The Associated Press

RANGER, Ga. Jan. 8 — Four people including a 10-month-old baby were found shot to death early Thursday in two homes in northwest Georgia, and three young girls were missing and feared kidnapped.
Gordon County Sheriff's spokesman Clent Harris said an arrest warrant for suspicion of murder had been issued for Jerry William Jones, 31, identified as the father of two of the missing girls.

Authorities said they believe Jones has all three girls and that the children are in danger.

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

The four victims were killed that day between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., said Vicki Metz, Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman. It wasn't known if the girls were taken before or after the killings, she said.

Among the dead was a 10-month-old baby and two women, said Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokesman John Bankhead.

The suspect, Jerry William Jones, had been in the county jail before, primarily for minor traffic charges, Gordon County Sheriff Jerry Davis.

"We've had him in our jail and we're fixin' to put him back in our jail. We're gonna put him back on the chain gang he was on," Davis said.

Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

I pray that these girls are okay.......

The Gordon County Sheriff's Office and the GBI issued the Amber Alert after four were found dead in Ranger GA and the three girls were missing.

Three Georgia Girls

Brittney Phelps , a white 10 year old, Brandy Jones, a white four year old and Tammy Jones a white 3 year old were abducted in Ranger Georgia on January7 or 8.

Police are looking for Jerry William Jones a white male, 32 yrs., 5' 7" 150 lbs. driving a 1991 maroon Ford Explorer with the Georgia license plate 730YFZ.

Four people were found dead at the scene of the abduction and the suspect is considered armed and dangerous.

Anyone with information is asked to call Gordon County Sheriff's Office at (706) 629-1244 or dial 911.

Please click above link to notify others by email

Here's the latest:

RANGER, Ga. Jan. 8 — Three adults and a 10-month-old baby were found shot to death early Thursday in two homes in rural Georgia, and three young girls were missing and feared kidnapped.
Gordon County Sheriff's spokesman Clent Harris said an arrest warrant for suspicion of murder had been issued for Jerry William Jones, 31, identified as the father of two of the missing girls and former stepfather of the third.

"We are very concerned for the safety of the three children," Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Vernon Keenan said. He said it wasn't known whether Jones was still in the area, but authorities believe he has the girls with him.

The motive appeared to be jealousy, authorities said.

After the killings, Jones called his ex-wife, Melissa Peeler, the mother of the three missing girls and the slain infant, and told her that if she went to authorities, he would "start killing the kids one by one," Jones' former brother-in-law David O'Donnell said Thursday.

Peeler was in Oregon visiting her boyfriend at the time and had left the children with her parents, Tom and Nola Blaylock, and sister, Georgia Bradley, O'Donnell said.

The Blaylocks, Bradley, and Jones' own infant daughter Harley were all found slain Thursday morning, he said.

The murder scenes at the two homes in northwest Georgia showed that the killer was "very methodical," GBI spokesman John Bankhead said.

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

A man and woman were killed at one home and a woman and an infant girl were slain at the other, he said. Some of the victims had multiple gunshot wounds, and the baby appeared to have been strangled, Keenan said.

It wasn't clear where the three missing girls had been staying.

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

The four victims were killed the same day, sometime between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., GBI spokeswoman Vicki Metz said.

O'Donnell said Jerry Williams 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.

Jones had been in the county jail before, primarily for minor traffic charges, Gordon County Sheriff Jerry Davis said.

This man is sick, and needs to be found immediately before he can hurt anyone else. God bless and keep those 3 girls.

RANGER, Ga. - A jealous ex-husband shot three former in-laws to death and strangled his infant daughter, then kidnapped three little girls and fled in a stolen sport utility vehicle, authorities said Thursday.

Police launched a manhunt across the Southeast for Jerry William Jones, who allegedly abducted his two daughters and a former stepdaughter. The girls were feared to be in great danger.

"I need him back in the jail. The way he's treated these people, I want him bad," Sheriff Jerry Davis said, holding up Jones' mug shot at a news conference.

The victims were found dead in two homes down the street from each other in this rural Georgia town 55 miles north of Atlanta.

