Texas woman burned alive in upscale Austin neighborhood, police asking for public’s help in mystery murder

The body of a Texas woman was found on the side of a road in Austin, and authorities suspect that she was burned alive.

Firefighters with the Austin Fire Department responded to calls of a fire in the upscale Northwest Hills neighborhood at around 5:00 a.m. on Sept. 29, according to a statement from the Austin Police Department. Firefighters reportedly discovered a female body in a patch of grass that was still burning near a road.

KXAN-TV reported, “A detective found a lighter on the ground, which appeared new, according to the warrant, and a police K9 was alerted to the scent of gasoline or diesel. The K9 also kicked up a butcher knife while digging in the spot where it was alerted to the scent of accelerants, the warrant states.”

Investigators with the Austin Police Department believe “the knife was placed with the decedent in an attempt to destroy the evidence with the fire.”

Police later identified the victim as 33-year-old Melissa Davis.

On Oct. 6, police announced that the woman’s death was being investigated as a homicide.

An autopsy found no signs of obvious trauma to her body or any knife wounds. Medical examiners determined that Davis had been burned alive.

A family member allegedly informed police that Melissa was going to an Apple store to get her phone fixed on the day she was purportedly burned alive.

Police have yet to locate Melissa’s car and are asking the public to be on the lookout for a blue 2016 Toyota 4Runner with the Texas license plate number KYV3765.

No suspects have been named in the murder of Davis, and the investigation is ongoing.

The Austin Police Department is urging anyone with information regarding Melissa’s death to contact 512-974-TIPS. There is a reward of up to $1,00 for information that leads to an arrest.

Davis — originally from Fort Knox, Kentucky — earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and a master’s in international sustainable tourism from the University of North Texas.

Melissa’s best friend, Ellie Simmons, told local station KVUE, “She had more of a zest for life than I think anyone else. And we actually had dreams together with one of our other friends to start a hostel in Costa Rica and we would have an art station. She painted. She loved art.”

https://www.theblaze.com/news/texas-woman-burned-alive-murder