GUILTY OH - Melinda Davis Clark, 33, wanted to visit ex boyfriend, Shelby, 25 Feb 2021 *arrest*

MAR 15, 2021


A few notes:
  • RCSO received a phone call Feb 14* at 6:15 pm from the Columbus PD that they had located the vehicle at 5690 Zachary Court, Galloway OH.
  • Melinda's body was located in the trunk of the vehicle.
  • Her body was transported to Montgomery Co for an autopsy this morning.
  • In answer to a question about what was found in Mack's house, the answer was, "primarily blood..."
  • *Further in the video, it was stated, "The vehicle was just found last night..." (so the tip from Columbus PD was received Mar 14, not Feb 14)
 
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MAR 15, 2021
Richland county missing woman press conference | wkyc.com
[...]

Officials say that Davis' body was located after the Columbus Police Department located the woman's missing black Jetta on March 14. Major Crimes responded to the scene and during the processing of the crime scene, officers found the woman in the trunk and transported her body to the Montgomery County Coroners' Officer for an autopsy.

The Richland County Sheriff's Office says that it is working with the Shelby Police Department, U.S. Marshals Service, and other law enforcement agencies during the ongoing investigation

[...]

Body of missing Shelby woman found in trunk of her car near Columbus | News | ashlandsource.com
[...]

Authorities have searched for Davis since she disappeared and got a phone call from Columbus police Sunday at 6:15 p.m., saying they had located her car in Galloway, Ohio.

The vehicle was brought back to Richland County, according to Sheldon.

[...]

ETA: Cliffside Dr, Mansfield to 5690 Zachary Ct, Galloway - Google Maps
Just over an hour - about 77 miles.
 
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Missing Shelby woman found dead, sheriff's office says

After an 18-day search, the sheriff’s office said the Columbus police received a tip that someone had found the Shelby woman’s car Sunday evening in Galloway, Ohio. When law enforcement arrived, Davis’ body was reportedly found in the trunk of the vehicle.

“The information that we have today is very limited, but it was important to get it out,” Richland County Sheriff Steve Sheldon said. “Now, there’s a mountain of work to do to get this thing resolved.”


During the press conference, officials said they were not able to talk about motive in this case, although they did say they take domestic violence seriously.

An autopsy is reportedly being done at this time and an investigation is still ongoing.

“Our condolences very much go out to the family, it’s a very sad day,” Sheldon said.
 
I don't know if Mack's booking photo was released previously but this is the first time I recall seeing it.

MAR 15, 2021
Missing Richland County woman found dead in trunk of her car in Galloway after 18-day search | 10tv.com

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Credit: Richland County Sheriff's Office
A booking photo of John Mack.
 
The black 2013 Volkswagen Jetta containing the body of Melinda Kay Davis, 33, was spotted by a citizen in a parking lot of an apartment complex near Galloway, Ohio, police tell the Mansfield News Journal. The citizen tipped off police.

A suspect in Davis’ disappearance, an ex-boyfriend, already is in custody. U.S. marshals arrested John Henry Mack Jr., 43, early in March in Mansfield on a charge of kidnapping. He is being held in the Richland County Jail on a $1 million bond.
Body of missing Ohio woman found in trunk of her car
 
MAR 15, 2021
Body of missing Richland County woman found in trunk of car near Galloway (dayton247now.com)
[...]

Investigators wouldn’t describe injuries to the the mother of four, or speculate on a cause of death. Investigators said Mack’s own words provided the motivation they needed to find Davis’ body.

“Probably the best thing that the suspect did for us was boast how her body would never be found,” said Peter Elliot, US Marshal for the Northern District of Ohio.

ABC 6/FOX 28 spoke with a woman who lives near where the car was found in Galloway. She said she videotaped her kids with a new puppy and that the car is visible in the video, parked at an apartment complex. She said the car could have been there since Feb. 27.

[...]
 
Anyone have a sense of how far the car was found from either Mack’s home, Davis’ home or other relevant places? I am just surprised it took so long to find her.

RIP :(
Mack’s home
592 cliffside drive mansfield ohio

Car found
5690 Zachary Court, Galloway OH

Appears to be about a 1hr 10min drive (73 miles)
Google Maps
 
Mack is not only a monster, he's an idiot. It sounds like he dropped Melinda's car off on his way to work in a place known to his co-workers. :rolleyes: MOO

MAR 16, 2021
Missing Ohio mother found dead in trunk of her car: cops (nypost.com)
[...]

Davis’ car was then found parked at Lehnert Green apartments in Galloway, less than a mile from where Mack worked as a truck driver, the newspaper reported.

A resident at the complex said she noticed the car on Feb. 27 and took a video showing the Jetta in the background.

“I get in my car to smoke a lot of times,” TK told the Mansfield News Journal. “What if she was alive and I was right there?”

[...]

TK said authorities told her a co-worker of Mack’s found the vehicle, saying that employees would sometimes park at the apartment complex to dodge parking fees.

[...]
 
