Who was Melissa Davis? Police investigate mysterious death of Texas woman found burned alive next to a butcher's knife
AUSTIN, TEXAS: Police are looking for urgent information related to the mysterious death of a woman who was found burnt alive next to a butcher's knife.
Melissa Davis, 33, was found dead along a road in Austin, Texas, by firefighters who were responding to a grass fire at around 5 am on September 29, authorities said.
Officers were alerted to a "strong odour of accelerant" nearby her body where a lighter was found.
A police K9 also dug up a butcher knife which police believe "was placed with the decadent in an attempt to destroy the evidence with the fire," according to a search warrant.
What did the medical examiners say?
Although medical examiners did not find any trauma to Melissa's body, they believe she was burned alive. The probe into her death is ongoing with police searching for her car which is described as a 206 blue Toyota 4Runner.
What did the authorities say?
"On Friday, September 29, at approximately 5:08 am, the Austin Fire Department (AFD) responded to reports of a grassfire in the 6300 block of Mesa Drive. Upon arrival, AFD located a deceased person with trauma to the body. The Austin Police Department (APD) was notified and responded to the scene", Austin Police Department said in a statement.
"Homicide Detectives and Crime Scene Specialists responded to process the scene and interview witnesses. During the investigation, the deceased individual was identified as Melissa Davis. This investigation is still active and ongoing."
Heartbroken friends and family pay tribute to Melissa Davis
Heartbroken friends and family have paid tribute to Melissa who was fond of art and one day dreamed of starting a hostel in Costa Rica.
Her best friend Ellie Simmons told KVUE, "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.”
In her online obituary, Melissa was remembered as someone who “loved traveling and would fully immerse herself in the local surroundings to try and learn about new cultures and different ways of life.”
The victim obtained a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from the University of North Texas.
According to her family, this helped her develop the love for nature. "Her college years also helped nurture her love of nature and the Earth as a whole. Sustainability was extremely important to her, and she eventually went on to gain a joint Master of Science degree in International Sustainable Tourism from the University of North Texas," Davis' family said.
Her family also said she was a huge animal lover and tragically leaves behind her dog Dudley. "We can’t talk about Melissa without mentioning her love of animals!," the post said.
This was evident even as a small child when she would hug the family dog shouting, “Doggy, doggy, doggy, doggy!” and let out huge laughs as he leisurely pranced around the house happy to be her entertainment.
"She took immense pride in being a dog mom to Dudley who was her constant companion for the past six years - he wanted for nothing!," her family revealed.