Mystery as Texas woman, 33, is found on FIRE after suspect doused her in gas and set her alight before leaving her to die on the side of the road in luxury suburb: Cops hunt for killer
A Texas woman was found burned alive on the side of the road around 5 a.m. on Aug. 29 in an affluent Austin neighborhood.
The body of Melissa Davis, 33, was found by firefighters near the intersection of Mesa Drive and Cat Mountain Drive when they responded to a call for a grass fire.
Davis was pronounced dead at the scene after officers ‘smelled a strong odor of accelerant’ near her body, which was in a small grassy area next to a hedge, directly off a busy road.
Detectives also discovered a lighter on the ground, which appeared to be new. A K9 dog retrieved a butcher knife that police believed “was placed on the decedent in an attempt to destroy evidence by fire,” according to the search warrant.
An autopsy of her body revealed physical evidence that she had been burned alive. The police are looking for a suspect in the murder.
The charred body of 33-year-old Melissa Davis was found around 5 a.m. on August 29 on a street in Austin, Texas. Firefighters responded to a grass fire call and found her remains when they arrived
According to phone records the Austin Police Department obtained with a warrant, Davis had left her mother’s home in the Circle C area the day before and told her she needed to go to the Apple store to get her phone fixed. Her phone was not found with her at the scene
Police obtained a search warrant for Davis’ phone records and found that she left her mother’s home the day before in the Circle C area and told her she needed to go to the Apple store to get her phone fixed. .
The phone itself was not found at the scene, but police hope they can track down the suspect with her cell phone records.
The Austin Police Department is also looking for Davis’ car, a blue Toyota 4Runner that was missing from the crime scene.
“A reward of up to $1,000 may be available for any information leading to an arrest,” Austin Police said in a Facebook post on October 6.
According to Davis’ Facebook page, she lived in Taos, New Mexico, but was originally from Austin.
Her ‘soul sister’ and best friend Ellie Simmons revealed KVUE: ‘She had more zest for life than I think anyone else.
And we actually had dreams together with one of our other friends to create a guesthouse in Costa Rica and we would have an art station. She painted. She loved art.’
Simmons went on to describe her and her best friend as ‘free spirits’ who were ‘driven to make every day count’.
Davis’ car was also missing and police conducted a search for the vehicle on their Facebook page. The smell of lighter fluid surrounded the scene, along with what appeared to be a new lighter and a butcher knife that a K9 dog retrieved. The police suspect that the knife was left there to ‘destroy the evidence with fire’
Davis’ ‘soul sister’ and best friend said the 33-year-old ‘had more zest for life than I think anyone else’. Simmons also described her and her best friend as ‘free spirits’ who were ‘driven to make every day count’
Another of her close friends, David Haisman, still can’t believe what happened to Davis.
“It left me with such a deep sadness. Just to know that this person I cared about so much was not only gone, but had gone through such an ordeal.
I still feel like my heart is breaking. Like being stabbed. Like I’ve been stabbed and I’m slowly bleeding,” Haisman told KVUE.
Davis’ body was found in Cat Mountain, an upscale suburb of Austin, Texas.
The homes, known to tower over Austin’s skyline, start at less than $300,000 but can reach over $1 million.
The average cost of a home in that area is about $675,000, according to AustinRealEstate.com.
Cat Mountain itself has a population of 26,000 and has attracted many upper class families and single professionals.
As of Tuesday, no arrests have been made and police are still actively investigating the murder.
DailyMail.com reached out to the Austin Police Department for an update, but did not receive an immediate response.
Davis’ body was found at an intersection on Cat Mountain in Austin, Texas. The city itself has a population of 26,000 and has attracted upper-class families and single professionals. Homes in the area range from $300,000 to over $1 million
Davis was pronounced dead at the scene, and KXAN reported that officers ‘smelled a strong odor of accelerant’ near her body, which was in a small grassy area next to a fence, directly off the road. An autopsy of her body revealed that she had been burned alive after police ruled her death a homicide
Davis not only had a love for art and travel, but also had a great love for animals.
According to her obituary: “She took tremendous pride in being a dog mom to Dudley, who was her constant companion for the past six years – he wanted for nothing!”
Police encourage anyone with information on the homicide or the location of Davis’ car to contact their TIPS department or the Crime Stoppers program.
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