Grave of Melissa Simmons at Pere Marquette Catholic Cemetery.
By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
LUDINGTON — Over the past two years, law enforcement has increased its efforts to solve the 1993 murder of Scottville teen Melissa Simmons. As a result, the Mason County Sheriff’s Office has developed a list of additional persons of interest in the case. Mason County Sheriff Kim Cole held a press conference today, Wednesday, Aug. 13, to give an update on the case. The press conference comes following last week’s exhumation of Simmons’s body from Pere Marquette Catholic Cemetery in Pere Marquette Township.
Melissa Simmons
In the evening of Wednesday, June 23, 1993, 15-year-old Melissa left her family’s house at 206 E. Broadway Ave. in Scottville, telling her father and stepmother that she was going to go to the Wesco gas station and then visit a friend for awhile. She never came home.
Three days later, Saturday, June 26, her father and stepmother, Albert and Rosemary, reported Melissa missing to the Scottville Police Department. According to the police report, obtained by MCP in 2023, through Michigan Freedom of Information Act, on Thursday, July 1, a fisherman reported he had discovered a body floating in the Pere Marquette River near the Custer Road bridge. Mason County Sheriff’s Office Deputy John Fort and Scottville Police Officer Sue Randall responded. The report then states that the body was recovered about 1/4 mile west of Indian Bridge on Reek Road in Custer Township.
Simmons’s body was found mostly unclothed with no signs of a physical struggle. Following an autopsy, the medical examiner classified her death a homicide.
Dozens of people were interviewed by sheriff detectives following the discovery of Melissa’s body, but nobody has ever been charged. Mason County Sheriff Kim Cole, who was a road patrol deputy in 1993, said he has decided to have detectives take a new look at the 30-year-old case.
Det. Kyle Boyd
“When I was elected sheriff in 2012, folks began reaching out to me and asking if we would look into this case again,” Cole told MCP. “When you have a young person murdered in any community, it’s going to spark passion in that community. Every year we get some cold calls with someone who has some information. We have always been open to pursuing any leads that have credible information.”
In 2023, the 30th anniversary of the cold case, Cole assigned Det. Kyle Boyd to re-examine the case.
“Det. Boyd, like any police officer, is committed to bringing justice to victims of crimes,” Cole said.
On Wednesday, Cole listed some of the progress Boyd and other investigators have made in the case and explained the resume her body was exhumed.
Progress in the investigation has included:
- Reexamination of every piece of evidence.
- Review of photographs and videos taken early in the original investigation.
- Creation of a timeline surrounding Simmons’s disappearance.
- Close work with medical and DNA experts.
- Submission of evidence for advanced testing by hand-delivering DNA evidence to a laboratory in Virginia.
- Reviewing medical examiner reports and re-interviewing medical experts.
- Re-interviewing witnesses and eliminating individuals along with following up on tips.
- Conducting over 100 interviews and including individuals who had never been interviewed prior.
Indian Bridge, Pere Marquette River, Custer Township.
“Within all this work, investigators determined it was necessary to exhume Missy’s body from the Pere Marquette Cemetery,” Cole said. “This was carried out Friday, Aug. 9, 2025. While this decision was not taken lightly, it was the right one. In my 40-year career, I cannot recall this ever happening in Mason County. This action was based on information gathered over the past couple of years, and I will not be sharing what that information is in order to protect the integrity of the investigation.”
Sheriff Kim Cole
Cole added that investigators have been in communication with Simmons’s family members and representatives of her family were present at the exhumation.
The sheriff asked the public to assist in the case.
“If you knew Missy or interacted with her in the days before her disappearance or had contact with someone after her disappearance, please contact us, even if you spoke with police in 1993. We want to make sure we have as much information as possible. Every detail matters.
“Thank you for helping Melissa. We are committed to this case and will continue our efforts for as long as it takes.”
Those who have information are asked to call 231-843-3475 and speak with Det. Kyle Boyd (ext. 137) or Det. Sgt. Mike Kenney (et. 136).
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