JACKSONVILLE, Fla. A 70-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the 1987 killing of a Jacksonville woman after contacting law enforcement nearly 39 years after the case went cold, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Gary Edward Glowacz was arrested and charged with murder and burglary with a battery in the death of 20-year-old Melissa (Taylor) Ellison.
According to the sheriff’s office, the investigation began on Dec. 28, 1987, when patrol officers responded at approximately 4:40 a.m. to a report of a deceased person at a home on Colejean Road.
Officers found Ellison dead in her bed after she had suffered blunt force trauma. Investigators said her roommates checked on her after hearing Ellison’s toddler crying on the living room couch.
Detectives with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit and Crime Scene Unit processed the scene, reviewed available evidence and conducted numerous interviews. Despite those efforts, the investigation eventually went cold.
The case remained unsolved until July 8, when Glowacz contacted the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and told dispatchers he wanted to provide information about Ellison’s death.
Glowacz was transported to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, where homicide detectives interviewed him. Following the interview, investigators obtained an arrest warrant charging him with murder and burglary with a battery.
Glowacz was booked into the Duval County Jail.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office credited its Cold Case Unit for continuing to investigate the case and thanked First Coast Crime Stoppers, the State Attorney’s Office, Project Cold Case and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in keeping the case active over the years.
The investigation remains ongoing as prosecutors with the State Attorney’s Office move forward with the case.