In 2013, She Planned To Visit Friends In New Jersey But Never Arrived, So She Was Reported Missing By Her Estranged Husband

In 2013, 31-year-old Melissa Ortiz-Rodriguez was still married to her husband, Jose, and they had two daughters together. However, the pair were separated at the time, living in a home located on Lafayette Avenue in Collingdale, Pennsylvania. 

On February 25, 2013, authorities were also contacted in response to a domestic dispute at their home. Melissa reportedly tried to leave her husband, and he allegedly became enraged – tossing bags of their clothes onto their front lawn. Then, she filed for a protection-from-abuse order – which was denied pending a hearing. 

Melissa ultimately withdrew the application about two weeks later, before the hearing, and reportedly told her friends that Jose had been treating her better.

Still, according to Melissa’s loved ones, she was trying to get a divorce from her husband after finding out he had another family in New Jersey. She wanted to move on from her marriage and reportedly entered her own romantic relationship with a different man in Morris Plains, New Jersey.

Yet, on April 19, 2013, she mysteriously disappeared. That day, she was last seen by her husband at their house. Afterward, she allegedly dropped their daughters off at school. Then, she supposedly took a train to Newark, New Jersey, and had plans to visit her friends for a weekend. 

Melissa never arrived at her friend’s home, though, and was never seen or heard from again. 

She was supposed to start a new job on April 22, 2013. However, she failed to arrive for her shift. Melissa also did not pick her children up from school that day. 

So, on April 23, 2013, her husband, Jose, contacted the Colingdale Police Department and reported her missing. 

When initially speaking with authorities, Jose claimed that Melissa had been getting their daughters ready for school on April 19 when he left and headed to work sometime between 8:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. But, according to his cell phone records, Jose was still in the Collingdale area from 12:00 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. 

Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.