melanie Miyoko was alive and the long-lost sister they had been searching for.

Texas Woman Meets Family After 51 years

Highsmith said, "it made sense after a rocky upbringing by the person whom she suspects was her abductor. At first, I wanted to be angry, and I was angry." She also added, "the woman who raised her was never close to her. The whole time I was there, it was a bad childhood. I wasn't allowed to go outside and play, and she always sheltered me.

Highsmith recalls the reason given behind all the sheltering was born at home and had brain damage. "I used to wonder, 'Why did she even have me if she didn't want me?" added Highsmith.

Highsmith also claimed she ran away as a teen and no longer communicates with the woman who claimed to be her mother.

Melissa Highsmith's family Alta Apantenco and Jeffrie Highsmith never gave up on finding her. Although her mother Alta Apantenco, 73, concedes the 51-year search was discouraging. "My family believed that she was still alive, and I wanted to believe it, but I had been disappointed so many times that I just told them, 'Leave me out of it,'" Apantenco added.

Further stated, "You go ahead, and you try to find Melissa, but please leave me out of it because I don't want to get involved.' I wanted to lay it to rest, but they didn't want to."

Today, after a long search siblings' hard work paid off. The DNA match confirmed Melissa was their sister, Rebecca, 48; Victoria, 47; Sharon, 45; and Jeff, 42, tracked her down through Facebook and they agreed to meet.

The 53-year-old is now happily reunited with her mom and dad Jeffrie Highsmith, 72, along with siblings Victoria and Jeff. Rebecca and Sharon will meet around Christmas.

Highsmith is looking forward to meeting everyone. She said, "It's going to be something to get used to actually having so much family when I didn't have any."

Jeff her brother gave credit to his faith. He said, "We give all the credit to God. We believe it was — we're people of faith, and we believe it was through prayer." Alta also added, "God is an amazing God, and he can do anything. He's a way maker, a miracle worker, a promise keeper, a light in the darkness. That's my God."

The family also plans to reach out to Fort Worth police to discuss whether the kidnapper can somehow be prosecuted.

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