In the early morning hours of December 28, 1987, twenty-year-old Melissa “Missy” Ellison was murdered in her Jacksonville, Florida, home. No arrests have been made in the brutal slaying.
Missy’s daughter, Casie, only thirteen-months-old at the time, was probably in the room when her mom’s life was taken and likely saw her killer, but at such a young age, she could be of no help.
Missy’s mother died in 2019 without knowing who killed her daughter. Casie, now a mom herself, never had the chance to know her mom, but hopes she will one day know who killed her and why.
Missy Ellison With Baby Casie
After divorcing her husband Mark, Missy moved into a mobile home in Jacksonville. Money was tight and she was happy to have a friend and her boyfriend move in with her to lessen the bills.
Missy’s parents, Glenn and Kathy Taylor, owned the mobile home and lived in an adjacent unit. Kathy spoke to her daughter by phone at approximately 11:30 p.m. on the evening of December 27. Missy seemed worried about something but did not convey what was troubling her.
A Recent Divorcee
Between 2:30-3:30 a.m. on the morning of December 28, neighbors heard what sounded like several people arguing outside. Shortly before 4:00 a.m. Missy’s roommates frantically called 911 saying Missy was dead.
When police arrived at the home, they a found lifeless Missy in her bedroom. She had been beaten to death with an unusual instrument, found near the front door: a charred log from the fireplace.
Tire tracks found outside Missy’s trailer could not be matched to any vehicle.
Missy Found Murdered
Missy’s roommates told police they had awakened earlier that morning after hearing baby Casie crying; she was strangely on the living room couch. They fed her and when Casie fell asleep on the couch, they returned to bed.
The roommates say they were awakened approximately ten to fifteen minutes later by what sounded like a slamming door. When they investigated, they discovered Missy beaten to death in her bedroom.
The Roommates’ Claims
While searching Missy’s apartment, her sisters remembered two pictures of her that had been sitting on a table. Both of the pictures were of Missy at the beach and both were gone. If Missy were killed by an admirer who sought a relationship with her, such pictures would seem to be a likely trophy to be taken.
An ABC First Coast News article says newspaper articles shortly after the murder suggested the pictures may have been confiscated by crime scene investigators. For what purpose those specific photos would have been taken is unknown.
A Duplicate Of One Of The Missing Photos
Shortly after Missy’s murder, a man claiming to have killed her called a local newspaper, saying simply, “I’m sorry. . . . I had to do it.” He never called again and his identity was not determined.
Was The Caller Missy’s Killer?
Investigators believe Missy Ellison was murdered in a crime of passion by someone she knew. Mark Ellison was considered the prime suspect in his ex-wife’s murder. After being investigated, however, he was never charged in connection with the crime.
Mark Ellison With Baby Casie and Missy
Casie was raised by her dad and does not believe he murdered her mom. She is skeptical of her mom’s roommates’ account of the events.
Casie Today
Missy Ellison was murdered on December 28, 1987, in Jacksonville, Florida, when she was twenty-years-old. If you have any information about her murder, please call the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office at 904-630-0500 or Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS. Glenn Warkentien is the Detective with the Sheriff’s Office in charge of the investigation into her murder.
Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $3,000 for information leading to the identity of Missy’s killer. All information may be submitted anonymously.
Who Murdered Missy?
SOURCES:
- ABC First Coast News Jacksonville, FL. Katie Jeffries report
- Project Cold Case
- The Murder in My Family Podcast
Wow, this time of year must be so hard on Casie! Lifting her in prayer this Christmas, and always!
