In the pre-dawn hours of October 16, 2017, the body of a woman was found on a sidewalk in Southwest Detroit. She was Melinda Salazar, a 34-year-old mother who was pregnant with her second child. Her death was not an accident; it was a brutal act of violence that claimed two lives at once, sending a shockwave of grief through her family and community.
The loss was a dual tragedy, as both a mother and her unborn baby were stolen by a man who used his vehicle as a weapon.
Melinda's life was cut short by Lawrence Paul Mills III, a man from Garden City, Michigan, who would later be identified as a serial killer. Mills, who worked at a pizza restaurant and was a father himself, developed a horrific pattern of violence. His method was uniquely cruel: he would solicit women, and after the encounter, he would run them over with his 2006 gold Chevy Trailblazer to take back the money he had paid. He sometimes beat his victims before striking them with his car.
The investigation into Melinda's death was complex and took years to unravel. Her case was the first known murder in a series of violent attacks committed by Mills in 2017. Just two months after killing Melinda and her unborn child, he murdered 59-year-old Carrole Ann White in a similar fashion. Days later, he attacked another pregnant woman, who, despite being beaten and hit by his car multiple times, managed to escape and alert the police. Her survival would prove to be a crucial turning point in the investigation.
Police believe Mills may have been responsible for other assaults and the death of at least one other woman, 32-year-old Mary Penegor, who was found on the same street as some of his other victims. Investigators noted his ability to frequently change and repair vehicles, making him difficult to track. After a painstaking investigation that spanned three years, law enforcement finally connected the string of brutal vehicular assaults, and Lawrence Paul Mills III was arrested on April 24, 2020.
Despite confessing to two of the murders, Mills pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him. His trial brought to light the calculated and predatory nature of his crimes. On November 17, 2021, a jury found him guilty. For his horrific actions, he was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder for the deaths of Melinda Salazar and Carrole Ann White.
Crucially, the justice system recognized the loss of Melinda's unborn baby as a separate and distinct crime. Mills was also convicted of assault on a pregnant individual intentionally causing a miscarriage. This specific charge acknowledged the life that was just beginning and the profound loss suffered by Melinda's family. The court's decision underscored the gravity of Mills' actions, which not only murdered a woman but also extinguished the future of her child.
Lawrence Paul Mills III was sentenced to serve 28 to 48 years in prison for his crimes. He is currently incarcerated at the Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Michigan. While his conviction brought a measure of legal closure, it could not erase the pain and loss caused by his violent rampage. The case of Melinda Salazar and her unborn child remains a heartbreaking reminder of the devastating ripple effects of violence, a story of a mother and child who never had the chance to build a life together.
