I thought you'd all like to know there is a very recent (either this year or last year) article penned by Sharon Stajda as told to her by Frances Mealbach which goes through her saga with the Dodge family. As some of you may remember, Mealbach claimed on the very first UM special that John Dodge was indeed her father but he gave her up for adoption within days of her birth.

In my opinion, much credence could be lent to Mealbach's claims due not only to the physical resemblence between her and the Dodges but also several unique memories/occurances that seem to confirm that she is indeed the daughter of John Dodge. As you read the following article you will notice that through someone's intentional deceit, a great deal of information regarding Mealbach's birth and true lineage will probably forever remain an unsolved mystery.

Its still nice to know that Frances "Pat" Mealbach is still alive (now at 92 years of age) and is still asking questions, hoping to find the truth. She gives "Unsolved Mysteries" a nice plug too:

http://www.squidoo.com/tangledweb/

Has anyone asked any Dodge family members to agree to DNA tests?

I absolutely love this story and I just watched it again. To answer your question Cori, the Dodge family asked Pat to take a DNA test but the results were never made public and they never took the matter to court. Which tells me that she had to be blood or they would have rushed her to court to get the whole matter behind them. I just can't understand why this story still has no resolution. Pat died last January, without finding out who she was. I find it so hard to believe that with everything going on and the attention it has gotten that it hasn't been solved!!!

Thanks for answering. I can see not making the results public, but how could they take Pat's DNA and then not tell Pat the results? This should have been SO solvable! :(

Thanks for answering. I can see not making the results public, but how could they take Pat's DNA and then not tell Pat the results? This should have been SO solvable! :(

I guess they did not want her to take a claim on the Dodge's money.

I guess they did not want her to take a claim on the Dodge's money.

Well, DUH, but it's okay for them to take her DNA? She should have demanded some of theirs and had her own tests done! :mad:

"It's gotta be a Dodge." (Guess they felt they already paid the family...in cars!) :lol:

Well, DUH, but it's okay for them to take her DNA? She should have demanded some of theirs and had her own tests done! :mad:

"It's gotta be a Dodge." (Guess they felt they already paid the family...in cars!) :lol:

If your reaction is DUH, why did you ask the question in the first place if the answer was that obvious.
In the segment she already mentioned she did not care about the money so why bother to go any further if the Dodges refused to give her the results?
Maybe something said or done or the lack of it was answer enough for her that she was indeed 'a Dodge'?

With all the evidence in the case it is obvious to me that Mrs. Mealbach was indeed a daughter of John Francis Dodge.
The greed of some people is astonishing! Even if Pat Mealbach were seeking the money, which she was not, they still had no right to deny her the knowledge of her heritage.

This is an amazing story, trully worthy of a film or something. More information here http://unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/The_Family_of_Pat_Mealbach

Thinking about this again. Sad that it was never resolved. I clearly recall on the segment, she said she wasn't interested in the money but her daughter said she was. With the main claimant gone, it's questionable whether any future heirs could make a claim, but I am not familiar with the applicable laws.

Additional information: https://www.reddit.com/r/nonmurdermysteries/comments/hwpwie/interesting_unsolved_mysteries_dna_update_i/

Additional information: https://www.reddit.com/r/nonmurdermysteries/comments/hwpwie/interesting_unsolved_mysteries_dna_update_i/

Two posts from the same person in the same thread, 12 years apart. Cool!

This was fascinating: https://discover.hubpages.com/family/tangledweb