Where Is Melissa Lee Brannen?

 

Melissa Lee Brannen was last seen on December 3, 1989 in Lorton, Virginia, when she was five years old.  She had been at a holiday party held for residents of Woodside Apartments. A man named Caleb Hughes was found guilty of kidnapping Melissa, and while some very compelling evidence was found connecting him to her disappearance, she has never been found.

We begin with the two of cups, reversed, crossed by the Chariot, which is also read reversed here, as a foundation.  This refers to a very violent passion, followed up with nowhere to go; a description of some very decadent and forceful desires. The King of Cups is at the base; this is an adult male, who is sensitive and professional. Since he falls upside right, I will assume that he is kindly disposed toward Melissa, and is trying to find her. Next, also in the past, is the King of Pentacles, reversed. This is another adult male, and as he falls reversed, I must label him part of the problem, rather than part of the solution. When the King of Pentacles comes up reversed in a reading, it refers to man who abuses resources and other people, and abuses any authority granted him, as well. Look for this man to have had dark hair and eyes in 1989. 

In the realm of possibilities, we have the eight of pentacles. Generally, this card depicts a workplace or an apprenticeship position, but this hardly seems to fit the bill as an answer to where a little girl ended up after she went missing. It leads me to ponder whether or not the workplace of the King of Pentacles was properly searched. As it is in "possibilities" rather than actualities, I would be inclined to advise searching it again. The nine of cups, reversed, comes up next. This card describes a home with a lot of resources, and; sure enough, the suspect's home did turn up a lot of clues; but as the card falls reversed, all that was found was evidence, not Melissa. 

The first card on the staff is the Hierophant, reversed. The Hierophant is all about orthodoxy and order, endorsing all that is socially approved. As he falls reversed here, the suggestion is to follow a mode that is not as traditional within the usual comfort zones, but to think and look "outside" of the box. In the place of environment, we have the Sun, reversed. This gives us an outside location, possibly a garden or an embankment with a wall. This is a place that is readily visible to the four "kingdoms" of nature: mineral, vegetable, animal, and human. It was once well manicured, but has not been maintained. As we get the number XIX from the sun, nineteen miles to the north or northwest is symbolized. We deal also with the number ten in the Wheel of Fortune, which comes up next, reversed. The symbolism on this card also deals with four "corners", or realities, if you will. In this case, we have Taurus the Bull, showing us earth, Leo the Lion, representing fire, Scorpio's eagle for water, and the Aquarian angel for air. Somehow, this symbolism plays a role in the location of Melissa. Four elements; four corners. The number of the Wheel of Fortune is X, so ten is key, but here, I think it is a placeholder or a descriptive number, such as part of an address or name. The final card is the ten of pentacles, which is also reversed. This card not only speaks of monetary loss when it falls reversed, but of a loss of family honor, as well. Someone who could help with Melissa's location has kept silent for the sake of "family honor", and has kept the secret for all these years! 

Because of the "earth" references, I expect that Melissa was buried, somewhere between ten and twenty miles to the north of where she was last seen. Anyone with information about this should call the Fairfax County Police in Virginia; 703-246-7800.

 

Brittanee Drexel

The fifth anniversary of Brittanee Drexel's disapearance just passed on April 25, and her case piqued my interest, because she's been missing for so long. No one just vanishes into this air.

We start with the Page of Cups crossed by The High Priestess. Brittanee, the Page, was quite emotional about going on this trip to Myrtle Beach. Her mother, represented by the High Priestess, had not given her permission to go. In this instance, The High Priestess, rather than the Empress, better illustrates the mother's input, because it involved authority and instruction, rather than care taking. These two were at odds, but the ultimate decision to leave home without permission was undertaken by Brittanee.

