Atlanta man arrested for allegedly killing, dismembering wife who disappeared in 1998

ATLANTA (TCN) -- A man was arrested this week over 25 years after his wife went missing and whose severed remains were found in two different places several months apart.

On Wednesday, Aug. 7, the Atlanta Police Department announced Christopher Wolfenbarger was taken into custody on a murder charge for allegedly killing Melissa Wolfenbarger. He was reportedly found hiding behind a dryer in his home.

Atlanta Police Lt. Andrew Smith said at a news conference that on April 29, 1999, a passerby discovered a severed head on Avon Avenue. A little over a month later, on June 3, 1999, additional human remains were found in a nearby area. The remains were initially misidentified as a missing male. Melissa Wolfenbarger, however, was not reported missing until January 2000, and her remains were not positively identified until 2003.

According to WAGA-TV, the arrest of Melissa Wolfenbarger's father, Carl Patton, helped bring some answers to her family. Patton was arrested in February 2023 for allegedly killing a 31-year-old woman. He was later convicted of five counts of murder and is currently serving life in prison in the Georgia Department of Corrections.

Detectives determined he did not have a role in his daughter's disappearance and death. After Patton's arrest, Melissa Wolfenbarger's family pushed for DNA testing on the remains.

The case was handed over to Detective Jarion Shephard in May 2021. He believes Melissa Wolfenbarger was killed in a domestic violence-related incident.

Melissa Wolfenbarger's mother, Norma Patton, said at the press briefing, "She laid in the morgue for four years before she was identified. That was a long, hard four years."

WXIA reports Christopher Wolfenbarger did not report Melissa Wolfenbarger missing and told police he last saw his wife around March or April 1999.

Norma Patton said she last spoke with her daughter on Thanksgiving 1998 when Melissa Wolfenbarger called her to ask what she was cooking and who was coming to dinner. Melissa Wolfenbarger reportedly said she wanted to come over, and Patton said she would pick her up.

Patton shared, "The conversation went on a little bit longer, and my last words were, 'I love you, and you know where I am if you need me.'"

Patton and her other daughter, Tina Patton, were allegedly never allowed to see Christopher and Melissa Wolfenbarger's kids because his mother had custody of them. Norma Patton said she has been working on creating a relationship with them.

Tina Patton said at the news conference, "From day one, we knew it was Christopher. There was never any doubt in my mind."

She said Christopher Wolfenbarger has "evil in his eyes," and compared his stare to Charles Manson's.

Norma Patton described her daughter as a loving mother, adding, "She loved her kids. There’s no way she would’ve left her kids. That’s why she kept going back to him."

Norma Patton said, "We got him. He’s in jail. Lord help me, he stays there."

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