FL FL - Melissa Ellison, 20, Jacksonville, 28 Dec 1987

[waunakeegan]

On December 28th, 1987 at around 4 AM, 20 year old Melissa (Missy) Ellison was found dead in her trailer home. She was beaten to death with a charred log taken from the fireplace, which was then left by the front door.
Missy was a young mother with a 1 year old daughter that lived in a mobile home off Coljean Road in Taylor's Trailer Park, which was owned by her parents. She had recently separated from her husband and had invited a friend and the friend's boyfriend to move in with her to help with the bills. At around 11:30 pm on the night of Dec 27th, Missy spoke to her mother on the phone. According to old newspaper reports about the murder, Missy told her mother she was scared, but she wouldn't say why.

Missy's roommate told officers she woke up in the night because she heard Missy's baby crying. When she got up out of her room the roommate found the baby on the couch in the living room. The roommate then told police that she took care of and fed the baby, and then ended up falling asleep on the couch. She said she woke up to some noise, like a slamming of door or something like that, and she went back and found Melissa in the bedroom dead.

Maybe the biggest clue of all about Melissa's killer was a 911 call where the caller referred to Missy's murder and said "I'm sorry… I had to do it." No one has ever been arrested for Missy's murder, but the detective working her case said his gut feeling is that this was not a random attack and he thinks it was someone that knew her.

Melissa's family also added in the newspaper article that they noticed two pictures of her at the beach from her mantle were missing, but they weren't sure if the pictures were taken by her killer or if they were taken by an investigator back in 1987.

UNSOLVED: The 1987 murder of Melissa Ellison

 

[PayrollNerd]

If the police took the photos, they should be in the evidence box. If they're not, then either the police are part of a coverup or the perp took them. Who was in the photos?

UNSOLVED: The 1987 murder of Melissa Ellison | firstcoastnews.com

"I know it was 31 years ago, but at the same time, it feels like it was 31 minutes ago," tells Sissy Bennett.

Melissa Ellison, called Missy, was just 20-years-old. She was a bubbly and happy young mother who loved music by her favorite artist, Prince. Her younger sisters, Sissy Bennett and Glenda Blandford say Missy saw the good in people.


Why was little Casie on the couch? Whose vehicle had left tire tracks outside the home? There were so many questions investigators worked to find answers to.

There is another strange thing stands out to Missy's family. They say when they were asked to look at the scene and see if anything was out of place, they noticed two pictures from her mantle were missing. Both were pictures of Missy at the beach. Warkentien says its unclear what happened to the pictures, if they were taken by her killer or if they were taken by an investigator back in 1987.

 

[PayrollNerd]

Only someone who cared would have put pillows around a baby......

“Give our family peace.” Jacksonville family pleads for justice in mother’s murder 33-years later

Police say Ellison was asleep when she was beaten to death. Inside the home was her 13-month-old daughter Casie, who was found on a couch unharmed and surrounded by pillows.

 

[PayrollNerd]

Episode 51 Melissa ‘Missy’ Taylor Ellison

In addition, Casie has authored one book based on her experiences and has another on the way. You can find them here
https://www.changethefaceofdepression.com/

To check out the work Project: Cold Case has done in Missy’s case, you can find it here
Melissa Ellison - Project: Cold Case

 

[PayrollNerd]

Such a shame the mom passed without ever knowing who murdered her daughter.

Melissa Ellison - Project: Cold Case

June 10, 2019 | By Sara Crouch

This story is part of a collaborative project between Project: Cold Case and a University of North Florida Journalism class.

Melissa Taylor was murdered three days later in her Jacksonville home on December 28, 1987. The young mother was killed while she was asleep in her room. Roommates found Ellison’s body as well as her 13-month-old baby. The baby, Casie, was alive, on a couch in the living room surrounded by pillows.

Community members were shocked when they heard the news of Ellison’s murder. “Missy’s funeral was standing room only. There were people waiting outside of the funeral home. I was told that there was a four-mile line of traffic all on their way to attend her funeral. We had flowers upon flowers out in front of the funeral home,” said Bennett.

“Missy was the glue. She was the one that brought everyone together. If a bunch of us were getting together for a concert or a movie, we would always meet at her place,” said Charles Marshburn, who was friends with Ellison since grade school.

Bennett remembers seeing Ellison give a man the only three dollars she had left. It was after Ellison’s separation from her husband and money was tight. Ellison did this kind act knowing she had a baby that needed milk. After watching her older sister, Bennett questioned Ellison as to why she gave away her last bit of money. Ellison responded that you always help someone in need. Ellison said that God would bless her and she knew her family would help her if needed.

The 13-month-old daughter of Ellison is now a grown woman with two kids of her own. The only memories that Casie Ellison has to cling to from her mother are the memories that loved ones have of her. Casie was robbed of her chance to get to know her mother.

Living a life without her mother has been extremely difficult. Casie wrote a book on her experiences called “Waterproof Mascara.”

“Growing up without her has its days. I wish I had somebody to love me in that manner. That I could have somebody to call and talk to about anything and everything. Or somebody to just come over and hang out while I do laundry,” Casie said.

Almost eight years to the day after Ellison was murdered, the youngest Taylor daughter, Ronda, died from cerebral palsy. Ronda was not expected to live past 5 years old. She lived to be 18.

“After Missy, my mom kept going because she had Ronda to take care of. That kind of kept her motivated. After Ronda passed my mom completely gave up her will to live” said Bennett.

It has been a painful and weary 30 years for Catherine Taylor. “Our mom still grieves for Missy as if she was just taken from us,” said the oldest Taylor sister, Lisa. “I pray all the time that her cold case will be a solved case before our mom leaves this world so that she will be able to rest in peace. Her sisters also need some type of closure so that we may begin to heal.”

Unfortunately, Catherine Taylor passed away on April 18, 2019 without knowing who killed her daughter