On December 4, 2015, 50-year-old Melissa Jane Beckner was found dead in her Beech Grove, Indiana, home in what police determined to be a murder-suicide. Officers were dispatched to the residence at 79 South 5th Avenue, where they discovered the bodies of Beckner and 49-year-old Shane Williams. Both had sustained single gunshot wounds to the head.
The subsequent investigation by the Beech Grove Police Department concluded that Williams shot and killed Beckner before turning the gun on
himself. The two had been in a relationship for approximately four years, which had reportedly been deteriorating in the six months leading up to the incident. The shootings occurred at Beckner's new residence. Despite the tragic end to their relationship, law enforcement had no prior records of domestic violence or harassment calls involving the couple.
Due to the nature of the case as a murder-suicide, with the perpetrator also deceased, no arrests were made in connection with Melissa Beckner's death. The investigation confirmed the initial assessment that Williams was responsible for Beckner's death before taking his own life. Melissa Beckner was survived by her brother and many friends. Her funeral services were held at Little & Sons Funeral Home in Beech Grove, and she was laid to rest at South Mound Cemetery in New Castle, Indiana.
