Melissa Dawn Hasley

Case Information:

Melissa Dawn Hasley was 31 years old when she vanished from Des Moines, Iowa in the early morning hours of October 18, 2002, after attending two parties.

Melissa, known affectionately as “Missy” to her loved ones, was a devoted mother of three children. On the evening of October 17, 2002, she attended a party at Oak Ridge Apartments before moving to a second gathering at an apartment complex in the 1700 block of Grand Avenue.

Despite struggling with addiction, Melissa maintained close contact with her family and children. Her loved ones emphasized that she would never voluntarily abandon them, making her sudden disappearance all the more alarming.

Case Details:

The apartment on Grand Avenue where Melissa was last seen belonged to a blind woman. Witnesses at the party reported hearing Melissa in the bathroom with two other people during the evening.

Later, several partygoers saw her sitting alone on the building’s fire escape. Melissa is believed to have left through an alley door on the north side of the building sometime between 11:45 PM and 1:45 AM, but critically, no one actually witnessed her departure.

Timeline of Events:

October 17, 2002 – Evening: Melissa attended a party at Oak Ridge Apartments in Des Moines. She later traveled to a second party at an apartment complex in the 1700 block of Grand Avenue.

October 18, 2002 – Between 11:45 PM and 1:45 AM: Witnesses heard Melissa in the bathroom with two unidentified individuals. She was later observed sitting on the fire escape alone. Melissa is believed to have exited through an alley door on the north side of the building, though no one saw her leave. This was the last time anyone reported seeing her.

October 18, 2002: Melissa’s family reported her missing to the Des Moines Police Department when she failed to return home or make contact with her children. An investigation was immediately launched, but no trace of Melissa was found.

Investigation:

The Des Moines Police Department has been investigating Melissa’s disappearance for more than two decades. Detectives have pursued numerous leads over the years, but her case remains unsolved.

Investigators believe Melissa met with foul play shortly after leaving the Grand Avenue apartment. The circumstances of her disappearance—vanishing in the middle of the night without taking any personal belongings or making contact with her children—strongly suggest she did not leave voluntarily.

Community Response:

Melissa’s case has remained in the public consciousness through the efforts of Iowa missing persons advocacy groups. Her profile is maintained on multiple platforms, including the Iowa Department of Public Safety Missing Person Information Clearinghouse and Iowa Cold Cases.

Community members who knew Melissa have shared memories of her on social media and missing persons forums. Many have expressed their belief that something terrible happened to her that night and continue to hope that someone with information will finally come forward.

Family Statements:

Melissa’s family has endured unimaginable tragedy in the years since her disappearance. Her mother, Sandra Moreland, has suffered the devastating loss of two daughters—first Melissa’s unexplained vanishing, and then the brutal murder of Melissa’s older sister, Georgina Kimble, in 2006.

Georgina, who was 37 when she died, had been conducting her own investigation into what happened to Melissa. Just four years after Melissa disappeared, Georgina was stabbed to death in a basement apartment by Keith Parker, a convicted sex offender who confessed to the crime. The family believes Georgina’s determination to find answers about Melissa may have put her in dangerous situations.

Physical Appearance:

Melissa was a white female with blonde hair and hazel eyes. She stood between 5’4″ and 5’5″ tall.

At the time of her disappearance, Melissa weighed approximately 90 to 105 pounds. Her small stature and petite frame made her easily identifiable to those who knew her.

Current Status:

Melissa Dawn Hasley has been missing for over 23 years. Investigators believe she was the victim of foul play and suspect she was murdered shortly after leaving the Grand Avenue apartment in the early morning hours of October 18, 2002.

Despite extensive investigation over more than two decades, Melissa’s remains have never been recovered. Her three children grew up without their mother, never receiving answers about what happened to her that night.

Melissa’s case is listed in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) under case number MP400. The tragic murder of her sister Georgina in 2006—who had been investigating Melissa’s disappearance—added another layer of heartbreak to an already devastating situation.

Contact Information:

If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Melissa Dawn Hasley, please contact Sgt. Darren Cornwell at the Des Moines Police Department at (515) 283-4811.

Case number: 2002-43573. NCIC number: M-352768675. Any information—no matter how insignificant it may seem after all these years—could finally bring closure to Melissa’s family and justice for a mother who never made it home to her children.

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