On July 13, 2024, Virginia “Ginger” Louise Melton, 58, a White/Caucasian woman from Herrin, Illinois, died in her hometown. Family notices later confirmed her full name, age, and date of death, marking the loss of a woman born in Peoria on June 28, 1966.
That Saturday, police and state investigators were called to a residence in the 3100 block of Weaver Road, where Melton was found with multiple gunshot wounds. Illinois State Police began a death investigation at the scene, a quiet neighborhood address that would soon anchor a homicide case and prompt a wider regional response.
Within a day, Illinois State Police announced the arrest of a local man, 38-year-old Tyler Mezo of Herrin, on a charge of first-degree murder. Authorities reported that he was taken into custody and booked into the Williamson County Jail pending his first court appearance, as detectives processed evidence with assistance from Herrin Police, ISP patrol, and crime scene services.
In the days that followed, officials publicly identified Melton as the victim, and the case moved into the courts. On August 5, 2024, the Williamson County State's Attorney announced that a grand jury had returned an indictment formally charging Mezo in Melton's killing, advancing the prosecution stemming from the July 13 shooting on Weaver Road.
