TX MELISSA JANE DOE: WF, 44-64, struck by car near Highway 5 and Highway 121 in Melissa, TX - 11 Jan 2004 *LISA MELLAY*

500UFTX- Unidentified Female​

Mugshot taken of the decedent 5 months prior to death. To view a retouched postmortem photo, please click here.

Date of Discovery: January 11, 2004
Location of Discovery: Melissa, Collin County, Texas
Estimated Date of Death: Same day
State of Remains: Recognizable face
Cause of Death: Auto vs. pedestrian accident

Physical Description​

Estimated Age: 44-64 years old
Race: White
Sex: Female
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 162 lbs.
Hair: "Salt and pepper" gray and brown; cut short.
Eye Color: Blue
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Fourth toe short and webbed, overlapping toes 3 and 5. No tattoos or scars noted.

Identifiers​

Dentals: Available. Missing upper teeth and single lower tooth (#24); no evidence of denture use.
Fingerprints: Available.
DNA: Available.

Clothing & Personal Items​

Clothing: Blue jeans, white tennis shoes, dark colored jacket and sweater over a blue t-shirt which reads "Jefferson Missouri 2001 Final Four State Championship, Columbia, Missouri."
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Two plastic grocery bags containing clothing and snack foods.

Circumstances of Discovery​

The decedent was struck and killed while walking northbound near the intersection of Highway 5 and Highway 121 in Melissa, Texas. The woman may have been homeless or a transient. Following her death, investigators discovered through fingerprint comparison she had 27 years of arrest history in seven States. She used a total of 23 names, one for each arrest. Two of her known aliases include "Rebecca Hilda Ackerman" with the date of birth as 03/25/1959 and "Dianne Tarella Jones" with the date of birth as 03/25/1959. Her last known arrest took place five months before her death.

Investigating Agency(s)​

Agency Name: Collin County Medical Examiner's Office
Agency Contact Person: Agent Robert Laughon
Agency Phone Number: 972-548-3775
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: CC04304

Agency Name: Collin County Sheriff's Office
Agency Contact Person: Commander Parish Cundiff
Agency Phone Number: 972-547-5100
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: CC04304

NCIC Case Number: U300005558
NamUs Case Number: 3247

Information Source(s)​

Doe Network: International Center For Missing and Unidentified Persons

Doe Network is an all-volunteer organization dedicated to bringing awareness to missing persons and unidentified persons throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Australia.

www.doenetwork.org

NamUs
Collin County Medical Examiner
FBI ViCap
TXDPS
Melissa Police Department

#JaneDoe was struck and killed while walking northbound near the intersection of Highway 5 and Highway 121 in Melissa, Texas. on Jan 11, 2004

Investigators discovered through fingerprint comparison she had 27 years of arrest history in seven States. She used a total of 23 names, one for each arrest. Two of her known aliases include "Rebecca Hilda Ackerman" and "Dianne Tarella Jones"...

www.crimewatchers.net

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

‘Jane Doe' identified after 20 years; Effort to solve more Collin County cases underway

A partnership between the Collin County Medical Examiner’s Office and a forensic lab near Houston aims to reunite families with unidentified bodies.

www.nbcdfw.com

‘Jane Doe' identified after 20 years; Effort to solve more Collin County cases underway​

The Collin County Medical Examiner's Office 'Unidentified Project' has solved a 20-year-old mystery surrounding the identity of a 'Jane Doe,' replacing her gravesite headstone.

On Thursday morning, three employees from Turrentine Jackson Morrow Funeral Home carefully dug around the grassy plot, removing the tombstone.

After 20 years, this Jane Doe is getting her real name back.

Collin County Medical Examiner’s Office death investigator Valerie Alvarez is making good on a promise she made in 2022.

“It’s a sad moment of course but it’s also a very happy moment to know we were able to give her her name her dignity and provide a place for the family to come visit,” said Alvarez.

The weight of the years-long search for answers hit Alvarez who wiped away tears recalling the call that confirmed this Jane Doe’s real name was Lisa Jaqueline Mellay, 47, of California.

“When the initial call came in I remember sitting at my desk and breaking down crying out of nowhere and I remember my boss saying 'Are you OK?' I was like 'We found her,'” she said with a smile.

Moments like this are why she has dedicated herself to this field, she said.

“Being able to give them a name and have a place for their families to come visit them is kind of what we do this for,” she said.

Mellay was killed while walking in Melissa in 2004.

Confirming her identity had long been a challenge because she was known as a ‘drifter’ who crisscrossed the country using multiple aliases and jailed on multiple occasions.