Melinda Hinson
Once upon a time, Melinda Denise Hinson lived in Henderson, Kentucky, where she attended North Middle School. But about six months ago, Melinda moved with her mother Rhonda McNallin and older brother Cody to Panama City, Florida, to be with Rhonda’s boyfriend. I imagine moving from Henderson (which doesn’t exactly come across as cosmopolitan and trendy, no offense meant, Hendersonites) to Panama City would seem awesome to a 13-year-old girl. Sun and beaches and spring break, oh my. And from what we know, Melinda was in many ways an ordinary 13-year-old. According to her mother, Melinda had a broken cell phone on which she pretended to have conversations, which is exactly the kind of sweet naiveté you’d expect from a girl her age. Brother Cody (age 15) reported that “She liked to primp a lot” and when talking with people would often look past them to check out her reflection in a window. I remember being that age, so awkward and hopeful, wanting to be seen, wanting to be noticed. Unfortunately, she was seen. She was noticed.
Last Tuesday, July 8th, Melinda had been back at the Valu-Lodge hotel, where the family was living, for about a week after vacationing with a friend. Early that evening, she left to walk the dog of a neighbor at the hotel. She was wearing jeans, flip flops, and a pale-colored shirt with lace. She never made it to the neighbor’s room.
~~~~~
Matthew Caylor
Matthew Lee Caylor, 33, is a registered sex offender (aka “RSO”). According to his sex offender profile on the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Web site, he’s been an RSO since 2001 (another source puts the date at 1999). While he hasn’t exactly been a model citizen–he’s been arrested several times every year for nearly a decade (aggravated battery, failure to appear, theft, hit-and-run, making terrorist threats)–at least he’s kept his sorry ass in Georgia where authorities could keep some kind of eye on him.
Until last month, that is.
That’s when he headed down to Panama City, Florida. On June 28th, he checked into the Valu-Lodge hotel. Currently, the daily rate for a week stay at the Valu-Lodge is as low as about $38 a day, which is darn reasonable if you don’t mind being five miles from the beach. There’s no word on whether Caylor made a trip to the beach during his first few days at the Valu-Lodge. Maybe he took advantage of the hotel’s amenities and spent time by the pool or in the game room or caught up on his movie-viewing thanks to the free HBO. The hotel also features a picnic area and barbecue grills, but it seems unlikely a guy by himself would be out grilling or picnicking.
We pick up Matty-Boy’s trail the afternoon of Tuesday, July 8th. At about 4:00 p.m., the Bay County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call at a Panama City Beach condo complex. According to the two women living in the condo, they had invited in a casual acquaintance they knew as “Matt” when he stopped by. When one refused his invitation to a back bedroom, he attacked her then chased her into another room, where he physically assaulted both women, tried to duct tape them, and demanded money. They managed to force him out of the room, and he then proceeded to kick in a door, rip the phone out of the wall, and threaten them with an 8″ serrated knife. It wasn’t until they started screaming for help that Caylor finally got the hint and left. Yay for the neighbor who got a look at the vehicle and a partial license plate number.
With this information, police were able to issue a Be On the Lookout (BOLO) for the vehicle. It was spotted shortly after midnight. Although Caylor fled, police deployed spike strips to disable the vehicle, which had been reported stolen in Georgia. Caylor was placed into custody and transported to the Bay County Jail. What no one knew at the time was that his arrest came too late for Melinda Hinson.
~~~~~
There’s some disagreement over when the call reporting Melinda missing came in, but the radio log book for the Panama City Police shows it to be 8:10 p.m. Since there was no evidence of an abduction, an AMBER alert was not issued. Fliers were made up and posted around the area. Several were taped to the window of the Valu-Lodge room in which Melinda had been staying with her family.
~~~~~
After arresting Matt Caylor, authorities were kind enough to let the folks at the Valu-Lodge know that he had other lodging arrangements, so on Wednesday, a truck driver by the name of Vince Wallace checked into Caylor’s former room–#140. Mr. Wallace noticed nothing out of the ordinary during his stay.
~~~~~
On Thursday, July 10th, Valu-Lodge housekeeping staff found the body of Melinda Hinson underneath a bed.
In room 140.
~~~~~
During an interview with police Thursday night, Matt Caylor confessed to killing Melinda. Actually, he confessed to a lot more than just killing her. Shortly after Melinda set out to walk the neighbor’s dog–and before anyone had any idea she was missing–Caylor raped her. Caylor also choked her. And when she struggled and tried to get away, he used a telephone cord to strangle her to death. He then put her body underneath the bed and, according to a detective with the Panama City PD, “placed the bed frame on her head.”
