Found Deceased SC - Rebecca Melton, 55, Hilton Head, 26 August 2014 *Arrest*

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los2188

los2188

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Nick Russell Evangelista
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Police seek missing roommate of dead Hilton Head woman

HILTON HEAD, S.C. (WJCL) —
The cause of death of a Hilton Head Island woman remains undetermined, and investigators are looking for her roommate in hopes of shedding light on what led to her death. Rebecca Sue Melton, 55, was found dead in her Palmetto Dunes condo Thursday after deputies and plantation security responded for a health and welfare check. Co-workers of Nick Russell Evangelista, 53, the man who lived with Melton, contacted security Thursday and requested they attempt to make contact with Evangelista at his home after he had failed to report to work for several days. Upon arrival at the home, Melton was found dead inside, but there was no sign of Evangelista. Also missing was Melton’s vehicle, a white 2013 Jeep Wrangler bearing South Carolina license plate KEP 355.
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http://wjcl.com/2014/09/05/police-seek-missing-roommate-of-dead-hilton-head-woman/
 
http://www.islandpacket.com/2014/09/05/3295464/hilton-head-woman-dead-several.html?sp=/99/257/

Lt. Col Bill Neill said Evangelista -- considered a missing person -- worked in the medical field, though he declined to say where. On Wednesday, a Nick. R. Evangelista was listed online as a physician's assistant at Optim HealthCare in Savannah, though he has since been removed from the medical centers' website.
Reached Friday evening, a receptionist at Optim said there was nobody in the office who could discuss Evangelista.
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I've found info on a physicians assistant by that name in Georgia. While other things lead me to believe it's more likely him than not, I'm not sure enough to post them. I believe that Rebecca was from GA also.
 
Doctor’s office terminates employment of missing employee
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (WJCL) —
A man is wanted for questioning in the death investigation of Hilton Head Island woman Rebecca Melton but so far, he and the woman’s vehicle are nowhere to be found. And now, he’s out of a job. Deputies in Beaufort County are looking for the woman’s roommate, Nick Evangelista. Investigators believe he was the last person to see her alive. Evangelista has been missing ever since last week and officials announced Monday that he has been terminated from his job.
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In a statement the office said the following:

We are deeply concerned and troubled by this news and will continue to offer our full assistance to law enforcement officers during their ongoing investigation.
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http://wjcl.com/2014/09/08/bluffton-doctors-office-responds-to-nick-evangelista-missing/
 
http://wjcl.com/2014/09/10/wjcl-unc...en-dead-hilton-head-woman-and-missing-person/

WJCL filed an open records request, looking for any and all police incidents between the two or at the address 20 Queens Folly Road on Hilton Head. There are more than 50 pages worth of documents from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, in regards to Rebecca Melton and missing person Nick Evangelista...

From 2013 until now, we have records of four separate incidents of domestic violence; three of those resulted in Melton’s arrest.
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And then it goes on in detail about the four incidents.
 
I lived in Hilton Head for years and this is the last thing you expect to happen there.

Very sad. My thoughts and prayers are with her family.
 
Domestic violence happens everywhere, it's sad that neither party was able to walk away from the volatile, poisonous relationship that they had.
 
We visit HHI (specifically, Palmetto Dunes) at least 2x/year, if not more often. This is sad, seems like a domestic situation. It's worth noting that Palmetto Dunes is one of the island's many plantation communities, and most residences are gate controlled. However, there are a handful of condo communities on Queens Folly that can be accessed without going through the gate house, and this is one of them. Still, I'd be shocked if Palmetto Dunes didn't have cameras up and down Queens Folly. I'm not sure it would tell us much, but it may show this man driving her car away.

Murders on HHI are rare, but let's not forget the island birthed one of the low country's greatest mysteries - the whereabouts of John and Liz Calvert.
 
iamnotagolem said:
Domestic violence happens everywhere, it's sad that neither party was able to walk away from the volatile, poisonous relationship that they had.
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Well said.

Interesting, I hadn't heard about this case until I saw this thread.
 
Since Hilton Head is an Island, and they're pretty sure he took her car, they should have footage of him somewhere on that bridge. Especially if it's a toll bridge -- I have no idea if it is. If they can't find his car crossing the bridge, he could still be on the island... I wonder if they have any clue where he could have gone.
 
Also, from reading about the various domestic violence incidents, it sounds like Rebecca was the primary aggressor. I suppose it's possible that she drove him in the Jeep someplace, either dead or alive, and did something with/to both him and the Jeep. Then came home and committed suicide. They haven't released cause of death yet...
 
http://www.wtoc.com/story/26691764/missing-hilton-head-man-found-in-florida-faces-murder-charges

Nick Evangelista, the Hilton Head Island man who went missing after the discovery of his girlfriend's body in their apartment, has been located and will be charged with murder.

The Escambia County Sheriff's Office in Florida made contact with Evangelista, 59, after he was stopped as he was leaving a beach access in Pensacola. Evangelista was driving the 2013 Jeep Wrangler belonging to his girlfriend, 54-year-old Rebecca Melton.
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From the above article-
"When he was detained, Evangelista told deputies that he was responsible for Melton's death and had intended to take his own life."

Well, a month later, he hadn't- glad they located him.
 
http://wjcl.com/2014/10/03/beaufort...ase-was-going-cold-until-suspects-confession/

The body was identified as that of Melton and it was determined that she had likely died approximately a week before being discovered; however, Melton’s cause of death remained undetermined following the preliminary autopsy.

“There wasn’t this obvious sign that this is how she died, of course this something family members what to know, when they lost a loved one what happened and it wasn’t immediately apparent from looking at her and considering she had been there for more than a week,” said Sgt. McIntosh.
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http://www.islandpacket.com/2014/10...mpleted-for-hilton-head.html?sp=/99/257/&rh=1

A final autopsy report has revealed a 55-year-old Hilton Head Island woman found dead in her Palmetto Dunes condominium last month was suffocated, according to Beaufort County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Sgt. Robin McIntosh...

The autopsy revealed Melton died August 26, McIntosh said. McIntosh said the Sheriff's Office will "not be discussing the details of the manner of death or the specifics of the toxicology report at this time."
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