Texas woman was burned alive by roadside, cops say

Mystery as Texas woman Melissa Davis, 33, is found on FIRE after suspect doused her in gas and set her alight before leaving her to die on the side of the road in luxury suburb – cops hunt for killer

Melissa Davis, 33, was found charred to death on a roadside in Austin, Texas Davis was pronounced dead on the scene

Police report that they ‘smelled a strong odor of accelerant’ near her body which was in a small grassy area next to a fence, directly off the road

Davis was pronounced dead on the scene, an autopsy of her body revealed that she had been burned alive, police have ruled her death as a homicide

Davis‘ Toyota Forerunner SUV and phone were missing from the scene and police are actively investigating her death as a homicide, as responding officers ‘smelled a strong odor of accelerant’ near her body which was in a small grassy area next to a fence, directly off a busy road

Detectives also discovered a butcher’ knife and lighter at the crime scene. a lighter on the ground at the secene

No arrests have been made as of yet, but authorities are looking into her phone records for any clues about the homicide

The charred body of 33-year-old Melissa Davis was found around 5am on August 29 on an Austin, Texas roadside. Firefighters responded to a call of a grass fire and found her remains when they arrived –

A woman found alight on the roadside around 5am on August 29 in an upscale Austin neighborhood, Texas, was burned alive, police said. The body of Davis, 33, was found by firefighters near the intersection of Mesa Drive and Cat Mountain Drive when they responded to a call of a grass fire, early Friday.
Officers of the Austin Fire Department responded to reports of a grass fire in the 6300 block of Mesa Drive around 5:08 a.m, on Friday, September 29, discovered a deceased human showing signs of trauma to the body.
Homicide Detectives from the Austin Police Department called to the scene later identified the human remains as belonging to Melissa Davis.
Davis was pronounced dead on the scene as cops ‘smelled a strong odor of accelerant’ near her body which was in a small grassy area next to a fence, directly off a busy road.
Detectives also discovered a lighter on the ground which appeared to be new. A K9 dog dug out a butcher knife that police believed ‘was placed with the decedent in an attempt to destroy the evidence with the fire,’ according to the search warrant.
An autopsy of her body has revealed physical evidence that she was burned alive. Cops are on the hunt for the suspect responsible for the homicide. 

According to phone records that the Austin Police Department obtained with a warrant, Davis had left her mother’s house in the Circle C area the day before and told her she had to go to the Apple store to get her phone fixed. Her phone was not found with her at the scene

Davis, a Kentucky native, would find herself in two of Texas’ artistic center,’ her obituary noted. She obtained her bachelor’s in anthropology from the University of North Texas in Denton and later received her master’s in sustainable tourism there. After traveling the globe widely for studies and adventure – including places like South Africa, the Philippines, and Costa Rica, she moved to Austin.
Her body was found at an intersection in Cat Mountain in Austin, Texas. The town itself holds a population of 26,000 residents and has attracted upper-class families and single professionals. Homes in the area range from $300,000 to over $1million. Armed with a search warrant, police conducted a forensic search of her phone data and found that Davis left her mother’s home the day before in the Circle C area and told her she had to go to the Apple store to get her phone fixed. 
The phone itself was not found on scene, but police are hopeful that they can hunt down the suspect with her cellphone records. 
The Austin Police Department are also on the hunt for Davis’s car, a blue Toyota 4Runner which was missing from the crime scene. ‘A reward of up to $1,000 may be available for any information that leads to an arrest,’ Austin Police said in a Facebook post on October 6. 
According to Davis’s Facebook page, she was living in Taos, New Mexico but was originally from Austin. 
Her ‘soul sister’ and best friend Ellie Simmons told KVUE: ‘She had more of a zest for life than I think anyone else.

Davis’s car was also missing, and police put out a search for the vehicle on their Facebook page. The smell of lighter fluid surrounded the scene, along with what appeared to be a new lighter and a butcher knife that a K9 dog dug out. Police suspect the knife was left there to ‘destroy evidence with the fire’

Police report that they ‘smelled a strong odor of accelerant’ near her body which was in a small grassy area next to a fence, directly off the road in Cat Mountain in Austin, Texas. An autopsy of her body revealed that she had been burned alive as police have ruled her death as a homicide

The burned remains of Davis’ was found in Cat Mountain, a luxury suburb in Austin, Texas. 
The homes, known to rise above the Austin skyline start at less than $300,000 but can soar well over $1millionCat Mountain itself holds 26,000 residents and has attracted many upper-class families and single professionals. The average cost of a home in the area is about $675,000  
As of Tuesday, no arrests have been made and police are still actively investigating the homicide. 

Davis’s body was found at an intersection in Cat Mountain in Austin, Texas an affluent town with a population of 26,000 residents, mostly upper-class families and single professionals with homes ranging from $300,000 to over $1million. Davis was pronounced dead on the scene.

Davis not only had a love for art and travel, but also had a huge love for animals. 
According to her obituary: ‘She took immense pride in being dog mom to Dudley who was her constant companion for the past six years – he wanted for nothing!’
This investigation is still active and ongoing.  Austin PD in an update to their press release last week revealed they are currently searching for Davis’ vehicle – a blue 2016 Toyota 4Runner with Texas plates: KYV3765 – and asking for the public’s help.
Police encourage anyone with information on the homicide or the whereabouts of Davis’s car to contact their TIPS department or Crime Stoppers program.