30 years later, friend seeks answers in unsolved Melissa Tremblay case

It was a murder that shocked Merrimack Valley.

With the 30th anniversary of the murder of 11-year-old Melissa Tremblay coming up this month, authorities are still on the hunt for her killer.

Tremblay was found stabbed to death in a Lawrence rail yard on Sept 12, 1988, where her little body was found beneath two train cars.

Her leg had been severed by one of the trains and there was ample evidence of a struggle.

Thirty years later, while her killer is still on the loose, in her hometown of Salem, New Hampshire one of Tremblay's friends is still seeking justice.

"We all had to grow up without her, continue on our lives without her, get married, have children, al these things," said Andrea Ganley, Tremblay's friend. "She is forever eleven and we're all adults."

Thirty years ago, Ganley was starting the second grade and knew Tremblay from the playground. Today, she is working hard to find her friend's killer.

Ganley last saw Tremblay at the front doors to the Lancaster School in Salem, N.H. as the school day was ending. In 30 years, it is a moment Ganley never forgot.

"People need to know, she mattered, she had people who cared about her," said Ganley.

On the day Tremblay was found dead, her mother had let her wander the streets for hours unsupervised while she went to a Lawrence social club with her boyfriend.

Today, Ganley is looking for answers everywhere, hoping advances in forensic science might break the case and bring justice to Tremblay.

"She had personality, she had a life and her life was never fair," said Ganley. "It was not fair to her, she didn't ask for any of this."

Lawrence Police and the Essex County DA's office say the Melissa Tremblay investigation is open and active.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact Mass State Police in the Essex County DA's office at 978-745-8908.

Cox Media Group