Melissa BROWN aka Melissa TRUSSELL

  Cold case abduction murder: Nathan Davidson was just 11 when his mother and Melissa vanished in 2000 | The Advertiser 

Name: Melissa BROWN
 Age at time of disappearance: 16 years
D.O.B. - 1984
Build: Slim
Height: 162 cm
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Distinguishing Features/Other:
 

Circumstances

Rosemary Brown, aged 33 years, along with her daughter Melissa Brown (also known as Melissa Trussell), aged 15 years, and Rosemary’s son, were residents of the Windsor Gardens Caravan Park.
On 3 May 2000 they were evicted due to unpaid rent and complaints of youths loitering around their caravan. They moved from their caravan into the caravan of another park resident, Mark Nicholls, at his invitation.
Three days later, on 7 May 2000, all four were evicted from the caravan park and slept at the Garden Island boat ramp in Mr Nicholls’ caravan. The following day, Rosemary arranged for them to stay in the yard of a friend’s home in Blair Athol in Mr Nicholl’s caravan.
Mr Nicholls was the last to see Rosemary and Melissa, at about 1.30 a.m. on Saturday 13 May 2000, when they left the caravan on foot to find Rosemary’s son.
Rosemary’s handbag was discovered later that day in Stirling Street, Northfield, although it was not handed to police until 23 May 2000 following a media appeal in relation to the missing women.
On Sunday 2 July 2000, Rosemary’s body was discovered in the mangroves at Garden Island.
Melissa has never been found and is suspected to have been murdered.
If you have information that may assist police please call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

 

Cold case abduction murder: Nathan Davidson was just 11 when his mother and Melissa vanished in 2000

NATHAN Davidson was just a boy when he last saw his mother, Rosemary. Although he can still remember his last vision of her, their final conversation has now faded from his memory.

Nigel Hunt Advertiser
March 12, 2017 - 12:00AM

 

NATHAN Davidson was just a boy when he last saw his mother, Rosemary. Although he can still remember his last vision of her, their final conversation has now faded from his memory.

While he knows his mother is dead, he still clings to a faint hope his half-sister, Melissa, who also vanished the day his mother was last seen, may still be alive.

“I want to know how and who — of course I do — and if Mel is still around,’’ Mr Davidson said. “Any closure would be good.’’

The abduction and murder of mother and daughter Rosemary and Melissa Brown is one of Adelaide’s most disturbing unsolved murder cases.

The remains of Rosemary, 33, were found in the Garden Island mangroves on July 2, 2000 — seven weeks after she and Melissa, 15, were last seen.

Major Crime detectives believe it is likely Melissa was also murdered and her body dumped with that of her mother. But her remains were never recovered, despite exhaustive searches by divers.

The only clue so far to solving the crime has been Rosemary’s handbag, which was found on a Northfield street the day after she was last seen alive. It was not handed in to police until May 23, with its contents.

Mr Davidson, 28, was just 11 when his mother and Melissa vanished.

After the crimes, he spent five years living with various relatives and friends, and then made his own way in life from the age of 16.

The family had been living at the Windsor Gardens Caravan Park but were evicted on May 7, 2000.

They spent that night in a friend’s caravan, which was parked in the carpark near the Garden Island walkway, not far from the location where Rosemary’s remains were found.

The caravan was then moved to the back yard of a Blair Athol house, where Rosemary and Melissa were last seen on May 13, 2000.

Mr Davidson said the last time he saw his mother was in the caravan on the night of May 12, before he went to a friend’s house.

‘There were quite a few people there and she didn’t look happy, she looked tense,’’ he said.

“I remember we were struggling at the time, homeless and moving around a bit.’’

He said he and Melissa were attending schools at Windsor Gardens and after school they would help their mother with her work.

Rosemary was working three jobs at the time to provide for her children — cleaning jobs and landscaping.

Mr Davidson stayed at his mate’s house that night and returned to the Blair Athol house the next day and waited for his mother’s return.

“I stayed there for a week but they didn’t come back and then it got reported,’’ he said.

Major Crime case officer Detective Brevet Sergeant Jodie O’Brien said the investigation was still active, with information being provided by the public every month.

She said Rosemary had been at work as usual on Friday, May 12, and had then spent some time visiting friends at the Windsor Gardens Caravan Park before going to the Blair Athol address. Detectives had not yet ascertained why the pair left the Blair Athol address early on May 13.

“Rosemary has left the caravan and Melissa has followed her,’’ Brevet-Sgt O’Brien said. “That is the last time they were seen.”

