Melinda Loveless was born on October 28, 1975, in New Albany, Indiana. She was the youngest of three daughters in her family. Her parents, Marjorie and Larry Loveless, had a troubled marriage. Larry was a veteran of the Vietnam War and worked various jobs after his service, including a position as a police officer, which he lost after a serious incident. His behavior was often abusive, and he struggled with emotional issues after the war. Marjorie described him as a deviant who acted in disturbing ways, which affected the family profoundly.

Growing up, Melinda lived in an unstable environment. The family moved to Floyds Knobs, an upper-middle-class suburb, where they sometimes appeared well-off. However, due to Larry's abusive nature and financial mismanagement, the family often faced hardship. There were times when Melinda and her sisters would go hungry.

Larry and Marjorie frequently visited local bars and engaged in a swinging lifestyle that Marjorie later found disgusting. This chaotic home life led to severe issues for Marjorie, including multiple suicide attempts. This environment created a lot of tension within the family.

For a brief period, the Loveless family was active in the Graceland Baptist Church, where Larry took on a role as a lay preacher. However, their involvement with the church ended when Larry's inappropriate behavior came to light. After this, the family returned to their previous habits.

When Melinda was nine, a particularly traumatic event occurred involving her mother. After a severe incident of abuse by Larry, Marjorie attempted to drown herself. The emotional and physical abuse continued and left lasting scars on the family.

As she grew older, Melinda slept in her parents' bed until she was 14. The extent of the abuse from her father is not fully clear, but he was reported to have acted inappropriately towards his daughters and other children. Larry's behavior caused many issues within the family and led to a lot of confusion for Melinda and her sisters.

In November 1990, after a violent altercation between her parents, Larry left the family, which deeply affected Melinda. She felt crushed by his departure and struggled with feelings of abandonment. Larry remarried and severed most contact with Melinda, who would later be influenced by the events in her childhood and family life.

On the night of January 10, 1992, Melinda Loveless, along with her friends Laurie Tackett, Hope Rippey, and Toni Lawrence, planned to abduct a 12-year-old girl named Shanda Sharer. They drove to Sharer's house with the intention to harm her. Loveless had shown her friends a knife, stating that she wanted to scare Sharer.

The girls approached Sharer at her home, claiming they were friends of someone she knew. Although Sharer was hesitant, she eventually agreed to go with them. They drove towards a location known as the Witch's Castle, but during the ride, Loveless made comments about killing Sharer. Upon reaching their destination, they forced Sharer into the house and bound her arms and legs with rope.

While inside, Loveless and her friends taunted Sharer, making cruel remarks and removing her jewelry. They then started beating her. Loveless repeatedly slammed Sharer's face into her knee and tried to slash her throat with a dull knife. When the knife did not cut, Loveless, Tackett, and Rippey took turns stabbing Sharer in the chest. Afterward, they strangled her until she was unconscious and placed her in the trunk of their car.

Later, when Sharer screamed from the trunk, Tackett returned to stab her again multiple times. Afterward, they drove around for hours, continuing to assault Sharer and ignoring her cries for help. Eventually, they went to a nearby location where they decided to burn Sharer alive. They wrapped her in a blanket, soaked her in gasoline, and lit her on fire, leaving her body on the side of the road.

The next day, two brothers spotted the burned body and called the police. An investigation began that would reveal the full extent of the crime. Loveless and her friends were arrested after two of the group members reported the events to the authorities. They were charged with multiple offenses, including murder.