Post by Scumhunter on May 27, 2018 1:27:17 GMT -5
(Above photo credit: Salt Lake City Police Department website)
From the Salt Lake City Police Department website- Cold Cases section:
Victim: Melissa Griggs
Cold Case Type: Homicide
Occurrence Date: 1995-11-23
Victim Age: 33
Victim Gender: Female
Synopsis: The victim left her temporary residence in West Valley City at 1:30 a.m. The home owner at 717 West 200 North in Salt Lake City was awakened by his dogs at approximately 2:30 a.m. The home owner looked out his window and observed a car parked in the front of his house. The witness went back to bed. At 6:45 a.m., the car was still there so he decided to check the car out. In doing so, he found the victim dead and called 9-1-1.
Patrol officers arrived and found the victim lying face down across the front seats. Evidence was located at the time which could lead to an identity of a suspect with further information. The Medical Examiner determined the manner of death as homicide the immediate cause of death is known but withheld for investigative reasons. This case is an open case and the Salt Lake City Police Department is seeking information.
Address of Offense: 717 West 200 North
Case Number: 1995-178228
Status: Unsolved
www.slcpd.com/1995/11/23/melissa-griggs/
Thoughts? According to a 1995 online article, Griggs' may have been involved in prostitution and also used the surname Ross. There was also at the time a question of if her slaying was also related to the slaying of a 17 year-old prostitute named Krystal Lynn Beslanowitch. That seems especially unlikely since DNA advances would lead to a conviction of Krystal's killer in 2016:
www.deseretnews.com/article/457481/POLICE-UNSURE-IF-SLAYINGS-OF-PROSTITUTES-LINKED.html
www.forensicmag.com/news/2016/10/m-vac-dna-leads-cold-case-conviction-life-without-parole-killer
Of course, at the end of the day, Melissa was still a human being and she still deserves justice. Krystal's case getting solved 20 years later is a positive sign perhaps Melissa's case can one day be solved as well.
Admin Note #1: According to the Salt Lake City Police Department website, if you have information regarding this case, you are asked to call (801) 799-3000 and ask for a Homicide Investigator. If you'd like to remain anonymous, you can also text or submit an online crime tip: www.slcpd.com/resources/submit-a-tip/
Admin Note #2: If you have any (news-related) updates on this case, please contact us here: amwfans.com/thread/1662/website-contact-form