May 23, 2015

Maryland Gentleman Charged With Homicide of Teen Stepdaughter



Melissa Skye Collins, 17

[From article]
A western Maryland man has been charged with murdering his 17-year-old stepdaughter after her body was found hidden his basement on Wednesday, police say.
A neighbor flagged down officers in Hagerstown, Maryland on Wednesday afternoon to report that Melissa Skye Collins hadn't made it to school that morning and hadn't been seen since 7.30am.
Officers became suspicious of her step-father Ernie Chase when they interviewed him and he refused to let them inside.
After obtaining a search warrant several hours later, police discovered Melissa's body 'concealed within the house,' according to police.
[. . .]
Her biological father, Lynn Hassinger [. . .] who lives two hours north of Hagerstown in Pennsylvania, said that she told him that she was scared of her stepfather because he was a violent person.
But, she decided to live with her mother and stepfather in Maryland so that she could look after her little sister and two younger brothers.
Melissa was a senior at North Hagerstown High School who was set to graduate on June 6. She was preparing to attend Messiah College, a Christian liberal arts school in eastern Pennsylvania that she picked because it was close enough that she could be near her family.
Her devastated father is beside himself with grief at losing his daughter.
[. . .]
'Everything in her life was going great. Everything except her stepfather.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3091744/Stepfather-arrested-murder-missing-17-year-old-police-body-hidden-basement.html

Stepfather arrested for murder of missing 17-year-old after police 'find her body hidden in his basement'
Melissa Skye Collins was found dead in the basement of her home in Hagerstown, Maryland
Told her biological father that she was afraid of stepfather Ernie Chase, 32
Chase was arrested and charged with murder and child abuse
Was set to graduate in less than two weeks and had plans to attend Messiah College in Pennsylvania
'She loved everybody. She's a very loving girl. She would do everything for anybody. She was such a happy-go-lucky kid,' her biological dad said
By Michael Zennie For Daily Mail Online
Published: 17:05 EST, 21 May 2015 | Updated: 17:34 EST, 21 May 2015

No comments: