The story of Melvin Kirk Ward is tragic, to say the least. His abuse and eventual murder was lovingly immortalized in the pages of the November 1980 issue of Reader’s Digest. Names, places, and dates were fictionalized, which is why he is named Robbie Wayne in Reader’s Digest. It’s a difficult story to read and may very well leave you in tears by the time you are finished.
The significance of this story is, unfortunately, timeless. Child abuse often goes unreported, and it happens every day, probably in every community around the world. You might feel helpless to stop it, but one thing you CAN do is be aware of what child abuse looks like and how you can report it if you suspect that a child’s safety is in danger.
Melvin Kirk Ward suffered a long, agonizing death, but it doesn’t have to be for nothing. I highly recommend reading his story from start to finish. The author of this piece, the late Mary Jane Chambers, was an advocate for children, and you can be, too.
Read the full version of The Murder of Robbie Wayne, Age Six here:
https://www.phil.net.au/robbie_wayne
To the best of my knowledge, The Murder of Robbie Wayne Age Six has never been published as a book or in any form outside of Reader’s Digest.
Find a Grave: Melvin Kirk Ward
My video on Melvin Kirk Ward is in no way associated with the work of Mary Jane Chambers or with Reader’s Digest. It is my own retelling of the events during and after Melvin Kirk Ward’s life, and a large portion of it is based on the Reader’s Digest story. Other parts come from newspaper reporting from the time when these things occurred.
I also want to acknowledge the Reddit post about Melvin Kirk Ward and thank whoever posted the color photo of him, as well as his death certificate.
Leave a Reply