Student of the Week Joshua Mohr
MINDY MCKENZIE/SDG NEWSPAPERS
call on (March) the 14th at 6:15 p.m. from the Columbus Police Department who had located the black Jetta with same license plate at 5690 Zachary Court, Galloway, Ohio,” said Sheldon, who added that later Davis’ body was found in the trunk.
A tip from a citizen about a car led Columbus police to the Galloway area. It’s not known how long the car was at the location.
“There’s a lot of work to be done and a lot of reports to be generated and reviewed so our information is somewhat limited at this point,” Bishop said.
Among others taking part in the investigation were Shelby police, the U.S. Marshals Service, Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Ohio Bureau of Identification and Investigation, Ontario police, Richland County Prosecutor’s Office, Richland County Coroner’s Office, Mansfield police, Columbus police and Richland County Children Services, Sheriff Sheldon detailed.
“Our heart goes out to Melinda and her family today,” said Peter Elliott, U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Ohio. “We are very saddened by this. They will be in our prayers.”
Elliott thanked law enforcement -- in attendance at the news conference -- for their efforts. “They didn’t stop working from Day No. 1 and didn’t sleep” since the beginning.
“Probably the best thing that the suspect did for us was to boast how her body would never be found,” Elliott said. “You don’t know the determination of all of (law enforcement) people standing in the back” of the conference room.
At the Shelby Police Department, Davis’ family was notified of the developments by authorities prior to the Monday news conference, reporters were told.
Family had recently spoken about circumstances involving Davis’ disappearance. Lisa Davis said that her sister and Mack had broken up about eight months prior to her disappearance.
Melinda Davis had gone to Mack’s Mansfield location on Feb. 25 to pick up some belongings she had been looking to retrieve for some time and had notified a friend in advance of the plan, Lisa Davis said. Later in the morning, Melinda Davis did not arrive for a planned breakfast with another relative at a Denny’s restaurant in the Mansfield area, Lisa Davis said. Police were then notified, leading to the search for Melinda Davis.
While en route to Mack’s residence in Mansfield, Davis called a friend and stated, “If you don’t hear from me, call the police,” according to a statement of facts from the Richland County Prosecutor’s Office, a document filed with the court.
The case started with the Shelby police, which was the first notified of Davis’ disappearance.
“We asked a lot of assistance from the Richland County Sheriff’s Department,”
Shelby police Capt. Eric Rath said at the news conference. “And it’s been an effort by many, many agencies since then.”
Sheriff Sheldon said “a mountain of work” remains in the investigation and that he is hoping that “much more information” will be released in the next few weeks.
“Our condolences very, very much go out to the family,” he said Monday. “It’s a very sad day. We’re hoping this brings closure, a little bit, to the friends and family. Please keep them in your prayers.”
A Facebook group formed as part of an effort to locate Davis issued a statement Monday.
“Thank U for Ur prayers and All the Help U have put in to help this family. I am Devastated,” the statement read. “This is NOT the outcome Anybody wanted but the Family gets closure and the family can put Melinda to Rest. Now Let’s Focus On Giving Their Beloved Melinda The MOST BEAUTIFUL Funeral.”
The post also asked that the family’s privacy be respected. impact.”
Marc Gaden, spokesman for the Great Lakes Fishery Commission who didn’t take part in the study, said it illustrates the complexity of Great Lakes ecosystems and the need for better models that can forecast how weather can disrupt them.
“Any change that’s happening like this needs to be understood by fishery managers who are making decisions on a daily basis about stocking and harvests,” Gaden said Monday.
The report adds to a growing body of scientific evidence that human activity is affecting the Great Lakes in unforeseen ways.
Some nearshore areas have too much phosphorus because of runoff from overfertilized croplands and releases from sewage plants. In others, invasive quagga mussels that were brought to the lakes in ship ballast water are trapping the nutrient in shallow waters.
Yet deeper areas of Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Ontario and eastern Lake Erie are running short of phosphorus needed to feed algae that form a key link in food chains. Again, the mussels are suspected of playing a role.
A February study by University of Minnesota Duluth scientists found that quagga mussels, which filter phosphorus from the water and then excrete it, have become the biggest factor in determining concentrations of the nutrient in all the Great Lakes except Lake Superior.
Meanwhile, climate change resulting from emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane is believed to be warming the lakes and causing heavier storms, which also affect water quality.
Lake Erie, shallowest of the Great Lakes, is deep enough in its central basin to have two distinct temperature levels. The lower, colder level has little oxygen and lots of phosphorus. Low or depleted oxygen, a condition known as hypoxia, can cause fish die-offs.
Unusually strong winds, which usually happen in August, can be powerful enough to propel that unhealthy water into the western basin even though Erie’s prevailing current moves eastward, Ackerman said.
Those extreme events, which formerly happened a couple of times a year, more recently have happened three or four times annually, he said. In the past decade, they’ve increased more than 40 percent. They can alter lake chemistry within hours.
While adult fish can swim away from those low-oxygen, high-phosphorus zones, younger ones might be trapped and die, Ackerman said. Another victim is the mayfly, an important food for prized fish such as perch and walleye.
He said extreme gusts also might have similar effects in other waters that have experienced hypoxia, such as Lake Huron’s Saginaw Bay, Lake Michigan’s Green Bay and Muskegon Lake, which opens into Lake Michigan.
The Columbia Gas Transmission pipeline (TCO) that is used to deliver natural gas to many communities in the State of Ohio has been approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to increase the cost to store and transport the natural gas in their transmission system. Representatives from our natural gas aggregation program (Volunteer Energy) has informed City officials on what the expected impact will be to Ohio natural gas customers that have their gas delivered by the Columbia Gas Transmission pipeline. Natural gas customers in Shelby and throughout most of Ohio can expect a natural gas rate increase of roughly $0.0715 per Ccf. The notice letter from Volunteer Energy is posted on the city website. If you have any questions, please call the city’s natural gas aggregation specialist, Volunteer Energy, at 1-800-977-8374 or www.volunteerenergy. com.