GUILTY IL - Melissa Best, 37, Round Lake Park, 15 April 2011

New Posts

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/...-case-of-missing-mom-20110425,0,2242072.story

Police are investigating whether drugs played a role in the death of a Round Lake Park mother, who was found in her van more than a week after she disappeared after dropping off her daughter at a friend's house.

Opiates were found in the body of Melissa Best, but police said they were hoping an autopsy would show whether she died of an overdose.

Best, 34, was found Monday night in the parking lot of an apartment complex in the area of Illinois Highway 120 and U.S. Highway 45.

Police believe Best drove to Waukegan on April 15, the day she disappeared, and died there that day, according to Round Lake Police Chief George Filenko. He said Best drove "to a certain location and at that point something went wrong."
 
From the presser ~ this is reiteration of things that have been posted.

Chief of Police: located Melissa Best's van with her remains inside about 6:50pm last night. They were hoping for the best, unfortunately it concluded in a way they didn't want. They've confirmed her identity and notified family as of last night. Clinton is devastated. Continuing from missing persons to death investigation, Autopsy scheduled for Wed at 1:30pm, hoping for more conclusive info.

They do have evidence that drugs and alcohol were involved in the death. Also evidence leading to believe that Melissa died in Waukegan and was driven to the location in Greys Lake based on interviews and info over past several days.

Baffling case, didn't have a lot to go on. Normally they can track individuals by credit cards and telephone, neither available here. Relied heavily on public info. Facebook was extremely helpful. Received a number of tips and leads that detectives followed up on and lead to Melissa, unfort. not in time.

Nothing conclusive until after autopsy reports in re: homicide. No info on whether she OD'd with friends. Chief says it will be 7-10 days until autopsy results.

Location was chosen randomly, for no particular reason.

The day she went missing is the day she died, they believe. She was not fleeing from her family/home. They believe she voluntarily drove to the location where she died in Waukegan.

The family put a substantial amount of info on Facebook, and they were contacted by high school acquaintances and friends, the info which they followed up on. The FB tips eventually led them to the location in Waukegan and subsequentially the location in Greys Lake.

The parking complex was large, they cannot answer why the vehicle wasn't checked out and why no one noticed the car/woman in the car.

New statute in Illinois addressing concealing a homicide/concealing a death. They are working to bring the people who did this to justice. They don't know what kind of drugs she was using, but she was positive for opiates, which is pretty broad-based (I am guessing he means, and it's true, that lots of drugs "ping" as opiates). She was lying in the back seat. The CSI has processed the van.

He is inviting the press to come into the parking lot and take photos and see the van.

They notified Clinton of the death at home last night, he was devastated. he's trying to get his family response together today. Chief's prayers are with Clinton and the family. Spent the entire last weekend working with the family on the phone, etc.

They do have people of interest in circumstances surrounding her death that may have committed "criminal activity".
 
What I don't understand is - if she OD'd at this person's home, why didn't they call 911? I mean, the ambulance isn't the police. Why take the risk of taking her limp body out of the home and into the back seat of the van, driving the van with a dead body in it, and then parking the van in an apt. complex?

Very strange, indeed.
 
R.I.P Melissa. This is one strange case. Why wouldn't they have called 911? A drug charge or whatever is alot better than concealing the body of a wife/mother!
 
SurfieTX said:
What I don't understand is - if she OD'd at this person's home, why didn't they call 911? I mean, the ambulance isn't the police. Why take the risk of taking her limp body out of the home and into the back seat of the van, driving the van with a dead body in it, and then parking the van in an apt. complex?

Very strange, indeed.
Click to expand...

If you call an ambulance, you're likely getting the police, too. I mean...it's stupid what they did, but you've got to know the police will be involved once there's a confirmed OD
 
Thinking and thinking on this...if she died that day, as in between the time she took her daughter to the friend's house and say, sundown, I'm thinking she "OD'd" on something stronger than a prescription opiate. Otherwise, she probably would have made it home by the time she got sick, went unconscious, whatever. I'm thinking she had to have taken the drug AT the location where she got it. If that's the case, it likely wasn't pills. JMHO
 
Someone said upthread that LE knows who drove her to this particular location. Who was the driver?

