Melissa and her infant daughter, Jasmine Collins, were last seen leaving their apartment in Akron, Ohio on August 8, 1991. They were walking to a grocery store four blocks from their residence when they both disappeared. Melissa did not have additional cash or supplies for either of them, nor did she have any travel plans. Neither Melissa nor Jasmine has been seen again.

The last person to claim he saw Melissa and Jasmine was also the prime suspect in their cases. Raymond "Sweet Pea" Smith was staying with a woman who sublet her apartment to Melissa at the time. Smith claimed that Melissa and Jasmine walked to the store at approximately 7:30 p.m. the evening they vanished. Smith left his home shortly after they departed. He returned to the apartment building one to two days later in August 1991 wearing bloody clothing. Smith was never charged in either of the Collins cases. He had a history of mental illness and drug usage. Smith committed suicide in 1992. The Collins cases are still unsolved, but foul play is suspected due to the circumstances involved.