A 70-year-old Florida man has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder and armed burglary in connection with the 1987 slaying of Melissa Ellison, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. Gary Edward Glowacz allegedly confessed to the crime after contacting authorities himself and providing details of the crime scene that had not been previously disclosed.
Ellison, 20, was found dead in her Jacksonville home on Dec. 28, 1987. Her roommates discovered her 13-month-old child crying on a couch, while Ellison was found deceased on her bed. Investigators determined she had suffered blunt-force trauma to the head and neck. Evidence at the scene included blood on the sheets, the victim's head positioned below a pillow, and soot or ash on the bed consistent with a wooden log being used as a weapon.
The case remained unsolved for decades until July 8, 2026, when Glowacz reportedly contacted authorities in Clay County, stating he wanted to "set things straight" about Ellison's death. He told a deputy he had committed a burglary at the residence and struck Ellison with a log.
During a subsequent interview with Jacksonville cold case detectives, Glowacz allegedly admitted to being under the influence of narcotics when he entered the home seeking valuables. He told detectives he found Ellison and her baby in a bedroom, retrieved a wooden log from within the residence, returned to the room, and struck Ellison once in the head. He then reportedly carried the child to the living room and placed the baby on the couch before returning to the bedroom to search for money.
Investigators noted that Glowacz's descriptions of the crime scene, including the layout of the residence and the location of the log, closely matched evidence documented in 1987. These details had not been publicly released and were not mentioned in an article about the case that Glowacz claimed to have read prior to contacting authorities.
Law enforcement databases indicated that Glowacz lived approximately half a mile from the crime scene in 1987 and had been arrested for an unrelated burglary in the vicinity on the same day Ellison was found. According to the arrest report, Glowacz told detectives he delayed coming forward until after the holiday season to spend time with his family.
Glowacz was formally charged with second-degree murder and armed burglary with assault or battery. The charging document alleges he killed Ellison while committing second-degree murder and entered or remained in her dwelling armed with a dangerous weapon. Fox News Digital has reached out to Glowacz's public defender for comment.