TX - Melissa Davis, 33, burned alive, Austin, 29 Sept 2023

[PoppyBear]

Austin American-Statesman Article “Surveillance video from the La Quinta Hotel at 1603 E. Oltorf St. showed Davis' vehicle following a Kia later identified as Cole's vehicle as they both entered the hotel parking lot around 7:04 p.m. on Sept. 28, the document said. Davis is shown on the video getting out of her vehicle and meeting Cole and another man, the affidavit said. The video also showed her entering the hotel with the men but then never showed her again, according to the document. The affidavit never names the other man seen in the video.”

 

[Moonstrawbs]

According to court documents, Andrew Alexander Cole, 45, is charged with tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, a second-degree felony.

<modsnip>

Man charged with tampering with evidence in connection to woman found dead at West Austin grass fire

Man charged with evidence tampering after 33-year-old woman's body found in West Austin fire; surveillance, phone records link him to scene.

cbsaustin.com

 

[Moonstrawbs]

Investigators believe Andrew Alexander Cole, 45, of Austin, removed Davis from a hotel room in South Austin on Sept. 29 and drove her to the 6300 block of Mesa Drive, where he placed her on the side of the road and lit her on fire, an arrest affidavit said.

Police said the video showed Cole leaving the hotel several times that night in Davis' car without Davis. It also showed Cole parking Davis' vehicle around the back of the hotel at around 4:03 a.m. Sept. 29 and then moving the vehicle closer to the hotel's awning, the affidavit said. Cole then opened the trunk of the vehicle and "appears to place an item of some weight" into the trunk, police said. Cole then drove away in the victim's car at 4:24 a.m., according to the affidavit.

Man accused of lighting woman on fire before her body was found in Northwest Austin

Andrew Cole has been accused of lighting Melissa Davis, 33, on fire before authorities found her body in Northwest Hills on Sept. 29, police said.

eu.statesman.com

 

[Knox]

Man arrested after woman found burned in northwest Austin

Firefighters discovered the body of 33-year-old Melissa Davis while responding to a grass fire in the 6300 block of Mesa Drive on Sept. 29.

www.kvue.com

Not charged with murder?

According to the affidavit, investigators believe Cole was with Davis at the time of her death and tampered with evidence after he allegedly moved Davis' body from a hotel room, drove it to a neighborhood and lit it on fire on the side of the road.

 

[Rosiebones]

MSN

Interesting that he isn't charged with murder, only disposing of her body. Seems there should be another suspect.
Can evidence of recent drug use be found in a badly burned body?

 

[Megnut]

MSN

Interesting that he isn't charged with murder, only disposing of her body. Seems there should be another suspect.
Can evidence of recent drug use be found in a badly burned body?

All but guaranteed, more charges will follow.

So much captured on cctv that maybe it'll result in a fast conviction.

JMO

 

[Allabouttrial]

MSN

Interesting that he isn't charged with murder, only disposing of her body. Seems there should be another suspect.
Can evidence of recent drug use be found in a badly burned body?

According to the article @PoppyBear linked above there could well be another suspect. From the article:

Davis is shown on the video getting out of her vehicle and meeting Cole and another man, the affidavit said. The video also showed her entering the hotel with the men but then never showed her again

I'm wondering if she may have OD'd in the hotel room, then again, that wouldn't explain the knife found at the scene.

ETA: Scrap that part about the OD, just read this from the same article:

A detective found a lighter in the backyard of the home next to the fire, the document said. "It appeared to be thrown over the fence after starting the fire," the affidavit said. A police dog, digging in the dirt where the upper part of Davis' body was positioned, found a kitchen butcher knife with a burnt handle, according to the affidavit.

 

[Rosiebones]

Interesting quotes:
"kitchen butcher knife" who takes that kind of knife to a motel room?
"with Davis for her death" peculiar terminology MOO
After being noticed going into the motel room with MD and AC, the other man is never seen again? MOO MOO MOO

 

[Moonstrawbs]

It's been mentioned that

Interesting quotes:
"kitchen butcher knife" who takes that kind of knife to a motel room?
"with Davis for her death" peculiar terminology MOO
After being noticed going into the motel room with MD and AC, the other man is never seen again? MOO MOO MOO

I wonder who this other man is?

 

[Knox]

I haven't seen a COD yet. But the headlines stated she was burned alive? Did that come from the ME? It would seem the knife is related, but maybe it's not attributable to her death? Is LE waiting for tox screen results to come back?

How did Melissa know Cole?

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Investigators believe Andrew Alexander Cole, 45, of Austin, removed Davis from a hotel room in South Austin on Sept. 29 and drove her to the 6300 block of Mesa Drive, where he placed her on the side of the road and lit her on fire, an arrest affidavit said.

Police found a lighter and a kitchen butcher knife at the scene, the affidavit said.

Cole has been charged with tampering with physical evidence with intent to impair a human corpse, a second-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison. He was being held at the Travis County Jail on Friday with bail set at $100,000.

