The gold tooth that condemned the mountain nomad

The gold tooth that condemned the mountain nomad: The serial murder of Roy Allen Melanson August 1992. A geologist stops on the slope of a mountain at 3,000 meters and sees something shining in the ground: a gold tooth embedded in a human skull. Eighteen years after her disappearance, Michelle Wallace had finally been found. But how did a vagrant without a fixed address manage to commit at least four confirmed homicides and remain free for decades while his victims decomposed into oblivion? In this episode, we explore the trail of blood left by Roy Allen Melanson: from his first violent attacks in 1972 to his confirmation as a serial killer by DNA in 2011. We unravel the contradictory evidence that took decades to connect, the confessions of cellmates that went unheard, and how an entire family was destroyed by uncertainty: Margaret Wallace committed suicide, unable to wait for answers; her husband was murdered years later; her son was left alone. How many more died at the hands of Melanson? Victim: Michelle Wallace Date: August 1974 Location: Rocky Mountains, Colorado Status: Murder confirmed by DNA; life sentence - The only visible trace for 18 years was a gold tooth in a skull found by chance on the mountain. - Roy sold Michelle's belongings at a pawn shop for $73.75, but he was only charged with theft, not homicide. - Margaret Wallace, the victim's mother, committed suicide with barbiturates without ever knowing her daughter's fate; her husband was murdered years later. - Melanson's DNA was not compared with cold cases until 2010, thirty-six years after the murder of Enita Fayiani Andreus. Michelle Wallace, Roy Melanson, Colorado Rocky Mountains murder, 1974, serial killer, forensic, DNA, delayed justice, criminal investigation, unsolved mystery, homicide, true crime SpanishTo listen ad-free and access premium episodes, start your 14-day free trial at obomedia.comOBOMEDIA presents true crime storiesa true crime podcast built on real cases.Every true crime story in our crime files follows the crime investigation from the missing person report to the trial: investigators and police building a murder case, a police investigation gone cold, justice for the victim and those who survived.We open the unsolved murder, the cold case reopened decades later, the mysterious death, the disappearance, the serial killer, the family murder, the murder mystery; the missing persons  a missing woman, a missing girl, a missing man found dead and the missing and murdered.From the infamous case to the unsolved case, from classic true crime to dark true crime and disturbing true crime: true crime reports, real crime stories, real murder cases, true murder stories and unsolved mysteries one true crime case at a time, from the OBOMEDIA true crime vault.© 2026 Created with OBOMEDIA technology. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text and related materials) are the property of their respective creator and are distributed under the OBOMEDIA name on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing and business inquirie