JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Nearly 40 years after 20-year-old Melissa Taylor Ellison, known to loved ones as “Missy,” was brutally murdered in her Westside mobile home, her family is making an impassioned plea to the public for information that could finally lead to an arrest.
Missy’s daughter, Kacie Ellison, who was just 13 months old at the time of the 1987 slaying, never got the chance to know her mother.
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“She died slowly and painfully. She was stolen from our lives. She was stolen from my life,” Ellison said at a recent press conference, her voice heavy with decades of grief.
Missy was beaten to death with a charred log inside her mobile home. The killer has never been caught, leaving the family to deal with profound heartache and unanswered questions.
Missy’s sister, Glenda Blanford, spoke of the life moments her sister missed. “She never got to be called grandma or even aunt—all those special moments were taken because of you,” Blanford said, addressing the unknown killer.
The pain has been a constant presence for the family. Blanford described the devastating impact the unsolved murder had on her mother. “We watched my beautiful mother’s smile diminish. We watched the light in her eyes slowly go out. Because of you, we watched my mother literally grieve herself to death—she clung to life, she clung so tightly to every ounce of hope,” Blanford shared.
“This is not a tragedy, this is a murder,” Ellison stated.
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Blanford had strong words for the perpetrator: “I want you to know your actions have caused so much pain for my family and so much grief. I wouldn’t wish this on any other family or any other person.”
Despite the passage of time, the family is still actively searching for answers, now working in conjunction with First Coast Crime Stoppers and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO). They are urging anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to come forward.
“The smallest detail can matter. A name, a car, a place, a conversation. A rumor you may have dismissed, a memory you might have thought was irrelevant,” Ellison emphasized.
A $5,000 reward is being offered for any information that leads to an arrest.
“I hope you know you killed a child’s mother,” Blanford said. “I hope that every time you look at your child or your child’s mother, you saw my sister’s face.”
Anyone with details regarding Melissa Taylor Ellison’s murder is asked to contact JSO or Crime Stoppers.
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