JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Six months after investigators and family renewed a call for information in the murder of a Jacksonville mother almost 40 years ago, Sheriff T.K. Waters announced an arrest in the case on Thursday.
Waters said investigators believe Gary Edward Glowacz was the man responsible for taking the life of 20-year-old Melissa Ellison, who was found beaten to death in her home just three days after Christmas in 1987.
Ellison’s daughter, Casie, who was just 13 months old at the time, thankfully wasn’t hurt. She was found on the couch by a roommate around 4 a.m., when she discovered Ellison had been beaten to death with a charred log that came from inside her fireplace.
Casie says the long-awaited announcement is now making her “see the world differently.”
“I know that it’s never going to bring my mom back, but it does have a ridiculous release of closure,” Casie said.
Waters said Ellison, who many people called Missy Taylor, was killed during a home burglary, and that the burglar who committed the “heinous act of violence” has been identified by the Cold Case Unit as Glowacz, who is now 70 years old.
“This case was investigated continuously, re-investigated, and ultimately solved by dedicated detectives,” Waters said. “They will always keep digging. They will always keep investigating, and they will consider new and innovative technologies and investigative practices so that loved ones of those taken from our community can get the answers and accountability that they justly deserve.”
First Coast Crime Stoppers held an online news conference in mid-January, asking for anyone with information in Ellison’s case to come forward.
Without providing details, leaders from Crime Stoppers did confirm Thursday that information that came to light after that news conference “played a pivotal role” in this arrest.
According to his arrest report, Glowacz actually made a call himself to Clay County Sheriff’s Office dispatch on July 8. He was later arrested.
Waters called the arrest of Glowacz “a shining symbol of our agency’s commitment” to seeking justice no matter how long it takes.
“These investigations can take months. They can take years. They require both an unwavering heart and acute attention to detail,” Waters said, adding that he spent 10 years in the JSO homicide unit himself.
He said detectives always remember their homicide investigations.
“We drive around the city, and we can tell you exactly where particular homicides have taken place and the facts and circumstances surrounding those cases,” Waters said. “These cases shattered the loved ones left behind, and they also weigh heavily on those of us charged with bringing these murderers to justice.”
Waters acknowledged that Glowacz’s arrest does not fill the void left in the lives of Ellison’s family, but he hopes that it’s another step in their healing process.