Experts look for answers in murder of a Vermont mother

BOSTON (FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) - The brutal murder of a Vermont woman has left people across the country wondering why something so awful could happen to a mother right in front of her child.

Melissa Jenkins was just 33 years old when her naked body was discovered dumped in the Connecticut River. Her legs were tied, her body weighed down by a cinder block.

Allen and Patricia Prue are both accused in the murder.

Prue allegedly told police he and his wife came up with the idea to, “get a girl,” on Sunday and that two of them together carried out the deadly plan.

It was allegedly Patricia Prue who called Melissa claiming to have car trouble just before the murder. Allen Prue claimed Patricia helped him when he was strangling Melissa to death. After the murder, Allen allegedly said his wife choked the woman’s lifeless body to make sure she was dead.

One of Vermont’s top prosecutors told a local newspaper that this was a sexually motivated murder. However, the affidavit that describes the crime has no mention of any sexual act.