MOO

Mel
 
mgardner said:
Someone said upthread that LE knows who drove her to this particular location. Who was the driver?

MOO

Mel
Click to expand...

They're not saying yet. This Sun-Times article is sharing the address where she visited and that she was there "four or five hours", so I guess my previous idea that she had to have OD'd rather quickly may be incorrect. 4 or 5 hours? I am wondering how long she was alive of that four or five hours? You wouldn't go back to pick up your teen daughter? Remember you were supposed to be at home and that someone would worry about you?

Presumably an old high school friend? I remember the first few days of the investigation, they mentioned looking at old high school friends and again in the presser, they mentioned high school friends, the info being given on FB, etc. I'm just a couple years older than Melissa was and cannot imagine associating with friends from high school outside of FB, particularly if they were into drugs, but if that's what she was into, that's who she'd hang with.

Sun-Times article http://www.suntimes.com/5031005-417...rges-after-missing-mom-found-dead-in-van.html
 
2 People Could Face Charges

Officials said that two people could face criminal charges in connection with the death of Melissa Best, who officials believe has been dead since April 15, the day she disappeared.

That day, the 34-year-old mother dropped her 17-year-old daughter at a friend’s apartment in Round Lake and then went to Waukegan, where she met at least two people for a social visit at the Crossland Economy Studios, 1177 N. North Pointe Blvd., Round Lake Park Police Chief George Filenko said Tuesday.

She was there four to five hours and had used alcohol and an opiate drug before she apparently died, officials said. Her body was then driven in her family’s 1993 Pontiac minivan to the Grays Pointe Condominium complex off Route 120 in Grayslake, police said. Authorities said her body was in the backseat of the minivan, which was abandoned in an area near tennis and basketball courts and a playground.
Click to expand...

Snipped: http://www.suntimes.com/5031005-417...rges-after-missing-mom-found-dead-in-van.html
 
This is truly a bizarre and sad story.

I wonder if the husband knew, or at least guessed, about her potential drug use and that is why he came off as perhaps a little "off" in the interview.

I have to say, this sad ending is truly shocking, nothing would have induced me to come up with this scenario.
 
I think there's a good likelihood that Mr. Best didn't call at first because he didn't want his wife to get arrested. He's probably been covering up for her to family and some friends for a while. I still don't understand why this was put out there as a case of a "homebody" going about her innocent business and disappearing in Round Lake Park when I'm positive LE knew early on that it was "woman drives to Waukegan for drugs and isn't seen again." No wonder she was carrying cash.
My thoughts and condolences to her family.

(Wow, we've stayed at that Crossland extended stay motel (where she died) for a while both times my dh got stationed at Great Lakes. It's in a business park right off a state highway. Kind of isolated in that there are no residences or retail businesses adjoining it. I can see how someone could bring a body down to a van without being seen. I used to get spooked out taking my dog out at night. Didn't seem to be many low lifes around, but the bushes had some questionable trash in them.)
 
t0pzxv.jpg


"C" is Melissa's home.

"B" is where she was found.

"A" is where she visited.



And now we know why the hub didn't call police until the next day.
 
RIP Melissa. I don't and will never understand why someone would cover up an accidental death or especially calling 911 if someone is OD'ing right then.
What is more important getting caught with drugs or someone's life? For me it's an easy choice.

So many questions and we have yet to get the answers in this sad case. :(
 
redsky said:
RIP Melissa. I don't and will never understand why someone would cover up an accidental death or especially calling 911 if someone is OD'ing right then.
What is more important getting caught with drugs or someone's life? For me it's an easy choice.

So many questions and we have yet to get the answers in this sad case. :(
Click to expand...

That is because you don't think like a junkie, or a drug addict...
it is a very selfish disease, and everything else goes out the window except for self-preservation to get you to the next fix...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

DNASolves

Who is Escambia County John Doe (1989)?

Staff online

Members online

... and 117 more.
Total: 3,043 (members: 118, guests: 2,925)

Online statistics

Members online
118
Guests online
2,925
Total visitors
3,043
Totals may include hidden visitors.

Forum statistics

Threads
593,697
Messages
17,991,070
Members
229,212
Latest member
Ceishen637
Back
Top