Las Vegas Judge Dead By Suicide, Years After Urging Cops To Investigate Possible Child Sex Prostitution Ring That Tried To Recruit Her Daughter

Years ago, Las Vegas justice of the peace Melanie Andress-Tobiasson conducted a personal investigation into a hip-hop clothing store her daughter started working at in 2015. She also looked into a 2016 double homicide believed to involve her child's acquaintance. The judge informed 8 News Now that she was trying to save her daughter from people reportedly involved in a child sex prostitution ring. Andress-Tobiasson also alleged that vice cops and detectives slept with prostitutes, thus leading her to conduct her own investigations.

Judge Melanie Andress-Tobiasson Looks into Possible Child Sex Ring

The justice of the peace learned about Shane Valentine, a felon who purportedly was in contact with her teenage daughter. Andress-Tobiasson believes Valentine and his associates were trying to "force" her child "into prostitution," and that they tried to recruit the children of judges and cops to sell them for sex. She added that she didn't receive the help she needed from officials despite giving them information.

“I would lose my job over this. I would lose my freedom over this. I would lose my life over this,” said Andress-Tobiasson, referring to her own probing. She added, "The only reason I didn’t go public earlier is that I was trying to protect my daughter because no one else was going to.”

The judge alleges that she looked into the matter herself because officials apparently failed to assist her. She would watch and follow suspicious individuals at night time. “I spent hours. I mean, I would go, I would watch, I would get license plate numbers, I would get makes and models of cars, I would follow people, I would get information about where they would go, where they lived, where they, you know, I never used inappropriate means to get information," she recalled. "I did it all myself."

Melanie Andress-Tobiasson Thinks Cops and Detectives Were Involved

According to the I-Team at 8 News Now, it's alleged that the Las Vegas vice cops and detectives were sleeping with prostitutes. 

"It’s unfortunate because it’s a very small percentage of the people in the DA’s office and at Metro, but it makes the whole entire system look corrupt,” Andress-Tobiasson said, adding, "The problem is I don’t think we’re in danger from the pimps anymore. I’m more afraid of the vice detectives and those who are trying to cover this up. That’s what I’m afraid of now."

While Andress-Tobiasson claims she was only trying to save her teenage daughter, she faced an ethics complaint filed by the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline in 2020 due to her investigations. The complaint reports that Andress-Tobiasson abused her status, allowed family interests to influence her good judgment, and participated in actions that undermined her "independence, integrity," and "impartiality." 

Melanie Andress-Tobiasson Resigns and Dies by Suicide

Around May 2021, Andress-Tobiasson agreed to resign instead of fighting the ethics charges. She claims the Commission engaged in "public shaming," and that she didn't resign because of any "wrongdoing."

“I made the decision to resign rather than continue to fight the JDC for many reasons, but mostly because I need to take control of my life and stop allowing them to control it," Andress-Tobiasson informed the Current. "And I needed to give my family their lives back.”  

"I did not make the decision to resign because of any wrongdoing on my part,” the former judge explained in an interview. "I fought for so long because of the injustice of the JDC and its members. The only reason I agreed to resign is because I needed to regain control of my life.”

Over a year after resigning, Andress-Tobiasson died at age 55 from a gunshot wound. The coroner ruled her death a suicide, but no other information was released. But this is not the first time this has happened. In August 2022, Andress-Tobiasson's friend Connie Land allegedly shot herself in her Vegas home. The two murders the former judge was investigating involved the killing of two people – Land’s daughter, Sydney, and her reported pimp boyfriend, Nehemiah "Neo" Kauffman. According to Andress-Tobiasson, Valentine – the man who allegedly tried to lure her daughter into prostitution – murdered Land and Kauffman.

Interesting how individuals who probe into the possibility of child sex trafficking rings often commit suicide later on, or die under mysterious circumstances.

Don’t miss anything! Sign up for our weekly newsletter and get curated content weekly!