[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5717]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             SHANNON MELENDI'S DEATH STINGS, 20 YEARS LATER

  (Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share some words 
written by Anne Vasquez about the tragic loss of a teen from my Miami 
high school:

       Shannon Melendi and I became fast friends. Tears still 
     sting my eyes when I think of the final chapters of Shannon's 
     short life.
       At 19, a sophomore at Emory, she disappeared on a Saturday 
     afternoon lunch break from her job at a softball field in 
     suburban Atlanta.
       The year was 1994. It would be another painful 12 years 
     before the suspect confessed.
       Shannon's body was never found. No funeral, no official 
     moment to mourn. The last 20 years have unfolded in surreal 
     fashion.
       A smart 19-year-old with quick wit, the president of her 
     high school senior class, an aspiring lawyer, a champion 
     debater, the daughter of present and caring parents--it can 
     happen to anyone, anywhere.

  Indeed.
  Thank you, Anne. Shannon, we'll always remember you.

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