Fire in the Desert: The True Story of the Craig Titus-Kelly Ryan Murder Mystery

On the morning of December 14, 2005, Las Vegas police and firefighters were called to the desert outside of Las Vegas. A 2003 Jaguar was in flames, and inside the trunk of the vehicle was the badly burned body of a young Las Vegas woman named Melissa James. The 28-year-old had suffered a horrifying fate – she was restrained, her face was covered with duct-tape, and she was set on fire. The disturbing discovery prompted a massive police investigation, and within hours, detectives were standing at the front doorstep of two of the nation’s most recognized fitness celebrities – Craig Titus and Kelly Ryan. Titus is a past place finisher in the Mr. Olympia bodybuilding competition, and his antics appropriately earned him the nickname the Bad Boy of Bodybuilding. Meanwhile, his elegant wife, Ryan, is widely recognized as one of the premier women’s fitness competitors in the country.But within the week, the two would be known as something else: murder suspects in the death of James, who was their live-in personal assistant.