MELISSA
Wife: Melissa, Age 42
Missing Husband: William, Age 52
Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Disappeared: August 2024
Relationship Background
Melissa met William (“Will”) on Match.com in February 2021. Their connection was fast and magnetic. She describes him as the first man in a long time with whom she felt she could be completely herself.
Will swept her off her feet with small but powerful gestures of love, making her breakfast, leaving sweet notes around the apartment, even surprising her by washing and detailing her car.
One night in bed, Will told her, “I want to marry you. I don’t want to lose you again.” She said yes. They dated for 2.5 years before marrying in July 2023.
Melissa did know that Will had a history of infidelity prior to their relationship.
The Move From Miami To Fort Lauderdale
By Spring 2024, William insisted that Melissa’s longtime Miami apartment never felt like his home. He wanted them to start fresh together, so he encouraged the couple to move to Fort Lauderdale, and find a place they could live in together.
This was a major sacrifice for Melissa: Miami had been her safe haven for a decade, with friends, community, and independence. Melissa had built an independent life in Miami since 2014, working in sales and finance.
They toured places, chose a new apartment, and signed a lease with both of their names on it. Melissa made sure to ask him beforehand if he was truly ready for this level of commitment, reminding him that she could not shoulder the cost of a larger, more expensive apartment alone. He assured her he was ready.
Married Life
At first, married life was happy and everything she had wanted. They decorated their apartment together and began settling into their new life in Fort Lauderdale.
Melissa realized she was carrying most of the financial load: rent, utilities; she even paid for William’s phone. She justified it as part of marriage and commitment, trying to make it work.
By early 2024, insecurities surfaced. William, with a history of unfaithfulness, began accusing Melissa of cheating, a painful irony given his past. Despite this they were happy.
Anniversary & Disappearance
July 31, 2024: To celebrate their first wedding anniversary, William surprised Melissa by cooking a romantic dinner. It was a delightful and lovely evening, but later that same night, he picked a fight out of nowhere, accusing her of things she hadn’t done.
August 1, 2024: William drove Melissa to work as usual, kissed her goodbye, and said he’d pick her up later that afternoon. It felt like any ordinary day. But a few hours later, Melissa’s phone buzzed with alerts from their home security system. To her horror, she saw William hauling boxes and bags out of their apartment.
She rushed home to find him and his belongings cleared from their shared marital home. Melissa never saw him again from that day onwards.
Aftermath/Attempts To Find Him
William blocked Melissa’s phone number and blocked her on all social media.
For the first several months she tried to track him down, partly to get help with his portion of their shared lease. Even if she tried different email addresses, different phone numbers or different social media accounts he would figure out it was her and block her.
Additionally, his family blocked her on every platform and refused to help her get in touch with him.
Melissa went to the police, who mocked her and said “he’s a grown man” refusing to help her.
A private investigator quoted $2,500/day, out of reach after William left her with the bills.
She tried everything: texts, emails, new phone numbers, social media but William had ghosted her.
Finding William & Moving Forward
Melissa is still legally married, with no closure.
Melissa wants to find William for several reasons. First, she needs to finalize their divorce with his participation. It’s not fair for her to shoulder the entire financial and emotional burden of the process on her own.
Second, she needs financial accountability. William pushed for them to move into a larger, more expensive apartment, but now she is left paying the rent alone, which has been financially draining. He is still listed on their bank accounts, utilities, and other shared accounts, and she needs his name removed to move forward responsibly.
Beyond the practical matters, Melissa also wants answers. She deserves to know why he left and what he has been doing. Confronting him would provide the emotional closure she needs to finally move on with her life.