I happened upon her picture on FB and saw she was murdered that’s terrible. The story is crazy that the roommates fed the baby and went back to sleep. They heard what sounded like a door slam and then found her dead. What’s with these people. Did she leave her baby on the couch often or why didn’t they look for her when they found the baby. Were they on drugs or insane? They fed the baby and went back to sleep and ten to fifteen minutes later they heard what sounded like a door slamming. The killer must have been in the home at the time did they find DNA? Testing wasn’t as good back then but couldn’t they just test again to see if they have any matches? They said they found tire tracks that don’t match any of the vehicles did they take a mold of them? They don’t know what made the sound were they able to fall asleep within 15 minutes? Using a log from the fireplace is weird was it actually in the fireplace or was it sitting on the side and how big was it? If it was in the fireplace that would be even weirder. If you intend on killing someone you bring a weapon with you unless they had been in the home before and knew there was a log there or they just thought there had to be something there they could use. Why grab a log? When I think of a log I think of a section of a tree but people don’t usually throw a whole log into a fireplace they break it up into pieces and that’s usually called kindling not a log. If it was a whole log they would have to be strong enough to pick it up and to be able to wield it with enough force to kill her. It just sounds strange. I don’t know any of the people involved. They didn’t give the roommates names. It just sounds like it has to be one or both of them. Or maybe someone they know. The tire track is weird but it may have nothing to do with the murder. Someone could have just turned around in the driveway. I just reread the account of the night it said the log was charred and found near the front door. She was found in her bedroom. Neighbors said they heard people arguing on the front lawn. It didn’t say if she was home all night or had gone out. Since it was charred it was in the fireplace and most fireplaces have doors on them and most people don’t leave them open when not in use so the person had to go to the fireplace and open the doors and grab a log. Most people have something in front of their fireplace to block embers from flying out or to decorate the fireplace. She was in her bedroom and it didn’t say what she was wearing. The roommates heard the baby and the loud noise but not the people arguing? It didn’t say when the people were arguing outside. If they heard the arguing they didn’t check to see who it was? It may not have been missy in the argument so it could be nothing but you’re living with a woman with a baby and the woman is your girlfriend and the boyfriend was living in the house in his own bedroom? That’s weird. But they may have been religious and didn’t feel right staying in the same room. If I was the boyfriend I would be saying hey I should stay with you and we could rent out the other room. I just don’t know. It sounds crazy. The article said that the baby was strangely on the couch so it wasn’t normal for her to do that. I don’t know if they’re both men. It says I’ve was her boyfriend and the other was a friend. Missy’s mother lived next door or in a unit adjacent to hers. She said she talked to Missy around 11:30 and she seemed worried but missy didn’t say why. Her mother didn’t hear the argument. Or didn’t mention it. This was 2 days after Christmas. The ex husband was suspected but was ruled out or they couldn’t find evidence. Maybe the reason they didn’t hear the argument was because they were in it with missy. Maybe they went outside because the baby was sleeping and had an argument and the boyfriend and the friend for some reason decided to kill her. Or one of them did it on their own and they told the police what happened within èarshot of each other and the murderer repeated what the other one said. I heard the baby I got up to feed her went to bed and heard a noise and found her dead. I don’t know. I don’t want to cause trouble for them if they didn’t do it but it doesn’t seem plausible that this could happen with two people in the house and they are both clueless. The log was found by the front door. When they got up to feed the baby did they not see a charred log next to the door? If it wasn’t there at that time then it was probably in the bedroom with the murderer. The baby started crying and missy didn’t get up to check on the baby? She left the baby on the couch alone in the first place. That is weird. They thought it was strange. Either she was already dead or the killer was stopping her from screaming somehow. If she was in the bedroom being held hostage and heard the baby and probably heard the roommates feeding the baby and she didn’t try to scream for help. The murderer probably killed her already and when they heard the roommates go back to bed they ran out. What’s weird is they dropped the log near the front door. Were they planning on taking it with them and decided to leave it? Most murderers either leave the weapon or take it with them. Why carry it with you and then leave it? Maybe they were going to take it but the door was closed and they had to put it down to get the door open and for some reason left it there? Then slammed the door shut and woke the roommates. They found tire tracks but not footprints. Did the house have a dirt driveway and it was muddy but since it was cold the ground was too hard to leave footprints but soft enough for tire tracks? They say someone called and confessed and said I’m sorry but then didn’t turn themselves in. They called and said I’m sorry I had to do it. Why did they have to do it? Did she have some knowledge of this person committing a crime or was she threatening this person in some way or were they just saying it because In their mind they thought it was true for some reason? I don’t know. I’m sure the police asked these questions and didn’t find the answer. It’s just weird that I’ve been here since 94 and never heard about this. I don’t know. God answers prayers I’ll pray that God will reveal the murderer