AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Police Department (APD) has arrested a man in connection to an investigation into a homicide that occurred in northwest Austin in late September.
An affidavit obtained from the Travis County District Clerk's office shows that APD officers arrested 45-year-old Andrew Alexander Cole in connection to the death of 33-year-old Melissa Davis. Davis' body was found burning near her vehicle by the Austin Fire Department (AFD) on Sept. 29.
According to the affidavit, investigators believe Cole was with Davis at the time of her death and tampered with evidence after he allegedly moved Davis' body from a hotel room, drove it to a neighborhood and lit it on fire on the side of the road.
The affidavit also revealed that Davis' and Cole's cellphone signals were detected in the same location. Surveillance video also captured video of the two.
On the day of the incident, a sergeant with APD's Homicide Unit said that the AFD got a call at 5:08 a.m. for a grass fire in the 6300 block of Mesa Drive, near the Austin regional office for the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC).
When firefighters responded, they discovered what they believed to be a body, prompting them to contact APD. Officers arrived on the scene at 5:18 a.m. and the person was declared dead at 5:37 a.m.
While investigating the nearby scene, police located a fire accelerant and a kitchen butcher knife, leading police to investigate the death as a homicide.
On Tuesday, Oct. 3, police identified the body as that of Davis.
Cole is officially charged with tampering or fabricating physical evidence with the intent to impair, which is a second-degree felony. He is being held in the Travis County jail on a $100,000 bond.