FL FL- Mellie Coger, 78,' caretaker of the needy', beaten to death, @ home, DeLAND, 10 Feb.,'81, *DNA- incarcerated 64-year-old suspect from Sanford*

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Family hopes for closure as DeLand police reopen 44-year-old homicide case

DeLand police are revisiting a 44-year-old cold case and giving hope for a family seeking closure.

www.clickorlando.com

Feb.20, 2025 rbbm
''DeLAND, Fla. – DeLand police are revisiting a 44-year-old cold case and giving hope for a family seeking closure.

In 1981, 78-year-old Mellie Coger was found dead. Now, the availability of new technology has led police to re-interview key witnesses and submit additional DNA evidence.

The police chief anticipates that within the next few weeks, they will present the case to the state attorney’s office, potentially leading to a murder indictment in Coger’s death.''
Coger’s case is the oldest of 19 cold cases in DeLand.

''Parts of Stetson University now sit on the site where Coger’s house once was on East Michigan Avenue. It was in that house that police discovered her brutally beaten and murdered.''

Police: Suspect identified in murder of DeLand woman 44 years ago

The suspect, who is 64, is believed to have killed Mellie Coger in February 1981. He is in prison for a murder he committed in Oviedo in 1987.

www.news-journalonline.com

''DELAND - Police said Thursday the man they believe killed a woman in this city 44 years ago is currently serving a prison sentence for a murder he committed in Oviedo.

''The incarcerated 64-year-old suspect from Sanford, who police declined to identify, is believed to have murdered Mellie Coger, 78, in her East Michigan Avenue home in February 1981.''

 

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Feb 20, 2025
DeLand police reopen 1981 cold case involving 78-year-old who was beaten to death

 

[imstilla.grandma]

“She was my grandmother, and she raised me from the time I was four years old,” said Vip Hill, Mellie’s granddaughter. “And she is my role model. And she was such a loving person.”

DeLand police reopen 1981 cold case involving 78-year-old who was beaten to death

By Dacia Johnson Click here for updates on this story DELAND, Florida (WESH) — The DeLand Police Department has reopened a 44-year-old cold case in the death of Mellie Coger. Her family has been seeking answers for decades. “She was my grandmother, and she raised me from the time I was four...

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