MATHEWS COUNTY, Va. — Melissa Jeanine Gardner, 41, has been charged with theft from the home of the late Commonwealth’s Attorney Marie Walls, according to the Mathews County Sheriff’s Office.
Walls died on February 10 from an apparent gunshot wound in her driveway. Authorities have stated there is currently no indication of foul play, though Virginia State Police continue to investigate her death.
On February 16, the sheriff’s office received reports of a possible theft at Walls’ residence. Investigators identified Gardner, a subcontractor and delivery driver for FedEx, as a suspect and obtained a search warrant for her home.
Authorities said Gardner already had outstanding warrants for possession of methamphetamine while operating her delivery vehicle. On February 17, deputies conducted a traffic stop while she was driving a FedEx truck on Buckley Hall Road and took her into custody.
A subsequent search of her residence allegedly uncovered items delivered to Walls’ address after her death. The total value of the recovered property was reported to be under $1,000, leading to an additional charge of petit larceny.
Her passenger at the time of the stop, Austin Scott Miles-Cullison of Mathews, was also charged with possession of methamphetamine.
Officials emphasized that there is no evidence linking the alleged theft to the cause of Walls’ death.
