APACHE JUNCTION, AZ — If only the desert could talk, the mystery of what happened to Melody Harrison would be solved. For over 30 years, the teen remained a Jane Doe.
Harrison was found in Apache Junction, and although she's been identified, her case remains unsolved.
Watch part 1 of this Arizona Crime Uncovered episode in the player above. Catch the full episode on the ABC15 streaming app on your Roku, Fire TV Stick, or other devices starting Friday at 8:30 p.m.
ABC15 sat down with the crime scene technician who worked tirelessly to identify the 15-year-old. Stephanie Bourgeois walked us through that journey and her quest to get answers.
Arizona Crime Uncovered is an ABC15 series dedicated to raising awareness for victims still waiting for justice and providing an in-depth look at ongoing cases.
Each episode breaks down the timeline of a case, its current status, and any assistance needed from the community. Learn more here.
This case is also one of five being looked at by the Arizona Attorney General's new cold case unit. The unit's Supervisory Special Agent sat down with our Ashley Holden as he hopes to unravel this mystery and, decades later, get justice for Harrison's family.
1992 JANE DOE
"We've never had a case like this," said Bourgeois. "So we deal with cases, but not a case like this."
It was about 17 years ago when Bourgeois, with the Apache Junction Police Department, opened up that case file for a 1992 death in Apache Junction. The victim at that time was considered a Jane Doe.
"[I] learned that she was found here in AJ down on the corner of Baseline and Idaho Road, and it was August 6, 1992 that she was located there," said Bourgeois. "It was mostly skeletal remains, and when I went through her anthropological report and her medical examiner's report, it had undetermined as the cause of death. So we didn't have a cause or manner as to how she died, when it was mostly skeletal remains."
She said the teen was found all those decades ago by a man who was walking his dog in the area. Even today, the location is still mostly empty desert.
"So per the anthro report, we had 16 to 18 years, so that's what we went off of," said Bourgeois. "We obviously knew it was a female, but that there wasn't a lot. We had her clothing that she had on her."
Bourgeois only had a few pieces of evidence to start with, including a bus token found in the teen's pocket and her clothes and jewelry. It was discovered the token was given out commonly to students in Phoenix.
"I think the fact that she was so young, it just didn't make sense as to if she's not from this area," said Bourgeois. "Like, how did she get out here if she's that young? And back in that time, Apache Junction was so rural."
Bourgeois said something about the case just didn't add up. She poured through the case file and runaway reports from around that time. The AJPD Crime Scene Technician told ABC15 some people were even re-interviewed.
In 2012, new facial recognition was done with help from the FBI, which ultimately aided a push from police years later.
"Because of her age, that she was possibly a juvenile, NCMEC, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, assigned her a caseworker," said Bourgeois.
She worked with that caseworker to place a few billboards in the Phoenix area, which ABC15 covered in 2019.
What was considered old-fashioned police techniques were used while Bourgeois explored if new technology could help.
MAJOR BREAK IN CASE
In 2018, AJPD paired up with the DNA Doe Project to work on Jane Doe's genealogy.
"It took a long time because of her genealogy makeup, she is partially African American, Hispanic, and Native American," said Bourgeois. "And so it took quite a while, but in 2023 they were able to narrow down that family tree to her parents, and then we were able to identify her."
A first cousin helped put the genetic puzzle pieces together and pointed Bourgeois to a Phoenix teen. The first relatives of Melody Harrison that Bourgeois was able to track down were the 15-year-old’s mom and sister.
The pair confirmed Harrison had gone missing in 1992, but it was the ring the teen had been found wearing that made the first confirmed connection. Harrison's mom said she had given matching rings to both her daughters, Melody and Michelle.
"I collected DNA from her mother and Michelle just so we could send it to the lab and compare it to what we had on file to confirm it was," said Bourgeois. "And then maybe just a couple weeks later, we got the confirmation."
It's an emotional moment for Bourgeois, but one that doesn't have a true ending.
The confirmation was also one that would unknowingly connect long lost relatives and spark a new phase of the case.
While weaving together Harrison's genealogy, Bourgeois and DNA Doe Project discovered an uncle the teen's family was unaware of.
"So Benjamin, which is Melody's father, thought he was an only child as well," said Bourgeois. "And so now, at like 70 years old, this family has come together and have this whole lifetime that they get to catch up on. And learn that he has a brother. They have an uncle. So there is a positive portion to it, even though at the same time, they're grieving their loss."
The Harrison family thought Melody had run away, something she had done before. But Bourgeois said, according to family, it was unlike her to not come back.
Some family members thought they had spotted her different places over the years, creating a theory that Harrison wanted to go her own separate way.
Loved ones described the 15-year-old as loving school, with dreams of becoming an attorney.
A theory that has been a part of the investigation is the possible involvement of a serial killer. Some of those names' investigators over the years have considered or looked into include Sean Goble, Bryan Patrick Miller, and Sam Little.
"We just haven't had a lot of luck going down that route," said Bourgeois.
AG'S OFFICE LAUNCHES COLD CASE UNIT
Bourgeois has done years of work on Harrison's case voluntarily. She told ABC15 they used to have a cold case unit, that was also voluntary, but those people ended up leaving.
"The Attorney General's Office has a newly formed cold case unit, and we asked them if they would look at Melody's case and see if there's anything more that I haven't done, that we could possibly do," said Bourgeois. "And so now it's at the Attorney General's office being reviewed by them."
Bourgeois told ABC15 there are things she is still working on when it comes to Harrison's case, but she's letting the AG's office start their work.
"I want them to look at it with their eyes and tell me what they think about it," said Bourgeois. "So then hopefully we can find a new lead or get information from an old lead that I wasn't able to."
ABC15 sat down with Roger Geisler, the Supervisory Special Agent in charge of the AG's new cold case unit, which right now is comprised of two people.
"So we do have quite a few cases that come to our agency," said Geisler. "We have more than the five cases we have out there right now. But these cases are probably the most, I wouldn't say the most important, because all the cases are important to us. But I think these cases that are likely to have somebody out there who may know something."
When it comes to Harrison's case, Geisler said it's one that's especially concerning because of Harrison's age.
"She had gone so many years as a Jane Doe, and luckily through DNA and through technology she was able to be identified," said Geisler. "I think that case is really important, especially when it deals with a child. Because what type of an offender are we talking about, and to travel and dispose of her the way they did. So to me those cases are ones, they get really personal."
When it comes to what's next for the case, Geisler said there are some other investigative techniques that his unit is pursuing. At this time, he can't go into further details about what that entails.
"But again, it's a needle in a haystack," said Geisler. "We just need that one person or one piece of evidence to come forward and give us what we need to help identify the person responsible."
He wants the public to know that no detail is too small, even tips about the clothes or items Harrison had with her.
"We just need that one person," said Geisler. "Was she on a bus? Was she in a car with somebody? Was she at a mini mart, a grocery store? You know, those places that somebody may have seen that and call in and give us the information."
ABC15 spoke with the AG's office about all five of the cold cases they are investigating. We will be running and posting more from that interview as Arizona Crime Uncovered works to share new details and go in-depth into more of these cases.
