Medical Examiner Identifies Victim as Melissa A. Millspaugh — Brian Myers, 48, Charged With Aggravated Murder
C & P Newswire
CLEVELAND, OHIO — A deadly shooting on Cleveland’s East Side has left a community shaken and a family grieving, after the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner identified the victim as Melissa A. Millspaugh, 39.
Police say Millspaugh was found dead around 1:46 p.m. Wednesday in the 12700 block of Buckeye Road, near the Buckeye-Shaker neighborhood. Officers responding to reports of gunfire discovered her unresponsive behind a dumpster with an apparent gunshot wound, which the Medical Examiner later confirmed as the cause of death.
Within hours, detectives had identified a suspect. Brian Myers, 48, was arrested later that same day and charged with aggravated murder. He was booked into the Cuyahoga County Jail, where he remains held on $750,000 bond. Myers appeared in Cleveland Municipal Court Thursday morning for an initial hearing.
Police have not publicly released a motive or confirmed the nature of the relationship between Myers and Millspaugh, though investigators believe the two may have known one another.
Family members described Melissa as “kind, giving, and full of life.” She was the daughter of Eric and Barbara Ortiz and the mother of Ariana Buckingham and Vanessa Millspaugh, according to her obituary.
“She didn’t deserve this,” said a close relative. “Melissa was loved, and she’ll be deeply missed.”
The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office will present the case to a grand jury in the coming days.
Anyone with additional information about the shooting is asked to contact the Cleveland Division of Police Homicide Unit at (216) 623-5464 or Crime Stoppers at (216) 252-7463.
Local residents say the Buckeye-Shaker area has seen a troubling rise in violence over the past year.
“It’s scary,” said Denise Hall, who lives nearby. “You hear shots more often now — we just want peace in our neighborhood.”
Councilman Blaine Griffin urged calm and cooperation with investigators.
“Every senseless act of violence takes a toll on our city,” he said. “We need to come together as a community and demand better.”