~~~~~
When you direct your browser to the Dreamin’ Demon, you see the title “Rubbernecking at its tackiest.” Looks like we have some stiff competition, though. Posters on some comment-enabled news sites are waxing poetic on what a shitty mother Rhonda McNallin has been–doesn’t keep a clean house, drags her kids to Florida to be with a boyfriend, etc. I just want to toss out a big “fuck you” to those posters. Fine, I get it, she wouldn’t get any awards for her maternal efforts. But Rhonda McNallin’s beautiful daughter was raped and strangled to death by a sex offender. While Rhonda McNallin was looking for her daughter, Melinda’s body lay undiscovered under a bed for a day a half just a short distance away. Rhonda McNallin will never see Melinda Hinson graduate from high school, get married, have babies. Guess Rhonda McNallin got what was coming to her, huh, assholes?
Me, I’m saving my rancor for Matthew Caylor. He’s being held without bond in the Bay County Jail.
28 responses so far ↓
1
CassieLovejoy
Jul 14, 2008 at 11:25 pm -Did Mr. Wallace spend the night in that room? ‘Cause if it were me….NO. SLEEP. EVER. AGAIN.
2
Lizard
Jul 14, 2008 at 11:30 pm -One news report said that a couple stayed in the room Wednesday night; another declined to indicate whether Mr. Wallace was alone on Wednesday. Knowing I slept on a bed under which was a dead girl is bad enough.
But having fucked someone on said bed? And then to find out she’d been raped before being murdered? BIG heebie jeebies.
3
Wicked
Jul 15, 2008 at 4:41 am -Some interesting comments from an ex-wife or girlfriend below. WTF? He was found to be missing from GA on 6/23/08? Brilliant. What a fucked up situation. And sad.
Comment on: Teen slain, mother wants justice at 7/12/2008 9:14 AM CDT on nwfdailynews.com
I have been able to stay away from him for 8 years. He has not been able to find me and my kids in 7. I have had the PPO for almost 6 years when I was FINALLY granted the divorce. He has a way of working the system. I am sure he has already started. If the journalists are as good as they should be they will be able to find me. There is a wealth of information pertaining to my marriage with him in at least 6 different localities so they will eventually find me, But I only want to talk to Law Enforcement when it is time. If I can do anything to help, I want it to count.
Comment on: Teen slain, mother wants justice at 7/12/2008 8:31 AM CDT on nwfdailynews.com
I feel an immense amount of guilt…why couldn’t I have done more to keep him in jail!!! All I know is that I tried.I could only count on the government though.He was officially in contempt of a Cherokee County court order. Yet Child Support Enforcement never took him back to court in May 2008 when I pointed out to them that he was in complete arrears. But see that is how it goes.When that is the only way you have to keep someone locked up you use that tool. I was comfortable knowing that nothing would happen to me or my kids if he was in jail,not to mention all of the women he was able to charm. I called the police time and time again to him for chasing me down in vehicles ,in stores etc. when he on drug binges.He was invincible it seemed. But now he’s not and he had to be stopped by an innocent little girl. I hope GA is proud of the way they handle their sick sick sex offenders. I would like all of the judges and police officers that have dealt with him since 1993 to think about how they handled him and his offences….Especially Cherokee County and all of its idiotic officers. I hope you remember the day he tried to come and take his daughter alone and how I fought him and his girlfriend and they made me misscarry and you tried to make me at fault and take me to jail and treated me like the criminal and them like the victims.Did he take my daughter home with him that night NO NO NO NO NO. Also I would like to point out that AFTER he was a CONVICTED sex offender he had a relationship with a Department of Family and Children Services worker and lived in her home with her family of which her mother also worked with DFACS. This is the same girlfirend that attacked me and made me misscarry. And to think they supposedly help children…..
Comment on: Teen slain, mother wants justice at 7/12/2008 7:05 AM CDT on nwfdailynews.com
I WANT TO SCREAM IN THE FACES OF THE GA JUDICIAL SYSTEM!!!!!This girl should have NEVER encountered him. His has a PERMANENT Protective order against him. He CAN NOT even contact his 2 kids 12 y/o old boy and 13 y/o girl.He is evil he is the Devil. He was found missing from the state of GA on 06/23/2008. Why weren’t Law officials looking for him!!!! I feel horrible for this girl,because I know what it is like to look this BEAST in the eyes during a painful, humiliating, ordeal. Yet GA just makes deals with him and lets him out of jail. I hope the judge that made the last deal with him to get out of jail, remembers how he dotted his I’s and crossed his T’s on that November day 2007.And I hope he remembers how he was in contempt of that deal after 31 days!!!!!
