Girl who disappeared more than 50 years ago may have been spotted in SC

DANIEL ISLAND, S.C. — There’s new hope Monday morning for the family of a girl who disappeared more than 50 years ago.

WCIV reported Melissa Highsmith could be in South Carolina. She would now be 52 years old.

Her family said she was taken from them in Fort Worth, Texas in 1971. She was 21 months old at the time. WCIV reported that her mother, who was 22 at the time, handed her to a babysitter and that she was never seen again.

In September, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a tip that someone may have spotted Highsmith on Daniel Island. Her family traveled to Charleston, South Carolina, over the weekend in hope of finding her.

“If my sister is here, we’re going to do everything we can, fight like hell to try to find her,” said Jeff Highsmith, Melissa Highsmith’s brother.

Anyone with information is asked to call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. A $20,000 reward is being offered to anyone with valuable information.

“We would like to be part of her life. We’d like her to be part of our life, if we find her,” said Jeff Highsmith, Melissa Highsmith’s father.

(WATCH BELOW: Report: Brittanee Drexel’s killer convicted, sentenced to life in prison)

Report: Brittanee Drexel’s killer convicted, sentenced to life in prison

©2022 Cox Media Group