A Florida man accused in the 1987 killing of a young mother is now facing charges after allegedly reaching out to law enforcement on his own and confessing, with investigators saying he provided crime-scene details that had never been made public.
Gary Edward Glowacz, 70, has been charged with second-degree murder and armed burglary with assault or battery in connection with the death of 20-year-old Melissa Ellison, who was discovered dead inside her Jacksonville home on Dec. 28, 1987, according to court records obtained by News Outlet.
Ellison was found on her bed after her roommates returned home and first noticed her 13-month-old child crying on a couch in the living room, Glowacz’s arrest report states.
Authorities said Ellison had injuries consistent with blunt-force trauma to her head and neck. According to the arrest report, blood was found on the sheets, her head was positioned beneath a pillow, and her nightgown had been pulled above her waist. Detectives also documented soot or ash on the bed, which they said appeared consistent with a wooden log being used in the attack.
Melissa Ellison’s body was found by authorities in her bed with injuries consistent with blunt force trauma, according to police. (Jacksonville County Sheriff’s Office)
For nearly four decades, the killing remained one of Jacksonville’s unresolved cold cases.
That changed on July 8, 2026, when Glowacz contacted authorities in Clay County and said he wanted to “set things straight” about Ellison’s death, according to the arrest report. Investigators said he told a deputy he had burglarized the home and hit Ellison with a log.
In a later interview with Jacksonville cold case detectives, Glowacz allegedly said he was using narcotics at the time of the killing and had entered the residence in search of money or items he could sell.
Glowacz told detectives he found Ellison and her baby in a bedroom, left the room, picked up a wooden log inside the residence and returned, according to the report. He allegedly said he struck Ellison once in the head, then carried the child into the living room and placed the baby on a couch.
Melissa Ellison, 20, was found dead in her Jacksonville, Florida, home in December 1987. Authorities announced an arrest in the cold case nearly four decades later. (Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office)
Police said Glowacz then returned to the bedroom to look for money.
He allegedly told detectives he pulled Ellison’s body by the legs and lifted a corner of the mattress while searching underneath it.
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Investigators said those details closely matched evidence documented at the scene in 1987.
The arrest report says that Glowacz accurately described the layout of the residence and where the log had been located.
Detectives wrote that those details had not previously been released publicly and were not contained in the article Glowacz said he read before contacting authorities.
Police also said law-enforcement databases showed Glowacz lived about half a mile from the crime scene in 1987 and had been arrested in connection with an unrelated burglary in the area on the same day Ellison was found dead.
Gary Edward Glowacz, 70, was arrested and charged with murder in the 1987 killing of Melissa Ellison after contacting authorities saying he had information about the case, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. (Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office)
According to the arrest report, Glowacz told detectives he had seen an article about the cold case in March 2026 and said that was when he realized Ellison had died.
According to investigators, he told them he had delayed coming forward until after the holiday season because he wished to spend time with his family. Police arrested Glowacz following the interview.
Prosecutors later formally charged him with second-degree murder and armed burglary with assault or battery.
The charging document alleges Glowacz killed Ellison by striking her while committing second-degree murder and entered or remained in her dwelling while armed with a dangerous weapon.
News Outlet has reached out to Glowacz’s public defender for comment.
