Cops Believe Suspected Murderer Kidnapped Kids

Thursday, January 08, 2004

AP
Brittany Phelps

AP
Brandy Jones

RANGER, Ga. — A nationwide search is under way for a Georgia man who is suspected of kidnapping three girls and killing four people, including his own infant daughter, authorities said Thursday.

An Amber Alert has been issued in all states surrounding Georgia, according to local police. Georgia police issued a murder warrant Thursday for Jerry William Jones (search ), 31.

The kidnapped girls are the murder suspect's two daughters and a former stepdaughter, who were feared to be in great danger, authorities said.

Brittany Phelps, 10, Brandy Jones, 4, and Tammy Jones, 3, were all last seen Wednesday at a home in Ranger, 55 miles north of Atlanta.

Authorities believe Jones has the children and is driving a 1991 red or maroon Ford Explorer (search) Eddie Bauer edition with a two-tone paint scheme, the bottom part being light tan. The vehicle has Georgia license plates with registration 730 YFV. It was last seen traveling west on Georgia state highway 156 from U.S. 411.

The Georgia Department of Corrections said Jones has brown hair, green eyes, weighs 145 pounds and is 5 feet 6 inches tall. He also has scars on his back and a tattoo on his left arm.

Gordon County authorities are asking people to call 1-706-629-1244 if they see Jones or have any information that may help the case.

"We're very concerned for the safety of the three children," Vernon Keenan, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (search) said Thursday. "At this point we do not know if Jones and the three children are still in this immediate area or if they have traveled to another state."

Louisiana State Police were considering whether to issue one as well after a vehicle that matched the description of the one driven by Jones was spotted in northwest Louisiana.

Capt. Mike Edmondson said the car was seen around noon near Shreveport.

The FBI said Thursday they have joined the investigation and are setting up a command center to handle the flood of leads coming in. They also said they are hoping to have a toll-free number operational by Thursday night for people to call with tips.

Investigators were at the scene of the deaths Thursday. The four were killed Wednesday between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., authorities said. It wasn't known when the girls were taken.

"We know we have a very violent crime scene. The victims — some have suffered multiple gunshot wounds," said Keenan. "The 10-month-old infant child appears to have been strangled."

Gordon County Sheriff Jerry Davis said Jones has been jailed several times for theft and minor traffic charges. "I need him back in the jail for murder," he said. "The way that he's treated these people — I want him bad."

"Individuals such as this can be very, very violent," criminal investigator Rod Wheeler told Fox News. "You have to be careful when dealing with people like this because they are a walking time bomb."

The bodies were found shot to death Thursday morning, and GBI spokesman John Bankhead said the murder scenes showed that the killer was "very methodical."

"This wasn't quick. He clearly took his time," Bankhead said.

At the scene of the killings Thursday, Jones' former brother-in-law David O'Donnell said Jones killed his in-laws, Tom and Nola Blaylock, one of their adult daughters, Georgia Bradley, and Jones' own 10-month-old daughter, Harley.

The motive appeared to be jealousy, authorities said.

Jones called his ex-wife, Melissa Peeler, late Wednesday and told her of the killings, adding that he would "start killing the kids one by one" if she alerted authorities, according to her brother-in-law.

Peeler had left the children with her parents, the Blaylocks, and sister, Bradley, before leaving for Oregon to visit her boyfriend over the Christmas holidays. She notified police after getting the phone call.

Bankhead said a man and a woman were found at one home, and a woman and an infant girl were found at the other home. It was unclear where the kidnapped girls were at the time of the killings.

O'Donnell said Jones was constantly threatening violence and that Peeler had been trying to get away from him.

He described Jones as "a crazy person" and said Jones shot one of his horses five years ago after an argument. "He says all the time, he'll kill you, he'll kill me or whoever," O'Donnell said.

Officials said Peeler and Jones were never legally married but had a common-law marriage.

O'Donnell said he thought Jones would be headed to south Florida, where his brother lives.

Jones' parents died in the 1996 ValuJet crash (search) in the Everglades.

Fox News' Jonathan Serrie and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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