Father of Melissa Trumpy’s children hopes for breakthrough in disappearance case

STEPHENSON COUNTY, Ill. (WTVO) — The father of two of Melissa Trumpy’s children says a break in the case is long overdue, as new investigators take a fresh look at the Monticello, Wisconsin woman’s 2021 disappearance.

Trumpy, 37, was last seen on Oct. 26, 2021, in Shannon, Illinois, at the home of her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Derek Hammer. Her vehicle was found the next day on a rural road near Freeport,

but Trumpy was nowhere to be found.

Friends and family say they are convinced foul play was involved. Benny Affrunti, the father of two of Trumpy’s children, said renewed searches are underway in areas near Pearl City and Shannon, including farmland, wooded areas and bodies of water.

“With Melissa’s remains, not only do my kids get closure, but they also have a stronger case,” Affrunti said.

Hammer is currently serving a five-year prison sentence in Wisconsin for gun, drug and domestic abuse offenses—a case that involved Trumpy. While he has not been named a suspect in her disappearance, Affrunti said he hopes investigators can either rule him out or dig deeper if necessary.

“They’ve gone back to the very beginning of Melissa’s case,” Affrunti said. “Essentially, they’re redoing it from scratch.”

The Illinois Attorney General’s Office, including its prosecution team, is now part of the investigation. Affrunti said he believes more than one person may have been involved in Trumpy’s disappearance.

“We know there are additional people—alleged accomplices—that need to be checked out,” he said.

The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, on Oct. 24, released a statement about the case, saying investigators will not stop looking for the missing woman.

“New search warrants and investigative actions continue to be executed as new information develops,” the department said. We remain deeply sympathetic to Melissa’s family and friends, who have endured four long years without answers.”

Affrunti said a newly established tip hotline could be key to solving the case.

“Melissa deserves to be laid to rest with some dignity and laid to rest with some respect,” he said. “I think any human being deserves to be buried and not be discarded like trash or buried somewhere where their children can’t come and lay them to rest [and] say goodbye.”

Affrunti added that efforts to issue murder charges without recovering Trumpy’s remains have been ongoing.

Authorities are urging anyone with information to call the hotline at 866-498-4122.