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The announcement of an arrest was made in Massachusetts by Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett on Wednesday, April 27, that after nearly 34 years, a suspect has been nabbed in connection with the murder of 11-year-old Melissa Tremblay in 1988.
On Sept. 12, 1988, Melissa's body was discovered in the old Boston & Maine Railway in Lawrence, Massachusetts. She had been stabbed to death. Postmortem, her body was run over by a train car causing her left leg to be amputated, the DA's Office said.
Marvin C. McClendon, Jr., age 74, of Breman, Alabama, was placed under arrest and charged as a fugitive from justice based on an arrest warrant issued for the murder of Melissa Ann Tremblay of Salem, New Hampshire, on Sept. 12, 1988, Blodgett said.
“I want to thank everyone involved in this investigation from beginning to end,” Blodgett said. “Their tireless pursuit of justice for Melissa has brought us to this moment. We never forgot about Melissa, nor did we give up on holding her killer accountable.”
An investigation ensued and police learned that Melissa had accompanied her mother and mother’s boyfriend to the LaSalle Social Club in Lawrence on Sept. 11, 1988.
While her mother and mother’s boyfriend remained inside the club, Melissa played in the adjacent neighborhoods and was last seen by a railroad employee and pizza delivery driver during the late afternoon hours, the DA's Office said.
That night, Melissa’s mother and mother’s boyfriend frantically searched the area and then reported her missing to the Lawrence Police around 9 p.m.
Over the years, scores of witnesses, suspects, and persons of interest were interviewed by police.
Law enforcement officials assigned to the Essex District Attorney’s Office specializing in cold cases have worked diligently on the case since 2014, Blodgett said.
"Evidence recovered from the victim’s body was instrumental in solving the case," he added.
The investigation found that the suspect lived in Chelmsford in 1988, and had multiple ties to Lawrence. Specifically, investigators learned that he worked and frequented establishments in the city of Lawrence including the Seventh Day Adventist Church on Salem Street.
Essex Victim Advocates contacted surviving members of Melissa’s family last night and again this morning, the DA said.
McClendon is in the custody of the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office. The timing of his return to Massachusetts is dependent on his decision to waive extradition.
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