Two suspects in the 1998 homicide of Jewel Summerlin Melvin are being charged by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office with first degree murder and burglary with assault or battery but the investigation is not over. On May 15, 1998 the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) responded to the home of Jewel Summerlin Melvin at 2345 West James Lee Boulevard in Crestview. Mrs. Melvin’s son Eddie had discovered her body on her bedroom floor around 5:15 p.m. The 71-year old victim was positioned between her bed and the doorway with the top mattress pulled off the bed to partially conceal her. In addition to OCSO and FDLE sworn personnel, OCSO and FDLE crime scene personnel were also sent to the scene.
Mrs. Melvin appeared to have been severely beaten in the facial area in addition to being strangled. She had distinctive ligature marks around her neck. The bedroom had been ransacked with several drawers pulled open. In addition, Mrs. Melvin’s blue fourdoor Mercury Marquis was missing from the driveway. Investigators determined that the motive appeared to be theft or robbery. On Saturday, May 16, 1998 Associate Medical Examiner Dr. Michael E. Berkland performed an autopsy on Jewel Melvin’s body. The autopsy revealed her manner of death was homicide by Asphyxia secondary to strangulation. In addition, Mrs. Melvin suffered severe blunt force trauma to the face, head and abdominal area.
On Monday, May 18, 1998, Mrs. Melvin’s vehicle was located in a rural area west of Crestview. The vehicle was abandoned off Suzanne Circle, near Hwy. 90 and Wilkerson Bluff Road in Holt. The location is approximately (7) seven miles from Mrs. Melvin’s home. The rural area where the vehicle was located mainly consisted of sandy soil along with logging debris. The area had recently been logged and or clear-cut with the timber removed. The car was discovered by a realtor who was looking at property in the surrounding area. It appeared to have been stuck in sand and or timber debris.
