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Melville case
‘unfinished business’
By Bob Robinson
“It pulled at my heart strings to the point I took a lone flower and
placed it on her casket when her remains were re-interred in the county
cemetery.”
Jane Doe was positively identified in July 2009 as 18-year-old Jeanne
Marie Melville. She was exhumed from the Darke County Home Cemetery for
the second and last time a month later on Aug. 6 at 1 p.m. Her remains
were returned to her home in Green Bay, Wis.
After 39 years, the likely victim of asphyxiation, whose badly
decomposed body had been found in a cornfield near Arcanum in October
1970, was taken to her final resting place.
Senior Advocate Lyn Bliss placed the flower on her casket when it was
re-interred after DNA testing on Oct. 9, 2008. At that time, she didn’t
know Melville’s name but believed she soon would.
Bliss’ journey with “Jane Doe” started in July 2007 when Sheriff Toby
Spencer was talking to the Republican Women’s Club. She asked him what
his most interesting case was. He said it was probably the Jane Doe
homicide because the department had gotten a grant to open it as a
“cold case.”
“I had several strong thoughts, or feelings, that went through my
mind,” she said, “and I’ve never had such a feeling before in my life.
They became stronger over time.”
Since no one knew the victim, there was a general feeling that “Jane”
was a hooker out of Dayton, Bliss recalled. The only ‘clothing’ found
on her was a handcrafted ring and a red wig.
“I had a feeling that was wrong,” Bliss said. “I felt that she was a
very loved person and had family that missed her. I was sure this lost
soul would be identified.”
Bliss requested and received permission to follow the case for The
Daily Advocate and spearheaded a series of stories, one of which led to
the identification of the victim.
They included publication of the clay facial reconstruction, the
re-interment and, finally, in The Daily Advocate on July 16, 2009…
‘Jane Doe’ identified, DNA confirms identity of woman slain in 1970.
“On Oct. 14, 2008, Phyllis Nichols of Wayne Lakes went to the Darke
County Sheriff’s office with a copy of the Oct. 10 Advocate article
showing the forensic reconstruction bust of Jane Doe and covering her
re-interment. Nichols believed the reconstruction greatly resembled her
niece Jeanne Marie Melville.”
She described the brown haired teen as “bubbly, not serious,” and in
1970 had been coming to visit her daughter. Nichols went to a Richmond
bus stop on Sept. 24 to meet her, but the girl never arrived.
Bliss said that at one point there seemed to be some confusion
regarding whether Nichols referred to the Advocate or the Early Bird,
which had also been publishing articles. She added, however, she had
been told that it was her story.
Bliss said that seeing the headline was “exciting” and she felt
“humbled” that she’d had a role in the girl’s identification.
Whittaker had noted that the department had received several tips but
nothing significant. He added they’d uncovered a missing person case
from about the same time period out of Green Bay, Wis. “with a local
connection.” DNA samples were collected from the missing female’s
relatives.
Nichols was the “local connection.” Nine months later, DNA testing
confirmed the victim’s identity.
Today, 16 months after Melville was identified, the case is still
viewed as a major accomplishment by Darke County Chief Deputy Sheriff
Mark Whittaker.
At a recent Darke County Republican Men’s Club meeting, Whittaker
echoed his statement from 16 months ago…
“It has been nice to connect a name and personality with this
previously unidentified person,” he said. In the article, he noted that
he often used the term “bittersweet” in describing his feelings.
Darke County’s only ‘Jane Doe’ has been identified as Jeanne Marie
Melville. Her killer, however, has not been found. Bliss, who had spent
50-60 hours on the “case,” says it isn’t finished yet.
“Another feeling I always had, and still do,” she said, “is one word…
Mistake! It comes to my mind loud and clear every time I think about
the whole case – and that is what I’m hearing right now.”
She said she didn’t know if that meant mistaken identity, killed by
mistake, or what. But “mistake” screams at her.
Bliss said this was an “interesting, educational and heart-wrenching
story” from the start. She added that she hopes some day to report the
final chapter.
“I look at it as unfinished business,” she said. “I imagine Mark feels
that way, too. He always said that identification was just the first
step.”
She said she believes they will identify who was responsible for her
death.
“Whether or not that person is prosecuted…. well, that’s another story.”
Anyone who believes they might have information regarding this case
should contact Whittaker at 937-548-1193.
Bob Robinson is a Senior
Scribe and the retired editor of The Daily
Advocate, Greenville, Ohio. You can read his comments, opinions and
reports at http://opinionsbybob.blogspot.com. If you wish to receive a
daily notification of items posted, send your email address to:
opinionsbybob@gmail.com.
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