How unearthed love triangle led to murder of young pregnant mum whose body was dumped in wheelie bin in creek
Share:
CRADLING her tiny two-month baby bump, pregnant 26-year-old Melissa Sowders smiled - she had so much to look forward to in the upcoming New Year. It was the happiest she’d felt in ages but tragically just weeks later she was murdered and her body put inside a wheelie bin before being dumped in deep water.
![[Melissa was happier than she'd been in a long time and two months pregnant]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/estranged-husband-charged-murder-ex-957208070.jpg?strip=all&w=393)
She'd had a difficult time after splitting with her controlling ex, Matthew Sowders, so for Melissa the new baby with another man had signalled a new beginning. The couple - who were childhood sweethearts - were in the middle of a messy divorce, and Melissa’s ex Matthew had full custody of their four young daughters.
![[The young mum had just discovered she was expecting her fifth child, and was delighted]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/estranged-husband-charged-murder-ex-957208067.jpg?strip=all&w=630)
It was heartbreaking for Melissa not to always be with her kids, but she still saw them and she knew she could no longer be with Matthew - she just needed time to get back on her feet. And now, with a new year fast approaching and a new baby on the way, it all marked the beginning of a fresh start and a bright future - or so Melissa hoped.
![[Matthew Sowders and Melissa had four children together and were high school sweethearts]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/estranged-husband-charged-murder-ex-957208065.jpg?strip=all&w=306)
Sadly however, just weeks after finding out her happy baby news, both these things were ripped away from her in the most unimaginably cruel way possible. Melissa first met Matthew when she was in school, at the age of sixteen. At first, they were your typical high school sweethearts, only with eyes for one another.
![[Melissa was going through a hard time before her death, but had seemed to turn a corner]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/estranged-husband-charged-murder-ex-957208284.jpg?strip=all&w=400)
Speaking on Hayu documentary Murder Under the Mistletoe: Homicide for the Holidays, Melissa’s aunt Belinda Wood says: “She loved him a lot.”. However their relationship intensified when Melissa became pregnant. Melissa’s father Jimmy Newsom adds: “She was worried about having a baby without being married so my wife and I co-signed for her to get married to Matthew.”.
![[Police, assisted by a private search team, focused their attention on a nearby creek]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/estranged-husband-charged-murder-ex-957208063.jpg?strip=all&w=634)
