Local News
Who is Anthony Nester? Man having an affair with Atlanta dentist Melanie Nadler Litt
COBB COUNTY, Ga. — The search for 52-year-old Dr. Melanie Nadler Litt, a well-known metro Atlanta dentist, has taken a troubling turn after authorities announced she had been located — but her husband, Lesley Litt, insists she remains unsafe and in the midst of a serious mental health crisis.
The Cobb County Police Department confirmed in a Facebook post that Dr. Litt had been found and that the BOLO (Be On the Lookout) alert had been canceled, stating, “We would like to reassure everyone that Melanie was not in any danger, and there is no indication of foul play.”
However, her husband strongly disputes that claim. In an emotional statement, Lesley Litt said Melanie is not safe and is being manipulated and controlled by the man she was found with.
He alleges she was seen being “dragged around a market” by this individual and appeared terrified. According to witnesses, when a bystander — who recognized Melanie as his dentist — confronted the man, he began yelling aggressively before the pair fled.
Litt added that his wife is “in a mental health crisis and needs immediate professional intervention,” accusing police of failing to properly assess the situation and releasing her back into the care of the man she was with. “They did her no justice,” he said, urging anyone who sees her to call 988 (the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) and provide authorities with her location.
A Facebook user, Billy Robertson, also shared video footage reportedly showing the encounter. In his post, Robertson claimed:
“I literally found the missing woman and chased the man. I confronted them, and she looked terrified. When I asked if she was okay, the man grabbed her and took off. I gave chase. He tried to say her husband was after them.”
The incident comes after Dr. Litt was reported missing on October 14, when she failed to arrive for work at Family Dentistry at Seven Hills in Dallas, Georgia.
A coworker last spoke with her the evening before, after she had finished dinner with a friend. Police conducted a welfare check at her Marietta home and found her cell phone left behind, though her vehicle was missing.
That vehicle was later discovered abandoned behind a business off Barrett Parkway.
Dr. Litt and her husband were reportedly scheduled to depart for Japan on Wednesday morning, but Lesley Litt said he was out of town visiting their son when she disappeared.
In a related development, journalist Cody Alcorn spoke with the wife of the man who was reportedly with Dr. Litt when she was found.
The man has been identified as Anthony Nester, of Kennesaw — who himself had been reported missing on October 11 after telling his wife he was “going to hang with the guys” and failing to return home.
Nester’s wife said that after days of silence, she searched his computer and discovered a hidden Yahoo email account, where she uncovered messages revealing that her husband and Dr. Litt had been involved in a romantic affair for more than a decade. Both Nester and Dr. Litt are believed to have met through her dental practice, where he had been a patient.
Since the video of Dr. Litt and Nester surfaced online, Nester’s wife says she has been harassed and threatened and is pleading for the harassment to stop.
She also stated that Cobb County Police informed her that her husband left voluntarily, and because both he and Dr. Litt are adults, they are no longer considered missing persons.
According to investigators, the last location pinged from Nester’s phone before it was powered off placed him at Dr. Litt’s residence.
At this time, neither Dr. Melanie Nadler Litt nor Anthony Nester are considered missing or endangered, though questions remain regarding Dr. Litt’s well-being and the nature of her relationship with the man she was found with.
Authorities have not announced any further action but continue to monitor developments surrounding the case.
UPDATE: Search efforts have been suspended following the sinking of the commercial fishing vessel Lily Jean off the coast of Gloucester, Massachusetts, marking another tragic loss for the city’s historic fishing community.
The U.S. Coast Guard was alerted early Friday morning by the vessel’s emergency beacon after it activated in the water; no mayday call was received.
Responders located a debris field, an unoccupied life raft, and one deceased individual in the water.
Six other crew members remain missing and are presumed lost after an extensive air and sea search yielded no additional results.
The Coast Guard cited frigid water temperatures, challenging weather conditions, and the vast search area in its decision to suspend operations.
GLOUCESTER, Mass. — Authorities have identified all seven individuals who lost their lives after the commercial fishing vessel Lily Jean sank approximately 25 miles off Cape Ann, Massachusetts, early Friday morning, marking a devastating loss for Gloucester’s historic fishing community.
The Lily Jean, a commercial fishing vessel measuring between 72 and 80 feet in length and homeported in Gloucester—the nation’s oldest working fishing port—activated its emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) at approximately 6:50 a.m. Friday while returning to port.
No mayday call was received, and subsequent attempts to contact the vessel were unsuccessful.
The U.S. Coast Guard immediately launched a large-scale search and rescue operation, deploying an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and multiple surface assets to the area of the distress signal.
Crews located a debris field and an unoccupied life raft roughly 25 miles offshore near the EPIRB activation site, confirming the vessel had sunk to the ocean floor. One deceased individual was recovered from the water.
The remaining six crew members were later presumed lost after extensive search efforts yielded no additional results.
Officials confirmed that seven people were aboard the vessel at the time of the incident, revising earlier reports that indicated six.
The seven individuals who perished aboard the Lily Jean are:
- John Paul Rousanidis, 33, of Salem/Peabody, Massachusetts
- Sean Therrien, 44, of Lynn/Peabody, Massachusetts
- Freeman Short, of the Marshfield/Scituate area
- Captain Gus Sanfilippo, a well-known and respected Gloucester fisherman
- Paul Beal Sr., deckhand
- Paul Beal Jr., deckhand and son of Paul Beal Sr.
- Jada Samitt, 22, of Virginia
Jada Samitt, the seventh crew member identified, was serving aboard the vessel in the role of a federal fisheries observer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). She had recently relocated to Massachusetts to pursue her passion for environmental biology, graduating last year. Family members said joining the Lily Jean crew was her first major professional role at sea and a lifelong dream.
Her aunt, Heather Michaels, described Samitt as a compassionate and driven young woman who deeply respected her captain and dedicated herself fully to her work. “She put her heart and soul into this opportunity,” family members said, noting her commitment to marine conservation and the fishing community.
Officials said the Lily Jean had reported taking on water shortly before contact was lost.
The vessel is now presumed fully submerged.
The tragedy has sent shockwaves through Gloucester’s close-knit maritime community.
Ashley Sullivan, a local business owner who knew the vessel’s owner, emphasized the daily risks faced by commercial fishermen. “I hope people really take a moment to understand the sacrifices these men and women make to put food on our tables,” she said. “This is heartbreaking.”
Massachusetts State Senator Bruce Tarr also expressed condolences, highlighting Gloucester’s deep fishing heritage. “Gloucester has a long fishing history, and that history includes tragic loss,” Tarr said. “It appears we are experiencing another of those painful chapters.”
Governor Maura Healey released a statement saying she was “heartbroken over the devastating news out of Gloucester,” adding that her administration has offered full assistance to local officials and the Coast Guard. She extended prayers to the victims’ families and the broader fishing community across Cape Ann and the Commonwealth.
Community members and local businesses have continued to share messages of remembrance and solidarity. Taylor Hunt, a relative of Freeman Short, posted a tribute honoring the crew, writing in part: “The salt has been in our blood for generations… A man is not lost while the sea remembers his name. Fair winds and following seas.”
The Lily Jean had previously been featured on the History Channel series Nor’Easter Men, which documented the dangers and demands of New England’s commercial fishing industry.
While search operations have concluded, the Coast Guard and relevant agencies continue to review the circumstances surrounding the sinking. Officials have stated that further updates will be released as additional information becomes available.
Authorities have urged the public to keep the victims’ families and Gloucester’s fishing community in their thoughts and prayers during this period of profound loss.