Missing female dentist rescued after former patient recognized her on the street
A Georgia community breathed a sigh of relief this weekend after a missing dentist, Dr. Melanie Nadler Litt, was found safe days after she vanished under mysterious circumstances.
The 52-year-old was reported missing last week after she failed to show up for work at Family Dentistry at Seven Hills in Dallas, just days before a planned trip to Japan with her husband, according to the Cobb County Police Department.
When officers conducted a welfare check, they found her phone inside her home, but both her car and wallet were missing — sparking fears for her safety. Her abandoned car was later discovered in a parking lot, deepening the mystery and alarming loved ones who described her disappearance as “completely out of character.”
Found by a Former Patient
On Sunday, police confirmed that Dr. Nadler Litt had been located safe and unharmed. Authorities said there were no signs of foul play, but her whereabouts in the days prior remain unclear.
Her discovery came thanks to a stroke of luck — and one observant former patient.
Billy Robertson, who once had his wisdom teeth removed by Dr. Nadler Litt, spotted her outside Town Center Mall in Marietta and immediately recognized her face.
“I just got this weird feeling that I should at least ask,” Robertson told Fox 5 Atlanta. “Hey, are you a dentist? Do you remember me?”
Robertson’s instincts proved right. After realizing she was the missing dentist, he called 911, leading to police arriving on scene and the official Be On the Lookout (BOLO) alert being canceled.
“It was just a one-in-a-million shot,” Robertson said. “Right place, right time.”
A Confrontation Caught on Camera
Robertson recorded parts of the encounter and uploaded the footage to Facebook, where it appeared to show Dr. Nadler Litt standing beside an unidentified man. Robertson claimed the man became agitated and tried to pull her away, yelling that her “husband was after them.”
In a follow-up post, Dr. Litt’s husband, Lesley Litt, shared on Facebook that his wife was “in a mental health crisis” and urged the public to remain vigilant.
“She is being manipulated and controlled,” he wrote. “She was observed being dragged around a market by the person she is with. She was not forthright with police.”
Lesley also alleged that the man seen with his wife — reportedly named Anthony Nestor — had a prior record for domestic violence.
“He was charged with beating one of his wives,” Lesley claimed, adding that police “didn’t do her any justice and let them both leave.”
Authorities have not confirmed the man’s identity or any criminal allegations.
A Sudden Disappearance
Dr. Nadler Litt was last seen on October 13, the day before she failed to appear for work. Friends said she had dinner that night with another friend and was preparing for her trip to Japan.
Her husband, who was visiting their son at college out of state, officially reported her missing after coworkers raised the alarm.
“We all want to see her home and safe, and we love her dearly,” he told Fox 5 Atlanta earlier in the week.
A Beloved Dentist and Community Member
Dr. Nadler Litt, a respected practitioner, graduated from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in 1999 and completed her residency at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Jersey. She has lived in Marietta since 2004, where she built a reputation for her kindness and care within the community.
She is an active member of the American Dental Association, the Georgia Dental Association, and the Northwestern District Dental Society.
Photos on social media show a warm family life — vacations with her husband and son, and even a pair of pet birds at home.
As of now, police say Dr. Nadler Litt is safe and that there is no ongoing threat, though questions linger about where she was and who she was with in the days she was missing.
“The most important thing,” Robertson said, “is that everybody is found safe.”
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