Shortly after midnight [music] in Cooksville, Illinois, Melissa Ostrom told her family she wanted to go gambling. Before walking off down her grandmother's long driveway to be picked up by someone, [music] she said one final thing to her cousin, "I promise, it's not Cyrus." This was [music] the last time anyone ever saw her alive. Wilmington dispatch, how may I help you? Hi, I was wanting to talk to somebody. Um, we have my niece who is missing. One of her friends from her from her Okay, are you wanting to report her as missing or are you We want to file her as missing. Okay. Her family described her as someone with a kind spirit who connected [music] easily with people. She was a talented artist and writer with a contagious smile and laugh, known for giving the best hugs. Above all, she was deeply devoted to her family. By the time she was reported missing, investigators [music] already had a familiar name in mind, Joshua D. Livingston, also known as Cyrus. [music] Joshua had a documented history with Melissa, including a prior battery charge and an [music] active restraining order. His behavior was described as controlling and intimidating. A former girlfriend once said, "He's going [music] to kill me. I've said those words more than once." At 2:39 a.m., Melissa sent her last messages. >> [music] >> "Be right back." Then later that day, less than 20 minutes after the missing person report was filed, officers [music] spotted Livingston driving a stolen truck. They initiated a high-risk stop, not for murder, but for possession of a stolen vehicle. ON THE GROUND NOW. GET SHOW ME YOUR HANDS. HANDS OUT! STOP THE CAR NOW! STOP THE CAR! DOWN! SHUT IT OFF! SHUT IT OFF! Get on the ground! Take On the ground! Get up! DOWN NOW! DOWN! WHAT THE [ __ ] IS THAT? DO NOT MOVE! YOUR HANDS behind your Yes, sir. Get your gun. God damn it. Hey, get touchy. Stop moving. Yes, sir. Not very bright, sir. Okay, so where else? There you go. Can you open that door for me, please? What's your name? We can play the game easy or we can play the game hard. Joshua Livingston. Joshua Livingston, okay. Okay. What do you want me to do? Put your feet in. This is not a hard concept. I'm just trying to Well, you're in a stolen car. You guys got a cage? Yeah, we do. I don't know if who wants to talk to him. Are you going to pat him? You got anything on you, man? No, sir. No? What's she got to do with this? I was just taking her to the store. That's it? That's it. She doesn't even know what's going on. What's that? She told me to let me out of the car. We're stopping to let her out cuz she has nothing to do with it. I got to advise you of your Miranda warnings, all right? Yeah. I'm going to quit talking right now, too. All right, that's your That's your right. Right. I understand. So, let me see. You guys step out of the car, partner. Wait, are you like talking to him? I'm talking to him. Oh, I'm sorry, man. I didn't see you there, all right. You're talking to him? Yeah. Okay. Take the dog, Bill. We'll take custody. >> [laughter] >> I think we're done now. What's that? I think we're done now. All right. What I'm going to ask you about the truck. I I have nothing to say. Nothing to say? All right. You know where it was stolen, all right? I have nothing to say. All right. Roger that. You can take him wherever he's going to take him. He can He can take him now. All right. He did not want to say anything. Okay. Though he was the primary suspect in Melissa's disappearance, detectives didn't yet have enough evidence to charge Joshua. I'm going to go wash my hands. Okay. Yeah. Give it a week or two. I got to get some more. You're going to come in and get them too? I know it's good. You guys tell me you're the [ __ ] apparently. What's up? I know it's all good. This thing is really tight. Yeah, both of you guys enjoy it. >> [music] >> A few hours later, detectives received surveillance footage from the Country Inn and Suites hotel where Joshua was seen driving a stolen red Camaro >> [music] >> the morning Melissa disappeared. Joshua exits the car [music] and walks out of frame. 20 minutes later, Joshua returns in a stolen Chevrolet Colorado. [music] He parks next to the Camaro and starts filling bags with items. He then [music] opens the trunk and moves several black trash bags into the bed of the truck. Later, when detectives searched the Camaro, they found blood throughout the vehicle [music] and inside the trunk. They also found a white surgical [music] mask, a woman's fingernail, and stuffed animals. Over the next 2 days, search teams focused on areas tied to Melissa's last known cell phone [music] activity, but they came up empty-handed. Then came a major break in the case when a man called police saying he had received a suspicious [music] Facebook message from Joshua asking to borrow a backhoe to quote knock a tree over on Sunset Lake Road. Investigators immediately recognized the location, an abandoned farmhouse Joshua had worked at before. [music] That night detectives searched the property near Carlock, Illinois. Behind an old barn, [music] they found an abandoned camper. Inside the camper was a rolled [music] up tarp and clothing linked to Melissa. Let's get out, let's activate our go ahead Mine's on right now. Okay, come on. Hey, here's some gloves. Let's get gloves, let's get out. One person go ahead and just peek in. >> I have it on. Okay. Bomber, do you want a pair of gloves? Do you want to lift it? No. I don't know. See if we can Yeah, I see it. I think I think maybe we can see from this angle. Yeah, there's a Yep, yep, there's a body. Is it for sure? I saw his feet right there. I'll put the body cam on it just so we can see. Let's leave it. Feet, okay. Or um Let's leave it. Come on out. I'm Yeah, I'm going to come I'll start making calls. Melissa's cause of death would later be confirmed as strangulation. All right, let's use the body camera. Let's keep All right. We'll be in here in a minute. We'll explain everything to you, okay? A few days later, Joshua was formally processed on a warrant for Melissa Ostrom's murder. Can I just take my clothes off? You will be, yes. I'll let you What the [ __ ] >> I'm not going to do your private parts or anything like that, too. I That's how it is, man, okay? All right. I'm not gay or anything like that. I'm not going to be taking pictures of your junk. All right, but I do need to get everything like the safety and underwear. You just do Yes, like I got underwear. Let's do it. Come on, man. All right. All right, well, let's stand. You put that on your No. All right, Josh. Like I told you earlier, I'm I'm Detective Diaz. So, the reason I'm here, man, I just want to try and talk to you about what happened the last couple days. I'm exercising my Miranda rights. I'm going to tell you that right now. Okay. So, are you going to want to talk to me or That's what I mean is exercising my Miranda right, my right to remain silent. Okay. So, you don't want to talk to me then right now? Okay. All right. Well, I'm not going to waste your time or my time, okay? Thank you. All the officers get here. Put on my camera. Yeah. Despite repeated warnings from the judge about the seriousness and complexity of the case, Joshua fired his public defender and chose to represent himself in court. During the pre-trial, prosecutors painted a history of prior protective orders and allegations of abuse, depicting escalating violence leading up to Melissa's death. But, the trial would never reach a jury. On October 19th, 2023, almost exactly 6 months after Melissa left in that tarp, Joshua Livingston was discovered dead in his jail cell from an apparent self-inflicted injury. The state had no choice. The murder case was officially closed under the classification cleared exceptionally by death of offender.