Melissa Platt // 104 // Suspicious death // UPDATE

In the YouTube video, Michelle discussed who her sister was. She says her sister had such a kind heart and people always said they were two peas in a pod. They liked to watch scary movies together and then they'd wake up and tell each other about their spooky dreams. Michelle said Melissa was her best friend and she feels like a piece of her died with her sister. She tries to honor her memory by remembering all the good times they shared together.

Melissa's sister, Michelle has contacted tons of podcasts to cover this story. She was able to take the money raised from the Go Fund Me, to hire a private investigator. This investigator met with a woman named Karen Kelly and she has the power to change the cause of death on a death certificate, which is something that doesn't usually happen. This is extremely rare. The Private investigator presented this case to Karen Kelly and she believed that this is a homicide case. Melissa's death certificate was changed from undetermined to homicide due to assault and closed head injury. Karen Kelly actually took things one step further. She brought the case to a conference of medical examiners, forensic pathologists, and chief medical examiners, and every single one of them agreed that this is homicide and they all wrote letters and signed their names. They also said they would be willing to go to trial and testify as well. 

Every single year, Melissa's family puts together a packet that included pictures of her injuries and a letter describing the effects her death has had on the family. This packet gets sent to the police, the district attorney, and to Melissa's boyfriend, Joey Tindall. The letters are sent out on February 3rd, which is Melissa's birthday and they do it on December 17th, when she was taken off life support. 

Here are some things that have come out during the investigation:

If Melissa said or did something that her boyfriend, Joey didn't like, he would ALLEGEDLY strip her naked, and force her to sit outside for the night and it didn't matter what temperature it was. She would either have to sleep on the ground, in the bushes, or she could sleep in the car if it was unlocked. 

If she wanted to go somewhere, Joey would check the mileage on the car to make sure she wasn't going anywhere else. Melissa would be locked in a room while Joey was gone at work, and he checked her phone to make sure she wasn't talking to guys. Melissa's sister, Michelle found out this information recently, during the investigation. She was only aware that Melissa had been locked out and forced to sleep outside before and that was something we discussed in our first episode. Another thing we brought up is the fact that Melissa got a tattoo with Joey's name and her sister actually believes that it was a controlling move, like you're my property.

I stated that Melissa had called some rehab centers because she was worried about her drinking. She actually went to a few of them, but Joey would call and threaten her until she would leave. He would threaten to kill her and her family. Then, he would go pick her up and they'd buy alcohol on the way home. 

When Melissa was telling her family at the hospital what really happened to her, she was saying ask the guy that lives in the back, he saw stuff. The family wasn't sure who she was talking about and this was during her last words and the police never followed up on this. Maybe someone witnessed something?

The private investigator discovered that Joey assaulted a firefighter.

A previous ex-boyfriend of Melissa's was able to provide a lot of information to the private investigator. Melissa had gone to the hospital for a gunshot wound under her collarbone and said that she shot herself. Melissa told the ex-boyfriend her and Joey had been fighting, she ran to the bathroom and shut the door, and Joey shot her through the door.

Melissa started seeking help from a counselor who specialized in domestic violence. This person was so concerned about her safety, that she was trying to get guardianship to get her out of there. The counselor was in the middle of doing the paperwork because she didn't believe Melissa was able to leave the situation on her own. Melissa's family had absolutely no idea about this and believes that Joey could have found out about this and maybe that pushed him over the edge. This counselor has records of a bunch of abuse that Melissa told them about.

Doctors have verified that Melissa probably would have survived her injuries if she was brought in on day 1. She laid there with that brain bleed for days without getting any medical attention. Shouldn't the person that allowed her to lay there without going to the hospital be responsible? 

As they took Melissa off life support, her sister, Michelle held her hand and told her she would fight for her and would never give up. 

Michelle contacted people at major new sources and never got a response, that's what lead her to podcasts. She wanted to get the word out. She wants a legacy for Melissa and people that have watched YouTube videos have been inspired to get out of bad relationships. The people that are supposed to help, such as the police and the district attorney, did nothing. 

Joey's niece contacted Melissa's family and she said the whole family believes he was responsible for her death and he has made jokes about getting away with it. They said they will back Melissa's family and support them. 

This case is re-opened, but the family isn't currently getting any updates or communication with the police. 

There is a link to donate and there is a link to purchase things like shirts and coffee cups 

What can you do to help?

Sign the petition for change: https://chng.it/XLjWvvJ4HC

Donate to the GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/2d968c03

This is an ongoing investigation and the family will need to keep making payments to the private investigator, any amount helps

Twitter: Justice For Melissa Platt Justice For Melissa Platt (@Justice4MPlatt) / Twitter

Facebook: Justice for Melissa Platt | Facebook

buy items from online store, all proceeds help fund the investigation

Resources:

The Suspicious Death Of Melissa Platt Feat. Her Sister Michelle Mims - Podcast #194 - YouTube