The four of wands appears in the place of foundation for this situation, only it is reversed. Generally, reversal does not alter the meaning of this card too much, but in this case, I think the card is telling us that the usual party or vacation after hard work described by this card was somehow less than perfect, here. There was still a celebration of sorts, but Brittanee was somehow out of place. The next card is the three of wands, also reversed. This is betrayal, often disguised as friendship or assistance. But why? We find the ten of swords, reversed as a possibility: there was a power play going on, followed by physical violence. I never like to see the ten of swords appear in a reading about a missing person. This is followed up by the ten of wands, which, in this case, is a problem solved by unwise use of power. Ten seems to be a telling number here; it is a number describing completions or endings, but the Tarot could also be trying to give us a clue to location. The ten of wands also suggests that Brittanee was taken somewhere, and did not walk or drive, herself.

Temperance comes up in the place of self, and my attention was drawn to the hills in the background on this card, in the Ryder-Waite deck. This forces me to wonder if this is connected to physical location......Temperance Drive or Road? Temperance Hill? Esoterically and otherwise, this card refers to efficient combinations that work well together, and to melting away impurities. Once is awhile, resisting recreational drugs and alcohol is also suggested by this card, but I really think it calls our attention to the name of a place. The nine of cups came up reversed in surroundings, and card tells of health, good food, and stability when upright, but reversed, it means the opposite. Somehow, too much drinking, or consumption of something toxic or just unhealthy, was part of this picture. The star shows up reversed in the place of hopes; this is pessimism. It can also describe a place where water reflects the light of stars and the moon, but it's position is reversed in this reading, and I would expect to find the subject currently unable to benefit from the hope offered by this card when it falls upside right. The last card is the six of cups. This card is a card of memories of the past, and I would be inclined to look for clues to Brittanee's whereabouts in a place that was familiar to at least one of her companions. It might even be a place one of them frequented as a child. This reading tells of betrayal, so I think someone familiar to Brittanee was involved in her disappearance, rather than a stranger. 

Tirell Ocobock Murder

Tirell Ocobock was found murdered in April of 1976, in Topeka, Kansas. She had been beaten to death. The ony witness was a small brown dog she had been walking, who was taken to an animal shelter. My question was, "Who killed Tirell and why?" This reading starts with the Queen of Cups, upside down, crossed by the Emperor. In and of itself, this is an interesting combination; the reversed queen here is dishonest, manipulative, and emotionally perverse...the Emperor is a father figure. But who are these two in relation to Tirell's murder? The Page of Pentacles appears reversed as a possible cause; here we have a young person, possibly a student, whose ideas are a bit unrealistic and at odds with those around him or her. The ten of swords also appears as an event in the past, and this is not only violence, but a power posturing gesture of sorts. Someone who knew Tirell's route that morning was waiting for her, or following her, and there ensued a situation that involved strong-arming for some reason. This card is followed by the reversed ten of pentacles, the second "ten" in a row to appear reversed. The ten of pentacles reversed refers to a lost inheritance. So a man who was significantly older than Tirell and a woman felt that family property or family honor was somehow threatened by Tirell. Next, we have another card from the suit of swords: the seven of swords. There was a feeling that Tirell had something that was not hers, and by the process of violence, the perpetrators took something that was not theirs.

 

The motive for this crime is represented by the ten of wands, reversed. So we have another upside down "ten"! This card tells of lawsuits and duplicity, and also of legal losses. This was on the minds of the persons who committed the murder, and was part of the general picture. There was a threat, somehow, somewhere; presented to the material well-being of a family by the presence of Terell. Strength appears in the environment.....this murder was committed by persons who honestly felt that what they were doing was right. Also, the public perception of the perpetrators is one of "they would never be involved in a crime", so the investigation stalled, partly because law enforcement was looking for known violent criminals rather than sleuthing through Tirell's affairs in search of a motive. In the place of hopes and fears, the Page of Swords reversed comes up. We have an accessory after the fact who knows who murdered Tirell and why. This person was young enough to be one of Tirell's peers in 1976. The final outcome is the nine of pentacles, reversed. This speaks of a loss of friendship or a loss of a home. It would appear that the murder did not truly protect the Queen of Cups and the Emperor, after all.

 

It really looks as if this murder was committed by two people, a man and a woman; and it also looks as if they knew Tirell, and planned the murder in advance. It was done to protect a family's resources or reputation, and the perpetrators got away with it because no thorough investigation was performed, examining all links to Tirell, her life, and her future.