Editor's note on Oct. 2, 2023: Melissa Whitsitt has been found safe, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. An update to this story can be found here. Our previous story is below.
WINTER PARK, Colo.— The search for a Winter Park woman who disappeared two weeks ago continues.
Investigators say, Melissa Whitsitt, 34, was last seen on August 13 and reported missing two days after she was last seen in the 100 block of Woodspur Lane in Winter Park.
"Very adventurous. She loved the outdoors,” said her father, Jerry Whitsitt.
Her love for the outdoors is what brought the Tennessee native to Colorado in May.
"She was looking to a new beginning. Starting in Colorado. She loved it there,” said Melissa Whitsitt's mother, Cindy Whitsitt.
Melissa Whitsitt's parents say a job at Winter Park Resort was what sealed the deal on the move, working as an assistant chef at Sunspot Lodge.
Investigators with Fraser Winter Park Police determined Melissa Whitsitt got on the Bustang bus to Denver around 10 on the morning of the 13th. They say the last person who saw her was a roommate who told police she was in bed. Police did a wellness check when she didn't show up to work.
"That’s when we talked to them about the belongings in the room to try and get a clue as to what she was up to and it seemed pretty clear she was planning on coming back,” said Jerry Whitsitt.
Detectives learned her phone was used by an unknown man that day to contact several people in the Denver metro area. Her phone has since been turned off and no one can get ahold of her.
"The phone has been dead after that. It's not been on nor has her debit card been touched. She has money,” said Cindy Whitsitt. “In the past, she would call and tell us she was going hiking with the girls she worked with or shopping for the day.”
However, this time Melissa Whitsitt didn't tell her mother about the trip to Denver and Cindy Whitsitt said she didn't know if she was meeting someone.
"Our biggest fear is the unknown,” said Jerry Whitsitt. “We're hoping for the best but we got to face reality. The world we live in today is kind of like this.”
Just last week, the missing woman's parents came to Denver to search for their daughter. They handed out flyers and searched shelters and medical facilities but came up with nothing. They plan to come back to continue searching if necessary.
“If anyone out there saw her, knows anyone in that area on that day, please come forward. Please call your authorities,” said Cindy Whitsitt.
Investigators say Melissa Whitsitt was last seen wearing blue bell-bottom jeans, a blue tank top, and a possible white sweatshirt. She has a heart tattoo on her left hand and a flower tattoo on her right wrist.
Denver police are assisting Fraser Winter Park Police. If you have any information, call 911, or give Fraser Winter Park police a call at 970-722-7779.
