28-year-old University graduate student Alison Meloy was found dead in her home on Commonwealth Drive yesterday, the Cav Daily reports. County police believe her death was a homicide. Meloy worked as a teaching assistant for Larry Sabato‘s Introduction to American Politics class, and was a 1994 graduate of Swarthmore. [Update: Keep reading to see tjposey‘s clarification. He suspects that local news organizations are dramatizing the story based on the few available facts.]
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
Sideblog
Police announced this afternoon that their investigation into what was initially believed to be a fatal fire on Rugby Avenue is now a homicide investigation. #
The Virginia Supreme Court has denied George Huguely’s appeal. His second-degree murder conviction will stand, WRIC reports. #
In a carefully worded story, and not citing specific sources, WTVR reports that forensic evidence belonging to Jesse Matthew Jr., the main suspect in the disappearance of Hannah Graham, matches forensic evidence collected during the investigation of Morgan Harrington’s 2009 murder. #
In the wake of Hannah Graham’s disappearance, and the evidence that came from private security footage, city officials are revisiting the question of installing security cameras on the downtown mall. #
Both Charlottesville Registrar Sheri Iachetta and former Electoral Board member Stephanie Commander have turned themselves in to the police on
foursix and four felony counts of embezzlement, respectively. #Ten years ago, the National Institutes of Health budget doubled and schools like the University of Virginia built massive new research facilities. A decade later, those buildings remain largely underutilized. NPR visits UVA in this story on the effect of federal binge and spurge spending in the sciences. #
In 2012, Council approved a new student housing complex on West Main—now some council members are questioning whether what they were shown matches what was built. #
The Architectural Review Board has approved a bike-themed mural on West Market, below the McGuffey Art Center, although at least one member expressed concerns that it might look like the bicyclists were riding away from Charlottesville’s downtown. #
City Police Chief Tim Longo is meeting with city leaders to work on protocols regarding the use of military surplus police weapons in Charlottesville. #
A 100-year-old Colonnades resident received military honors for her service in the WWII Women’s Army Corps #
-
Archive for Sideblog »
Just to clarify a few things:
-By this afternoon a cause of death has not been established, and as such, a homicide investigation is not specifically underway
-At the current point, the case is still being investigated as a possible accidental death, suicide, or homocide.
The reporting news organizations: Cavalier Daily, NBC 29, and WINA have dropped the ball in reporting this preliminary report, without a specific source. None of the organizations mentioned are able to get a police source on record ruling this as a homocide, but are reporting it as such. This is really an attempt to dramatize facts early at a cost of fear and emotional harm to those anxiously awaiting some resolution.
Having said that, they are expecting the release of a preliminary coroner’s report late this afternoon, at which time, such statements may be validated, but at the current point this is irresponsible journalism.
An update after the 5PM News…
In reality, there is no new news. 29 News contained a rehash of the present facts, including more pictures.
WINA, despite merging her two positions, reports that police say her car has been found, and they could not classify it as stolen. They still report her as murdered and police looking for her killer, without verification by a police source.
It’s a shame that there wasn’t information that shows that she wasn’t murdered. Not only because it would likely prove (in some ways, I imagine) a great relief to her friends, family, and community, but also because local news outlets would be forced to admit that they were overly-hasty in their conclusions.
How upsetting time that this must be for everybody that knew her. A little resolution would probably go a long way.
-Waldo
Channel 29 did a bad job with this report. Yeah, I particularly liked the part where the reporter described Meloy’s coworkers as “taking news of her death in stride”. Is that the most poor choice of wording ever or is it just me? The interviews with the grief-stricken coworkers contradicted that description pretty well anyway. Somebody remind the people at 29 not to get quite so overzealous that they forget what they’re saying next time they get a real news story to cover.
-diggs