The Vanishing of Melanie James
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Hi, I'm Josh Mankiewicz with a preview of Dateline Missing in America. In our podcast's third season, we share six new unsolved mysteries, and we hope somebody listening may have a clue that could help crack one of these cases. Could that someone be you? Here's Dateline Missing in America. It's called the Four Corners region, the area where four southwestern states meet.

Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. There's even a spot where you can stand in all four states at once. Historically, that same spot also marks the land boundary of two American Indian nations, the Navajo Nation and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Reservation. It's a rocky landscape rich with indigenous culture and history. Some Pueblo ruins date back as far as 1300 AD.

It's in this area, in the town of Farmington, New Mexico, where a 21-year-old Native American woman went missing. Her name is Melanie James. This is her mother. I'm not going to give up on trying to look for her. Every little opportunity I have to put awareness out there is what I'm going to do.

Leila Mailman has been looking for her daughter for more than 10 years. Unfortunately, where she lives is a place where people like her daughter go missing much too frequently. Melanie's disappearance has baffled the community there and become part of a rallying cry in a persistent crisis. We just have had this ongoing system of failures everywhere.

when it comes to Native Americans. It's been going on for centuries and centuries, but isn't it time to stop it? Melanie's family believes she is still alive and still out there somewhere, and they desperately want her back with them. That's where you come in. Please listen closely because you or someone you know might have information that could help solve this case and bring Melanie home.

I'm Josh Mankiewicz, and this is Dateline Missing in America. This episode is The Vanishing of Melanie James. Thanks for listening. Search for Dateline Missing in America to start listening to Season 3. And follow us now. For ad-free listening, subscribe to Dateline Premium on Apple or Spotify.

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