CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A community event will be held in Charleston for two missing people.
The AWARE Foundation is hosting the event at the Charleston Moose Lodge from 12-3 p.m. Saturday for Melanie Metheny and Chaz Richardson. The event is free and open to the public.
Metheny was last seen in Belle in July 19, 2006. Richardson disappeared near Beckley December 3, 2016.
The event is meant for people to come out and show their support for the continued search for Melanie and Chaz.
Sgt. Brian Humphreys with the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office said deputies are still investigating Metheny’s case.
“We don’t call it a cold case. We just call it an unsolved case, unfortunately,” he said.
Metheny, a mother of three, was 21 years old at the time of her disappearance. She was last seen dripping her children off at a daycare in Belle. Her van was found on Charleston’s West Side four days after she was reported missing.
Those who know her say it was out of her character to abandon her children and family.
Since then, the Sheriff’s Office has been working to follow up on tips and leads. Humphreys said they’re not giving up hope.
“You can’t close every door just because you’re not able to substantiate every lead directly. IT doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have some merit to it. You’re just not able to cooperate it at that point, so those things are still open. There’s still some lose ends detectives continue to follow up on,” he said.
There are several challenges with a more than decade-old case, Humphreys said.
“Physical evidence is going to deteriorate or get lost,” he said. “But that’s not always the case. We’re always hopeful something new will come known and help us out.”
Metheny is described as 5’3″,100 pounds with blonde hair and brown eyes.
To provide a tip on Metheny’s whereabouts, call the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office at 304-357-0169.
Richardson was last seen in the Surveyor area of Beckley getting into a gray/silver Dodge Durango. He was wearing a blue/gray hoodie, jeans and red tennis shoes.
Anyone with information on Richardson’s whereabouts is urged to call Detective C.D. Suman with the Raleigh County Sheriffs Office at 304-255-9300.