Shannon Melendi

In the absence of many forensic tools yet to be invented, 18th-century investigators had their work cut out for them. This was especially true in murder cases where the victim’s body was never found. These are called bodiless murders or no-body cases. In the past, no-body cases made it nearly impossible to convict anyone of murder—what if the “victim” actually reappeared alive and well, after their accused murderer had been executed? That exact scenario, where the victim came “back to life,” happened at least two times. There have been an estimated 500 trials for no-body cases in the United States as of 2020. Of those 500 trials, approximately 40 cases have been solved in 15 states. On September 19th, 2005, the state of Georgia solved its first no-body case when it convicted the murderer of 19-year-old Shannon Melendi. Content Warnings: murder, sexual assault, abductions & missing persons, harm to a pregnant person, police negligence SPONSORS:EverlyWell – for listeners of the show, EverlyWell is offering a special discount of twenty percent off an at-home lab test at everlywell.com/tcfc.EVENTS:The True Crime and Paranormal Podcast Festival will be held on August 25 – 27, 2023 in Austin, Texas. Join other ethical true crime podcasters, victim advocates, and paranormal creators for a weekend full of panels, round tables, and live shows. Head to www.truecrimepodcastfestival.com/tickets to purchase your early bird tickets. Credits:-Follow my socials: https://linktr.ee/LanieHobbs Thank you for listening – if you enjoyed this episode please leave a positive review and rating on apple podcast or your podcast player of choice, it really does help.You can find us on most social media channels, Twitter @TrueCrime_Cases, facebook.com/tcfcpodcast, and Instagram @truecrimecaseswithlanie & of course, our website is truecrimefanclub.comIf you have an episode suggestion, send us an email at [email protected] episode was researched by Haley Gray and written by Andrea Marshbank. Content editing by Brittney Martinez.Produced by Neeks at WeTalkofDreams – check him out on Twitter @WeTalkofDreams or wetalkofdreams.com Production assisted by Jesse HawkeInterested in my audiobook? Download it on now on Audible: The Little Demons Inside, by Micah ThomasBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-cases-w-lanie--3643504/support. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices