Melanie Dotson, a reporter and fill-in anchor at Jackson CBS affiliate WJTV, died Friday. Dotson had joined the station in April.
WJTV anchor Melanie Christopher was visibly emotional as she announced Dotson’s death on the station’s 4 p.m. newscast, saying Dotson “could take a difficult story and make it understandable. She was so smart, capable, and beautiful—and fun to be around. She made everybody around her better. We will miss her every day and her precious spirit will stay with all of us.”
Christopher reported that Dotson had not been feeling well last week, and had been hospitalized. “It has been a very difficult time,” Christopher said. “I just texted with her last night. If you can laugh by text, we were laughing.”
A vigil was planned for Friday night at Tougaloo College, where Dotson graduated in 2015.