Authorities said Jones, 31, has been on the run since Wednesday afternoon, so he could have driven far from Ranger. Jones has a long criminal history, including convictions for burglary and auto theft.

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 was in Oregon visiting her boyfriend and had left the children with her parents and sister. She notified police after getting the phone call.

Peeler's parents, Tom and Nola Blaylock, were found shot to death in one home. In the other house, authorities found Jones' former sister-in-law, Georgia Bradley, shot to death, while Jones' 10-month-old daughter by Peeler, Harley, was apparently strangled.

Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokesman John Bankhead said the crime scenes indicated that the killer was "very methodical."

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

Authorities said the motive appeared to be jealousy over his ex-wife visiting her new boyfriend.

Jones was divorced from Peeler. Her brother-in-law David O'Donnell said that Jones was constantly threatening violence and that Peeler had been trying to get away from him.

"He says all the time, he'll kill you, he'll kill me or whoever," O'Donnell said. "He's an idiot, just a crazy person."

The missing girls are Peeler and Jones' children — Brandy Jones, 4, and Tammy Jones, 3 — and Peeler's daughter from a previous relationship, Brittany Phelps, 10.

O'Donnell said he thought Jones would head for Florida, where his brother lives. O'Donnell said Jones often went to his brother for "security and money."

Jones' mother and stepfather were killed in the 1996 ValuJet crash in the Florida Everglades, and O'Donnell said Jones got a substantial settlement.

"He blew the money almost as fast as he got it, mostly on drugs," O'Donnell said.

Authorities believe Jones, who was in and out of prison in the 1990s on various theft charges, was driving a 1991 red or maroon Ford Explorer.

"We've had him in our jail and we're fixing to put him back in our jail. We're going to put him back on the chain gang he was on," the sheriff said.

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.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,107733,00.html

Copyright 2004 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved.

Man sought in killing of four people, abduction of three girls apparently shoots self after police chase, police say.

GIRLS ARE SAFE !!!Girls safe.
Watch CNN or log on to http://CNN.com (AOL Keyword: CNN) for the latest news.

They say he is in critical condition (probably at Erlanger Hospital)- I hope he survives so he can face justice for the horrific things he did. They have been interviewing Melissa Peeler's sister and bro-in-law, Kathy & David O'Donnell, on local TV. Poor Kathy- she has lost her parents, sister, and baby neice in this tragedy.

This is a success story for the AMBER ALERT system- a motorist is the one who spotted him and notified police. The AMBER ALERT has been used 10 times now in Georgia since it's induction, and all 10 times there have been live recoveries of the kidnapped children!

From Martin Savidge
CNN
Friday, January 9, 2004 Posted: 4:26 PM EST (2126 GMT)

Authorities gather near an SUV that suspect Jerry William Jones crashed while being pursued in Tennessee.
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CALHOUN, Georgia (CNN) -- Three girls had a brief reunion Friday with their mother after a harrowing kidnapping ordeal that began with four relatives' deaths and ended with a police chase and car crash with their accused abductor.

The girls are safely in the custody of the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services in Calhoun, 60 miles north of Atlanta and county seat of Gordon County, where the gruesome tale began Wednesday.

The girls' mother, Melissa Peeler, was snowbound in Portland, Oregon, but returned to Georgia on Friday, Georgia Bureau of Investigation officials said. The children cannot be released to Peeler's custody until DFACS completes an investigation, standard procedure in such cases, officials said.

Jerry William Jones, 31, the man accused of kidnapping the girls and killing the others, is recovering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Police said the killings apparently were motivated by a jealous rage stemming from a domestic dispute.

Jones is in critical condition but expected to survive following surgery, officials said. He shot himself in the chin after a crash, the result of a Georgia State Patrol officer nudging the suspect's sport utility vehicle, they said.

Brittney Phelps, 10; Brandy Jones, 4; and Tammy Jones, 3; were treated and released from the hospital Thursday night to Georgia authorities. Brittney suffered minor injuries in the car crash, officials said.