The affidavit said surveillance video showed Davis going into a hotel room with Cole before she died. It does not say how she knew him. More at link

Man accused of lighting woman on fire before her body was found in Northwest Austin

Andrew Cole has been accused of lighting Melissa Davis, 33, on fire before authorities found her body in Northwest Hills on Sept. 29, police said.

www.statesman.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

I haven't seen a COD yet. But the headlines stated she was burned alive? Did that come from the ME? It would seem the knife is related, but maybe it's not attributable to her death? Is LE waiting for tox screen results to come back?

How did Melissa know Cole?

Davis's cause of death is still pending toxicology results to be determined.

Man charged with tampering with evidence in connection to woman found dead at West Austin grass fire

Man charged with evidence tampering after 33-year-old woman's body found in West Austin fire; surveillance, phone records link him to scene.

cbsaustin.com

Detectives discovered a barely-used lighter on the ground next to the crime scene, and a police K9 dug up a butcher knife that they believe was buried by the suspect. An autopsy confirmed that Davis's cause of death was burned alive.

Texas woman found burned alive on Austin roadside, manhunt underway

Police officers responding to the scene said they “smelled a strong odor of accelerant” near Davis’s body.

thepostmillennial.com

 

[neesaki]

Investigators believe Andrew Alexander Cole, 45, of Austin, removed Davis from a hotel room in South Austin on Sept. 29 and drove her to the 6300 block of Mesa Drive, where he placed her on the side of the road and lit her on fire, an arrest affidavit said.

Police found a lighter and a kitchen butcher knife at the scene, the affidavit said.

Cole has been charged with tampering with physical evidence with intent to impair a human corpse, a second-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison. He was being held at the Travis County Jail on Friday with bail set at $100,000.

The affidavit said surveillance video showed Davis going into a hotel room with Cole before she died. It does not say how she knew him. More at link

Man accused of lighting woman on fire before her body was found in Northwest Austin

Andrew Cole has been accused of lighting Melissa Davis, 33, on fire before authorities found her body in Northwest Hills on Sept. 29, police said.

www.statesman.com

I’m confused…. If she was burned alive the charge should be murder, no?
They’re saying she was already deceased if he’s charged with tampering with a corpse, so she wasn’t burned alive?

 

[Knox]

Are we looking at a drug overdose? He thought she was dead and lit her on fire not knowing she was alive? Struggling to understand some confusing details.

Was the knife used to kill the other man? Who and where is he? Media story said Melissa was seen entering the hotel, but not leaving. How about the other man, did they see him leave?

 

[Rosiebones]

MSN

This article states that her death has been ruled a homicide.

 

[BrownRice]

This is so sad. Sounds like she fell on hard times. And whatever brought her to the hotel seems like it was so far away from her early life.

 

[AnxiousandAgitated]

MOO-

Drug party at the hotel, maybe meth or coke , something that gets people sexually aroused. The men or 1 man makes a sexual advance and is rebuffed, out of anger he either rapes and beats MD or just beats her in the room. He reaches a point of no return with what he has done to her .and for fear she will have him arrested so he decides to kill her and burn all evidence. Hence the fire and away from the hotel room. MOO

 

[neesaki]

MOO-

Drug party at the hotel, maybe meth or coke , something that gets people sexually aroused. The men or 1 man makes a sexual advance and is rebuffed, out of anger he either rapes and beats MD or just beats her in the room. He reaches a point of no return with what he has done to her .and for fear she will have him arrested so he decides to kill her and burn all evidence. Hence the fire and away from the hotel room. MOO

Odd to have a party at a hotel. I mean.. it’s not some resort. And, a party of three? Two men and a woman? I mean…… whoa hoss.
But Maybe that’s what druggies do?
Regardless, it’s horrendous.

 

[BrownRice]

Odd to have a party at a hotel. I mean.. it’s not some resort. And, a party of three? Two men and a woman? I mean…… whoa hoss.
But Maybe that’s what druggies do?
Regardless, it’s horrendous.

I think in the world of meth and addiction, a street side motel is where it’s at. “Party” just means hanging out to get high. Not dressing up for cocktails and appetizers.

 

[Rosiebones]

I think she hooked up with these two men and went to the motel to get high. She used something that rendered her unconscious and AC thought she was dead. To cover the incident, he took her, still alive, but he didn't realize that and he set her afire. That's why LE said she was burned alive. So the cause of death COD is still not listed but the manner of death MOD is listed as a homicide. COD could be stab wounds, fire, overdose, impossible to say.
I still can't understand why LE has said nothing about the second man, was he just an in and out supplier or a participant?
What was the buried knife used for? If it was used to kill her then there would be blood evidence in the motel room and the trunk of her car, and more than likely a murder charge against AC.
Why isn't there more on the second man, it seems that AC would be trying to pin this on him.
MOO MOO MOO MOO