Melissa Ellison was found dead on Dec. 28th, 1987 inside her home on the Westside. A reward is being offered for information that helps police make an arrest.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville family is still searching for answers nearly 40 years after the death of their loved one.

Melissa Ellison, who often went by Missy Taylor, was just 20 years old when she was found dead in the early morning hours of Dec. 28, 1987.

During a press conference Thursday, First Coast Crime Stoppers Executive Director Chase Robinson went back through the events of that night. He said Ellison was found beaten to death inside her home at the Taylor trailer park on Coljean Ct. along Normandy Blvd. 

“This is important to know that where you traverse now might have been someplace different in 1987, that where you frequented in 1987 could be different than what it is now. So it’s really to bring people into this mindset of reminiscing on where you were in 1987, reminiscing where you were in the early 2000s because the Taylor trailer park did exist through the early 2000s,” Robinson explained.

Ellison had called her mom at 11:30 p.m. that night and told her she was scared, but would not say why. Around 4 a.m., she was found beaten to death with a charred log from her fireplace. Ellison’s 13-month-old baby girl was found on her couch, though she was not hurt.

Cold Case Detective Travis Oliver Sr. said they have been trying to solve the case as if it happened now with the most up-to-date technology. He believes someone knows something about Ellison’s death.

“We had people present when this happened, and we have witnesses that we know have information and that information that they’re withholding from us is hindering us giving justice for the family in this case. We know that there are things now, people go through lifestyle changes, they go through changes in their life and they’re in a different position now than they were in 1987,” Oliver said.

Ellison’s family have not given up. Her sister Glenda Blandford said this case continues to take a toll on their family.

“The thoughts and the images of someone coming into her home to deliberately hurt her has been unimaginable for my family. It has eaten us alive. My message today is not just for her killers, but all those involved in covering it up, all those involved in not speaking up,” Ellison said.

Ellison’s daughter, Casey, made an emotional plea to anyone who might know something about her mother’s death.

“Someone has lived with this knowledge for nearly four decades. And someone listening to this right now knows that this is about them. We are not asking for judgment. We are not asking for speculation. We are not asking for stories. We are asking for information. The smallest detail can matter. A name, a car, a place, a conversation. A rumor you may have dismissed. A memory you might have thought was irrelevant. This case does not need belief. It needs evidence,” Casey said.

If anyone has any information, contact Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS. People can also submit a tip online or through the Crime Stoppers app. It is completely anonymous. A $5,000 reward is also being offered to anyone who provides information that leads to an arrest.