On a Tuesday morning in Marshfield, Wisconsin, concern grew when 41-year-old Melissa L. Wright, a White / Caucasian female, did not arrive for her job at the Marshfield Clinic. A caring co-worker, unable to reach her, placed a call to the Marshfield Police Department on November 15, 2022, requesting a welfare check at her residence on South Sycamore Avenue. This simple act of concern would soon unravel a tragic story of domestic violence that had reached its devastating conclusion.
When officers from the Marshfield Police and deputies from the Wood County Sheriff's Department arrived at the home around 10:42 a.m., they immediately noticed unsettling signs. A truck, registered to Melissa's 48-year-old ex-husband, Heath A. Heck, was parked in the driveway. More alarmingly, the front door was damaged in a way that suggested a forced entry. Upon entering the residence to conduct a protective sweep, the officers made a grim discovery in one of the bedrooms. Both Melissa Wright and Heath Heck were found deceased, each having suffered fatal gunshot wounds.
The investigation that followed painted a clear and heartbreaking picture of the events that had transpired. Authorities determined that in the early morning hours, Heck had broken into his ex-wife's home. He then shot and killed Melissa before turning the. 44-caliber handgun on himself in a murder-suicide. The couple, who had two children together, had finalized their divorce in 2020. Fortunately, their son and daughter were located safely at a different location and were placed in the care of family members. As Heath Heck was the sole perpetrator and was deceased, no further arrests were made, and the case was closed. In the wake of the tragedy, friends and family described Melissa as a kind and beautiful soul with an uplifting spirit, and a GoFundMe campaign was established to support her two children.