4
nadine
Jul 15, 2008 at 5:20 am -Once again, the “law” allowed to let this man out of jail after being in trouble numerous times, come on…. this mother fucker is a sex offender, he and they all will, repeat the offenses again, matter of time, and unfortunately, this poor child had to suffer for our system letting out criminals like this, he should rot in hell and i hope he gets his, so sorry for what this young girl had to endure… i still will say neuter and spay asshole idiots like these people and KEEP THEM ALL LOCKED UP FOREVER, i say once they fuck up like once in their life, they LOST ALL their rights, He should have never never never been out of jail EVER and now he will return and maybe the law will let him out in a few years again, why not?????? that is bullshit, strangle his ass in my opinion, see what he feels then
5
Wonder
Jul 15, 2008 at 7:12 am -i wholeheartly agree, why why do they let these crazies walk free…. cruicify them alllllll … be done with it and spend the time and money on scoping out the first time offenders before they harm someone…
it is a new century - It is time to wipe the slate clean and start fresh - maybe those that are not yet criminals would think differently about doing so…. teach respect for our laws - teach us to help and love one another and stop hurting each other - crime does not pay !!!
i repeat off all the criminals and lets clean the slate and start fresh…
6
solange822001
Jul 15, 2008 at 8:23 am -Great article Lizard, as always. Poor innocent girl, god that is just so unfair and disturbing. 13 years old, having to meet face to face with such evil
Check out this video before making judgment on he mother. It made me want to cry, I can’t stand watching people suffer like that
http://www.wmbb.com/gulfcoastw.....-0002.html
7
thepooh5
Jul 15, 2008 at 8:36 am -To post #3 - wow, just wow! That poor little girl - evidently, if there is any truth in what Wicked posted from the other site - and Wicked I’m not questioning you, at all - then damn, GA same as served this little girl up on a platter. Why weren’t they looking for him? Why was there not a BOLO put out immediately on June 23rd? Did there have to be another victim for GA to take his absence seriously?
And I must say, whoever the person is in post #3 that wicked quoted, in the last post about “knowing what it feels like to look this BEAST in the eyes during a painful, humiliating ordeal” - that brought a tear up, not only for the poor little girl, but, as well as, that poster.
Most times when people bash ex’s, its different. Its more like name calling and shit slinging. The poster in #3, I can almost feel her pain. You can almost see her despair and agony over this little girl that fell victim to him - she speaks from experience, with this exact person - not a similar situation. Her words seem as if, she is recalling her own pain while knowing the horror this child faced. Its too much.
How terribly sad, to know that a child is dead at the hands of your ex. How sad to know, how you repeatedly tried to keep this man in jail, only to have the law release him to terrorize your family - or worse, in this case, rape and murder a 13 year old girl, with her whole life ahead of her. My prayers for this little girl and her family. My prayers to his past victim in post #3. My prayers to anyone who crossed this asshat’s path, while he was not locked up.
8
Mandella
Jul 15, 2008 at 10:04 am -He needs to die. End of story.
9
michelle
Jul 15, 2008 at 12:12 pm -Seems apparent there is no rehab for these pedo assholes. Why do we insist on keeping them round and then letting them out of jail? Laws need to change.
10
thepooh5
Jul 15, 2008 at 12:21 pm -I insist on killing them, but no one is listening to the pooh. Seriously, why does the victim count have to reach “X” number before some of the law makers wake up and say, “oh, hell, we’ve got to change this shit”? Why?
11
michelle
Jul 15, 2008 at 1:28 pm -*nods*
hey Pooh.
12
thepooh5
Jul 15, 2008 at 1:41 pm -hey michelle - you doin’ good today?
13
michelle
Jul 15, 2008 at 1:56 pm -14
thepooh5
Jul 15, 2008 at 2:04 pm -Well, no, no I’m not. First off, why in the blue hell do you get to leave at 4:30 and I have to stay til 5? You can start with explaining that!!!
No, seriously, I’m good, with 3 hours to go.
15
Kismet
Jul 15, 2008 at 2:09 pm -I live across the street from the motel they found her in and everytime I think of what happened to that poor little girl I just shudder.
I don’t understand how RSO”s get away with leaving there live-in state. You would think they would be a little more strict about that issue and personally it happens alot here.
My in-laws were victims of an home invasion here back in Sept. and 2 of the 3 men were repeat sex offenders and of course they were not registered here. One of the men even tried to rape my mother in law and she is almost 70. sick bastard. (sorry)
My question is ‘why didn’t they search every room when poor Melinda came up missing?” I so hate that something like this happened and so close to my house nonetheless. My blessings go out to her family.
16
thepooh5
Jul 15, 2008 at 2:25 pm -Welcome Kismet. I’d say it is a little more than creepy for you living that close. Do you have any other details that you can share?
I agree wholeheartedly, why doesn’t the state that the offender is registered in take their presence, or lack there, of more seriously? Had GA issued a BOLO on June 23rd, when it was discovered he was gone, someone may have spotted him before July 8th and the child might be alive.
