A woman is being remembered for her kind and generous spirit while police work to hunt down whoever is responsible for her gruesome murder, which has shaken one Texas community.
“Melissa Ann Davis was a beautiful soul with a warm and magnetic energy about her!” Davis’ obituary reads. “She cared deeply for humans and animals alike and always saw the good in others – even when they did not see it themselves.”
The light-filled life that Davis led is a stark contrast to the brutal way she died.
Shortly after 5 a.m. on September 29, firefighters were dispatched to a grassfire near Mesa Drive and Cat Mountain Drive in Austin.
Crews discovered a horrific scene: the body of 33-year-old Davis was engulfed in and surrounded by flames across an area 10-feet wide. She was pronounced dead about 20 minutes after first responders arrived, KVUE-TV reports.
Investigators detected a “strong odor of accelerant” around the body and a lighter was found on the ground nearby, according to court documents obtained by KXAN-TV.
A K-9 dog also dug up a butcher knife that had been buried in an area that also smelled of accelerant.
Following an autopsy, investigators believe that Davis may have been alive when the fire was started.
It is not clear whether police have identified a potential suspect in connection with her murder. No suspect or person of interest has been identified publicly.
Davis had reportedly planned to visit an Apple store the day before she was found dead because her phone needed repairs, according to KXAN-TV. The phone was not at the scene, but investigators are working to acquire her phone data.
A vehicle belonging to Davis is also missing. That vehicle is a 2016 blue Toyota 4Runner, Texas license plate KYV3765.
Loved ones said they were struggling to comprehend Davis’ death.
“It’s an incredible loss for all of us,” Mary Anne Castles, Davis’ stepmother, told Fox News. “We’re all going through a difficult time and just trying to wrap our heads around this.”
Davis grew up in a military family and was from Fort Knox, Kentucky. She earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and a master’s degree from the University of North Texas, according to her obituary.
To report information about the case, call the Austin Police Department at 512-974-TIPS.
[Feature photo via Dignity Memorial]
