Krista Jean Melton, a 14-year-old White girl from Brevard County, Florida, was reported missing on November 14, 1973. Her remains were found on January 31, 1974, in North Brevard; she had been shot in the head and was discovered fully clothed.

The investigation linked Krista’s killing to Bernard Eugene Giles, a 20-year-old White electrician from Titusville who targeted young female hitchhikers in Brevard County between September and November 1973. Giles allegedly lured victims into his car, drove them to secluded locations, then assaulted and murdered them. He was arrested on December 11, 1973, after two underage hitchhikers escaped and identified him; a .22-caliber pistol seized from his car was ballistically linked to the killing of Nancy Gerry. Giles later confessed to Krista’s murder and to four other killings as part of a 1974 plea bargain and received multiple life terms.

Did anyone in the Brevard County area in 1973 remember seeing Krista or any of these victims hitchhiking, or recall a vehicle matching Giles’s description?