FLORIDA 1987 Melissa Ellison Cold Case Solved - A Phone Call Broke the Case 39 Years Later

Three days after Christmas in 1987, 20-year-old Melissa “Missy” Taylor Ellison was found murdered inside her Jacksonville, Florida home. Her 13-month-old daughter, Casie, was found unharmed on the living-room couch with pillows placed around her. Someone had moved the baby. The following night, an anonymous caller contacted 911 and referred to Missy’s death. But no arrest followed, and the case remained unsolved for nearly four decades. Missy’s family never stopped asking for answers. Her mother followed leads for years. Her sisters and daughter repeatedly spoke publicly about the case, and in January 2026 the family joined investigators and Crime Stoppers for another appeal. Months later, Gary Edward Glowacz contacted law enforcement himself. According to investigators, Glowacz gave an account containing details about the 1987 crime scene that had never been released publicly. Police say his statements also addressed one of the case’s most haunting questions: how Casie ended up alone on the couch. Glowacz was arrested in July 2026 and later charged with second-degree murder and armed burglary with assault or battery. He has pleaded not guilty and has not been convicted. The prosecution remains pending. In this Root of Crime documentary, we follow Missy Ellison’s case from the final Christmas she spent with her family, through decades of unanswered questions and family appeals, to the phone call that finally brought investigators to an accused man nearly 39 years later. Subscribe to Root of Crime for carefully researched cold cases, long-unsolved murders and the investigative work that finally brings old cases back into the light. #ColdCase #TrueCrime #MelissaEllison