17
Morbid
Jul 15, 2008 at 2:30 pm -My guess is that they didn’t feel there was a need to at that time. They had no reason to believe that she had been abducted raped and stuffed under a bed of the hotel at that time…there just wasn’t any evidence supporting an abduction. Also, considering outward appearances of the family’s living arrangements, they probably felt the girl was not back by her own decision.
18
Kismet
Jul 15, 2008 at 3:37 pm -Very true Morbid, I didn’t think of it that way.
Thanks for the greeting. No, I really haven’t heard much more than what is posted here. I just think it is really a sad situation.
19
nadine
Jul 15, 2008 at 3:59 pm -Welcome Kismet, I am new to this site as well, i agree with ya, why did they not check all the rooms? I thought of that and i tell you what, this sick bastard will rot in hell and once again, like i said why did he get out more than once from jail AND i can tell you my family works with juvenille boys, they are teachers and honestly there is no rehab for these sick monsters, until there 18, old enough for jail, it is like you babysit them so they cant harm anyone out in the world, because believe me, when they turn 18, they will be released from juvenille system, released to the public and wham a matter of time they will do a crime, guaranteed, and then we can put them in jail, our judicial system sucks bad, real bad, honestly, real bad
20
Morbid
Jul 15, 2008 at 4:18 pm -Again, why would they? Police are not in the habit of searching every room in a hotel just because someone did not show up on time.
However, can you imagine the trauma the cleaning lady is probably going through? And let’s not even get on the trucker who spent the night on top of the girl. That’s gives me the chills just thinking about it.
21
Lizard
Jul 15, 2008 at 4:20 pm -Yeah, let’s not get on him.
Heh.
22
solange822001
Jul 15, 2008 at 4:36 pm -LMAO, ok now Lizard! That is horrendous though, seriously. Poor guy, I can’t imagine the trauma. I’m wondering how those beds are, do they have a bedskirt or something? I can’t imagine not noticing a body under there, but I guess unless you actually think to look under the bed, you would miss it.
23
Wicked
Jul 15, 2008 at 7:11 pm -Even more fucked up is that this asshat apparently has a 13 year old daughter of his own according to the victim in post #3. Wow. Just wow.
24
ycufak
Jul 25, 2008 at 9:56 pm -I will never stay in a hotel again without checking under the bed.
I am already miserable when I have to stay in a hotel alone, thanks to that scene in “The Shining” where the 2 twins appears at the end of the hallway, the idea this man spent the night in a room and never knew this poor girl was right there under the bed pretty much put me right over the edge
And I agree, people take it way too far always blaming the parents. True a lot of posts on this site, a child is killed by their parent, or someone the parent put them in contact with due to a relationship that was more important than their childs safety, but to assume blame like that in this case is just wrong and adds to her grief, I’m sure
The family had just moved from Kentucky, people DO sometimes relocate and need time to find a place to live or job, etc and they stay in motels or extended stay places. The girl was 13, not 7, and was out to walk a dog at probably 630pm or so (if the call to report her missing was at 810pm), not out at 1am. I don’t see the mom really did anything in bad judgement with that, its entirely the fault of the man who killed her. And the authority’s who kept letting him go over and over again
25
JesusLovesYou
Aug 6, 2008 at 12:34 pm -Let’s get to the real issue of this story. We live in an evil world with evil people. God allows evil things to happen. Don’t ask me why. Why don’t you ask Him? (here’s a hint — you won’t get an answer, just like Kushner). The real struggle for the family is to forgive this man as they are commanded. If it were me, I’va always believed that there is a special place in Hell reserved for these kinds of people. I wish him eternal torment.
26
Lizard
Aug 6, 2008 at 1:01 pm -We might all be better off if the family were commanded to kill this shithead instead of forgive him.
Speaking of killing him, they’re seeking the death penalty. And apparently he’s on suicide watch.
“Two inmates hung themselves while in the Bay County Jail in recent years, one in 2001 and one in 2005.”
Hmmmmm. 2008 isn’t over yet….
27
IsodoraPink
Aug 11, 2008 at 1:09 pm -My heart goes out to this girl and all members of her family. I would like to correspond with the writer above who has worked so hard to protect her children and herself from this monstor. I think it is time we all participate in a grass roots effort to stop these type of incidents from occurring. I went to Melinda’s funeral, not because I knew her, but because I was worried that the family would have no one there to show they cared since they were not from this area. I would like to be able to paint a picture of Melinda so that she would not disappear into obscurity, another victim that everyone forgets about. Please, if you knew her, tell me about her. Lets keep her alive in our thoughts and hearts. Lets blame the person responsible for this and our criminal justice system, not the unfortunate family just trying to survive.
28
saltwatergirl
Sep 17, 2008 at 9:28 pm -The State of FL is going to seek the death penalty for this douchbag. The court is scheduled to decide on September 29.
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