Melissa Townsend is a character appearing in the episode Tainted Fruit of the ITV crime drama Midsomer Murders.
Melissa, aged 22, is a difficult person, just ripe for being someone who is murdered. She was the landlord of a building rented by Neil Laxton, who eventually died from Pneumonia from his roof leaking. Melissa claimed she didn't have the money to fix the roof. Melissa received threatening notes, such as "If Neil dies before the roof is fixed, you'll follow him close behind." She knew that the damp conditions were making Neil's chest infection worse. She didn't care.
She stole Sally Rickworth's husband, resulting in their divorce. Then she became involved with Sally. Melissa pursued Sally because she wanted to cause trouble for her as she was a Vicar's daughter.
Melissa encourages Sally to marry Frederick Bentine-Brown because he's a millionaire. Then she can divorce him in a few years and "clean up." Melissa derides Sally as being "too provincial," which leads to an argument.
Melissa witnessed Georgina Canning driving Sally's car when she struck the Balcombe's car. Georgina left Sally, who was passed out, in the car and walked back to the Tennis Club. Sally assumed she had been driving and lost her job because of the drunk driving charge. So Melissa blackmails Georgina along with Adam Keyne.
While Melissa is sunbathing by the pool, apparently asleep, she is stabbed with a syringe containing Pentobarbitone directly into her liver. Desperately, she tries to attract the attention of her father, but she collapses over the chair and dies. Her body is eventually found by Adam Keyne, Raif Canning and Liz Keyne who are playing tennis nearby.