Richland County sheriff says Melinda Davis' body found in trunk of car

A tip from a citizen came in to Columbus police about Davis' car being spotted, Richland County Sheriff J. Steve Sheldon said during the press conference.

Tiffany Kyser, who lives in the Lehnert Green apartments on the far west side of Columbus, about two miles from Galloway, where the Jetta was found, said she had noticed the car because it didn't belong to anyone in the area that she knew. She said a video she took in the parking lot on Feb. 27 shows the Jetta in the background.

Kyser said she did not notice a smell around the car, which appeared messy when she glanced inside to make sure no one was sleeping in it. She said the windows began to fog up as the days went by, with condensation rolling down the windows by the time the vehicle was towed Sunday evening.

Kyser said an official with the U.S. Marshals Service looked at footage from her security camera, but it did not capture the area of the parking lot where the car had been dropped off. She said she is kicking herself for not being more vigilant or calling police herself.

Kyser said she was told by law enforcement on Sunday that a coworker of Mack Jr. found the vehicle and that coworkers had been looking in the complex because employees will sometimes park in there to avoid parking fees.

The apartment complex is about a half mile from the J.B. Hunt Transport Services, where Mack Jr. worked as a truck driver.
 
Richland County sheriff says Melinda Davis' body found in trunk of car

Richland County Prosecutor Gary Bishop told media at the news conference in the sheriff's office that her body was taken to Montgomery County for an autopsy. He declined to elaborate to media who asked if others were involved, how long the car had been at the location where it was found, or the motive, saying it was too premature.

He said any new possible charges will be determined at a later date.

Asked what was the underlying evidence of the kidnapping charge, Bishop said "Primarily blood."

Sheldon said information is very limited and now that Davis' body and car have been found, there is a "mountain of work to do."


Note: there is the arrest video from March 4 included with the article at the link above..
 
MAR 15, 2021
Body of missing Richland County woman found in trunk of car near Galloway (dayton247now.com)
[...]

Investigators wouldn’t describe injuries to the the mother of four, or speculate on a cause of death. Investigators said Mack’s own words provided the motivation they needed to find Davis’ body.

“Probably the best thing that the suspect did for us was boast how her body would never be found,” said Peter Elliot, US Marshal for the Northern District of Ohio.

[...]

So he boasted about how her body would never be found, and then left her body in the trunk of her own car in an extremely findable location. Makes sense.
 
So tragic and terrifying.
I wonder if this is an “if I can’t have you no one can” situation, one last act of brutality sparked by breaking up. All too common.
Did he have an accomplice with dumping the car? How did he get back home?
Sounds like he dropped her car off at those apartments, walked the mile (or less) to work, and called his son and his sons wife for a ride home. wonder how much they actually knew.. so sad how this affects dozens of people directly. :(
 
Sounds like he dropped her car off at those apartments, walked the mile (or less) to work, and called his son and his sons wife for a ride home. wonder how much they actually knew.. so sad how this affects dozens of people directly.

@Dre I think you’re on to something! I believe that’s very well what Mack did.
 
So he boasted about how her body would never be found, and then left her body in the trunk of her own car in an extremely findable location. Makes sense.
He didn't clean up all the blood in his house, either.

My guess is, he had a plan to dispose of her remains and clean up after work. But by the afternoon, she'd already been reported missing and police were at his house and looking for him.

IMO he might have been scared to take the car where he'd planned after work, in case they were watching him: quite rightly, too, they probably were. That's the usual police tactic, watch the suspect to see if he leads them to the body.

IMO, there was pre-planning, and that's why Melinda knew, at an instinctive level, that she was walking into a trap. I hope LE can prove it.
 
Melinda Kay Davis
1987 - 2021

MNJ210574-1_20210323.jpgx


Mansfield - Melinda Kay Davis being 33 enjoyed life! She loved her family and was always there for others in their time of need. Sadly Melinda has passed on from this earth.

She was born April 22, 1987 in Phoenix, Arizona. Melinda enjoyed going on adventures, like a hike or walk she just enjoyed being outside. She loved her family, especially her children. She had a carefree, uplifting attitude and always enjoyed having fun. Music was a source of joy for Melinda as she was known to sing along to many of her favorites.

When it came to family Melinda was the glue that held them together and she loved each of them no matter what! Melinda was a natural beauty and she may have been short but she was mighty. Her life will live in the heart of her family and she will be greatly missed.

[...]

Melinda Davis Obituary (1987 - 2021) - Mansfield, OH - News Journal (legacy.com)

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MAR 27, 2021
Downtown vigil held for Melinda Kay Davis | News | richlandsource.com
The boyfriend of Melinda Kay Davis, a Shelby woman found dead two weeks after she went missing, said he’ll work to keep her name alive by bringing awareness to domestic violence.

A small group stood in front of the Richland County Courthouse Saturday, holding signs with photos of Davis. Among them was JB, Davis’ boyfriend at the time of her death.

A small gold pendant hung around JB’s neck with Davis’ initials and fingerprint. On the other side read a small inscription -- Never to be forgotten and forever loved.

[...]
 

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