Numerous people have been questioned at length over the murders — including the owner of the caravan — but there is no firm suspect.

The investigation has been hampered because no crime scene evidence is available and there is little forensic evidence.

A cause of death for Rosemary Brown has not been released. Detectives are anxious to hear from anybody who mixed in the circles Rosemary Brown did, anyone who may have seen the pair in the vicinity of the Garden Island walkway between May 7 and July 2, or who may have seen the pair after May 13.

“There may be people who know something who were reluctant to talk to us then who can now assist us,” Brevet-Sgt O’Brien said. “Allegiances change over time and Nathan certainly needs closure so he can move on.”

Mr Davidson, who wants to become a house painter, said the tragedy had left him “alone’’ for many years and his life now revolved around his two daughters — Imogen, 6, and Rikki-Lee, 4.

“They have given me purpose and are my focus now,’’ Mr Davidson said.

A reward of $200,000 is available for information about the murder of Rosemary Brown and a $1 million reward is available for information on Melissa’s murder and the recovery of her body.

Details of the crimes are featured on playing cards which are distributed through the state’s prisons as part of the Operation Persist cold case initiative.

 

 

'Person of interest' in mother and daughter SA cold case

By AAP
Homicide detectives reviewing the disappearance of mother and daughter Rosemary and Melissa Brown in Adelaide 16 years ago have confirmed a caravan owner is one person of interest in the cold case.
Mrs Brown, 33, and her 15-year-old daughter went missing after leaving a property in Blair Athol, in Adelaide's north, on May 13, 2000. Mrs Brown's body was found in mangroves at Garden Island on July 2, 2000 but Melissa has never been seen again.
Detective Sergeant Jodie O'Brien said on Sunday that Mrs Brown's body was found near where she had been staying in a caravan with "an associate" in a car park on the night of May 7 after she had been evicted from the Windsor Park caravan park.
Her associate, the owner of the caravan, has been interviewed by police but Det Sgt O'Brien said he "is not the only person of interest to investigators".
"He had contact with Rosemary in the days leading up to her death, but police have an open mind in relation to what has occurred in this matter," she said in a statement.
"We still don't know where Rosemary was murdered, and we have never found Melissa although we suspect she may have been murdered and disposed of in the same area."
The case, which was last reviewed in 2004, is being subjected to fresh analysis as part of the SA police cold case campaign Operation Persist.
 
A reward of up to $1 million for information leading to a conviction for Melissa's suspected murder, or for the recovery of her remains, and $200,000 reward for information leading to a conviction for Mrs Brown's murder have failed to produce a breakthrough in the case.
Pictures of the mother and daughter also feature on a set of playing cards distributed in SA prisons, which police use to highlight rewards for unsolved crimes in the state.

 

THE UNSOLVED MURDER OF AN ADELAIDE MOTHER AND HER TEENAGE DAUGHTER

Posted on 13/05/2020

Today marks 20 years since the disappearance and suspected murder of teenager Melissa Brown (also known as Melissa Trussell).

The 15-year old was with her 33-year old mother, Rosemary – whose body was later found in mangroves north of Adelaide.

While Melissa is thought to have also been murdered and her body disposed in the same area, no trace of her has ever been found.

The pair had been residents at the Windsor Gardens Caravan Park, along with Rosemary’s young son.

On 3 May 2000 the family was evicted because of unpaid rent and complaints about youths loitering around their caravan.

They moved into the caravan of another park resident, Mark Nicholls, at his invitation.

Three days later, on 7 May 2000, all four were evicted from the caravan park and slept at the Garden Island boat ramp in Mr Nicholls’ caravan.

The following day, Rosemary arranged for them to stay in the yard of a friend’s home in Blair Athol in Mr Nicholl’s caravan.

Mr Nicholls was the last person to see Rosemary and Melissa at about 1.30am on Saturday 13 May 2000, when they left the caravan on foot to find Rosemary’s son.

Rosemary’s handbag was discovered later that day in Stirling Street, Northfield. It was not handed into police until 23 May 2000 after a public appeal about the missing women.

On Sunday 2 July 2000, Rosemary’s body was discovered in the mangroves at Garden Island.

Melissa has never been found and is suspected to have been murdered.

Numerous people have been questioned at length over the murders but there is no firm suspect.

The investigation has been hampered by a lack of crime scene evidence and very little forensic evidence.

A reward of $200,000 is available for information about the murder of Rosemary Brown and a $1 million reward is available for information on Melissa’s murder and the recovery of her body.