Gary Edward Glowacz, 70, was arrested in connection with the 1987 killing of 20-year-old Melissa Taylor Ellison
Credit: Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office
NEED TO KNOW
- Gary Edward Glowacz, 70, was arrested in connection with the 1987 killing of 20-year-old Melissa Taylor Ellison in Jacksonville, Fla.
- Ellison’s killing remained unsolved for decades after she was found dead in her home with blunt force injuries
- A break in the case came when Glowacz contacted authorities on July 7, 2026, claiming to have information about her death
A Florida man who told police he had information about a decades-old cold case found himself under arrest on a murder charge.
Gary Edward Glowacz, 70, is accused of killing Melissa Taylor Ellison, a 20-year-old mother, in December 1987, according to a statement from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Nearly 40 years ago, officers responding to a report of a dead person found Ellison in her bed with blunt force injuries, the sheriff’s office said. Investigators said Ellison’s roommates checked on her after hearing her toddler crying on the living room couch.
Credit: Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office
The sheriff’s office said detectives reviewed the available evidence and conducted multiple interviews, but the investigation eventually went cold.
The case took a dramatic turn on Wednesday, July 8, however, when Glowacz contacted the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, telling dispatchers he wanted to provide information about Ellison’s death.
He was later interviewed by investigators with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, where they obtained a warrant for his arrest.
Credit: Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office
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“While his arrest cannot fill the enormous void left in the hearts of Mellisa Ellison’s loved ones, I hope that this arrest is another step in the healing process,” Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said at a press conference.
Glowacz was booked into the Duval County Jail on charges of second-degree murder and burglary with assault or battery, according to online inmate records. It was not immediately clear whether he had entered a plea or retained an attorney to comment on his behalf.
Authorities have not shared a possible motive for the killing.
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