Melissa Susan Patzer, 41, was last seen August 5, 2005, leaving Jamestown, North Dakota by bus. She traveled to Michigan and was reportedly heading to Biloxi, Mississippi, to find work after Hurricane Katrina. The last confirmed sighting came in Granbury, Texas, in October 2005; after that, all contact was lost and her whereabouts are unknown.

Patzer was known to use several aliases and last names, including Essex, Smith, and Bursley. Distinctive tattoos were noted: a Harley Davidson logo on her wrist, a rose on her left shoulder, and the name Marv on her upper arm. The Jamestown Police Department and the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation have investigated her disappearance but few significant leads have emerged.

Anyone with information about Melissa Patzer’s last movements or who knew her by one of her other names is asked to come forward.